Netflix's Completely Messed Up Timeline of Bridgerton Weddings. Show vs. Book Comparison
The Bridgerton timeframe is different from the source material, but that might be a good thing.
If you're just starting to read Julia Quinn's famous book series that became the basis for Netflix's flagship romance show, get ready for numerous differences between the on-page and on-screen Bridgerverse. Basically, Shondaland's creation has strayed so far from the source material that you can easily think of them as two separate universes.
It's a beautiful thing, really, because it allows us to dive into two versions of one love story. However, there is one detail that can be too confusing when comparing the show to the books. It is the timeline of the Bridgertons' lives.
Books vs. Show Timelines
In Bridgerton Seasons 1 and 2, the Netflix adaptation followed roughly the same chronological pattern as Quinn's romance series. Season 3, however, strayed far from the canonical timeframe. And future chapters are likely to follow suit. But that might actually be a positive change.
Bridgerton is a romantic series where each season/novel features a new love story, so the best way to illustrate the difference between book and show timelines is to compare the dates of the titular family's weddings.
Bridgerton Wedding Dates in the Books
Let's start our comparison with the books. Here is when each Bridgerton marries on pages. Francesca, of course, does it twice.
- May 1813 - Daphne Bridgerton & Simon Basset, Duke of Hastings
- May 1814 - Anthony Bridgerton & Katharine 'Kate' Sheffield
- June 1817 - Benedict Bridgerton & Sophia 'Sophie' Beckett
- Spring 1818 - Francesca Bridgerton & John Stirling, 8th Earl of Kilmartin
- Early May 1824 - Colin Bridgerton & Penelope Featherington
- Late May 1824 - Francesca Bridgerton & Michael Stirling, 9th Earl of Kilmartin
- Early June 1824 (three days after Francesca's wedding) - Eloise Bridgerton & Sir Phillip Crane
- July 1825 - Hyacinth Bridgerton & Gareth St. Clair
- July 1827 - Gregory Bridgerton & Lady Lucinda 'Lucy' Abernathy
Like the show, the novel series begins with the social season of 1813, when Daphne Bridgerton enters into a fake courtship with Simon Basset. The romance of Anthony Bridgerton and Kate Sheffield blossoms the following year, in 1814. And then there are big time jumps between the novels.
The third book, dedicated to Benedict, begins in 1817. Francesca's first wedding takes place behind the scenes. And Books 4-6 all take place around the same time in 1824. There are three Bridgerton weddings that year. Imagine Violet's stress level!
Bridgerton Wedding Dates in the Show
In the Netflix series, the wedding dates so far are as follows.
- First week of June 1813 - Daphne Bridgerton & Simon Basset, Duke of Hastings
- End of August 1814 - Anthony Bridgerton & Kate Sharma
- May 1815 - Colin Bridgerton & Penelope Featherington
- June 1815 - Francesca Bridgerton & John Stirling, 8th Earl of Kilmartin
As mentioned, Seasons 1 and 2 follow roughly the same timeline as the first and second Quinn novels. However, on screen, Colin and Penelope are nine years younger than their book counterparts when they tie the knot. The reason for this is likely preserving the continuity of the Bridgerverse timeline.
It looks like the creators intend to feature one Bridgerton romance per year from 1813 to 1820 (if eight seasons are greenlit by Netflix). And that's a good thing, because the time jumps will only further mess up the already inconsistent Bridgerverse timeline and mislead viewers.
Given that, it is safe to say that either Benedict or Eloise will find their love interest in 1816 shortly after the time jump in the final moments of Season 3. Unfortunately, in real life we will have to wait two years for this story.