Brides tie the knot at “fairytale” Bridgerton-themed regal wedding

Last year, Tiffany Rae and Shanti Hinton, Bridgerton super fans who’ve been going steady since high school, attended the 2023 Bridgerton Queen’s Ball fan event in New York City. The ball recreated the popular romance series’ 19th-century royal setting, fashions, and regal ballroom atomsphere.

Netflix took notice of the couple’s attendance and granted them a life-changing wish.

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“My life was threatened.”

“We were shocked,” Rae tells People magazine.

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The streamer sent the couple to London for a real-life Bridgerton-themed wedding with family, friends, and a contingent of the show’s royal guests.

“We looked at each other like, ‘Wait, what? Are you serious?’ We were so happy we started to cry. It felt like destiny,” Rae says.

Both age 28, Rae, a professional dancer, and Hinton, a sports coach, tied the knot in March at the historic Chiswick House & Gardens, amid Regency-themed opulence straight out of the hit show.

“It was a dream,” says Rae.

On the guest list: the actors who play Queen Charlotte (Golda Rosheuvel), Lady Danbury (Adjoa Andoh), and Madame Delacroix (Kathryn Drysdale).

Rosheuvel and Andoh hosted the couple for tea before the lilac-scented ceremony, where Rosheuvel gave a champagne toast.

“I was slightly horrified,” Rosheuvel said of the whole wedding idea, maybe channeling her haughty queen. She added, “[Bridgerton] really, truthfully, authentically has been a part of their lives and has changed them and supported them in their journey, and I’m down with that.”

Andoh agrees the show-themed nuptials were “a crazy idea. But then you have the conversation with them, and then you remember what this story means in people’s lives.”

The popular romance series from hitmaker Shonda Rhimes has been a big part of the New York couple’s lives since it premiered in 2020. Rae says she was immediately inspired.

“I see myself in a lot of these stories, but specifically, Queen Charlotte,” she says. “She was the backbone of her family. A lot of times with women of color, we feel like we have to hold so much down and so much is on our shoulders. One of the lessons I took from the show is the hustle and just to always be pushing and finding positive avenues for yourself and your family.”

Surrounded by family and friends flown in for the occasion, along with their “royal guests,” the couple exchanged emotional vows under a canopy of cascading florals.

Later, the celebration continued at the iconic Lanesborough Hotel, where the wedding party enjoyed hors d’oeuvres, Beef Wellington, and a stunning six-tier luxury Ladurée wedding cake. The couple shared a first dance serenaded by singer Tori Kelly.

“We felt like royalty,” says Rae. “Couples out there that are just like us, we see you, we hear you,” says Rae. “Love always wins.”

“They’re beautiful, eloquent and confident,” says Rosheuvel. Andoh adds, “I feel very happy for them.” 

The Event of the Season: A Bridgerton Wedding premieres May 21 on Netflix.

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