At the end of the Season 4 finale, as a clock strikes midnight, Benedict Bridgerton (Luke Thompson) and Sophie Baek (Yerin Ha) make plans for “forever,” sweetly sealed by a passionate kiss. But that’s not the last we see of the season’s romantic leads. A surprise final scene flashes forward to Benedict and Sophie’s wedding day. After eight episodes of uncertainty over whether they could ever be together, the two formalize their commitment to one another by becoming husband and wife. 

As the young couple looks ahead to a life of happiness, the scene is bursting with excitement, and the costume department channeled that sense of possibility through their matrimonial attire. “The wedding itself is an epilogue at the end of the season, and I took that deliberately,” says associate costume designer Dougie Hawkes. “We wanted to push to a fantasy place somewhere in the future.” To do that, they took the silhouettes slightly forward in time with inspiration from the 1820s, a nod to the bright future of marital bliss ahead for Benedict and Sophie.

Before moving on to what might be next for the Bridgertons, let’s look back at the costumes that closed this season. Below, get an up-close view of Sophie’s wedding dress and Benedict’s suit and explore the special significance of their accessories through exclusive photos and details directly from Hawkes, costume designer John Glaser, and other members of their team. To learn more about the season’s other outfits and wigs, including the unforgettable masquerade ball looks, check out our Bridgerton Season 4 costume close-up.

WEDDING LOOKS

In the finale script, Sophie’s wedding dress is described as “magical.” But unlike her costume as the Lady in Silver, what makes the gown stand out among a season’s worth of extravagant attire is its understated elegance. Now that we know who Sophie is, she’s free to be herself — not the elaborate fantasy of the Lady in Silver. “Sophie would never wear anything that was overpowering. It’s one of those situations where the dress is not the center of attention — it’s this marriage,” says Glaser. 

For the intricate details that were added to the sophisticated look, the embellishment team drew inspiration from the wedding’s slightly rustic location: My Cottage, the couple’s country estate. “The main idea was that the dress must be country and romantic at the same time,” says head embellisher Maria Elena Gomez Patino. To achieve that aesthetic, the team looked to nature. “Our work was to make hundreds of silk and tulle flowers with beads on every single center,” she says. Figuring out exactly how many of those flowers to apply to the gown’s beautiful train took some experimentation. “We tried lots, and it was too much,” explains senior embellisher Jack Hopkins. “[Sophie’s] more simple.” Pleating at the top of the dress also contributed to the countryside chic. “That was all hand-pleated so it gives that organic fluent sense,” says Gomez Patino.

That same bucolic vibe is also reflected in Benedict’s wedding suit. Always most at ease on the grounds of My Cottage, Benedict looks much more laid-back and accessible on his visits to the countryside, and his wedding day is no exception. “He’s very much at home,” says Hawkes. “Very rural Thomas Hardy.” 

The lapels of the groom’s waistcoat are adorned with floral embroidery, which Glaser typically avoids in the Bridgerton wardrobe. Because it’s used so sparingly throughout the series, it packs a punch in Season 4’s very last scene. “If you hold it for a certain spot like the wedding, then it has a lot of power, and it’s beautiful,” explains Glaser. Hawkes specifically characterizes the hand-embroidered flowers as “very arts and crafts,” which Gomez Patino and her team of embellishers created by mixing silk and cotton threads and employing an embroidery method called curl fettuccine. “It was perfectly romantic for him,” she says.

Benedict dons this kite pin, specially requested by Hawkes, on his wedding cravat as an homage to an integral scene earlier in the season. In Episode 3, our romantic leads begin to forge a real connection while staying at My Cottage. Despite her hesitation, Sophie is endeared to the Bridgerton second son’s playful nature when he convinces her to indulge in some lighthearted fun by flying a kite. Jewelry maker Poonam Thanki says the kite was meant to represent the sense of freedom Benedict finally feels as he marries his true love. It’s a new start for the couple outside of society’s oppressive expectations.

While Benedict’s kite appears in only one episode before his wedding, Sophie’s necklace is featured throughout the season. It symbolizes a connection to her heritage — and not just because it once belonged to her late mother. Consulting with the jewelry department, Glaser decided that the pendant should feature amethyst, a stone commonly mined in Korea. From there, jeweler Helen Christie sourced two options. “In the end, they went for the simplest one,” says Christie. The modest but meaningful piece perfectly complements Sophie’s style, including her wedding attire.

Commonly worn by men in the Regency era, fobs hung from their trousers and held watches, keys, and even wax stamps used to seal letters or documents. With the Bridgerton family crest dangling off one of Benedict’s fobs, his typically serve a utilitarian purpose, but on his wedding day, the fobs also feature very sentimental charms. “[For] his wedding suit, we’ve added to his watch fobs,” Glaser and Hawkes share. “They’ve got little gifts that maybe Sophie gave him.” Those presents are small charms symbolizing all that Benedict holds most dear: an artist’s pencil, a sketchbook, and a cottage. Now that they’re tying the knot in the place that has always been his escape, Benedict is finally able to embrace his true identity as an artist, and his partner is there to celebrate that.

See these costumes and more onscreen now by streaming every episode of Bridgerton Season 4 on Netflix. Once you’re done, debrief the romance with host Alison Hammond on Bridgerton: The Official Podcast. And, to learn even more about the costumes featured in Part 1, click here.