With spring comes the first part of Season 3 of Bridgerton, premiering on May 13. The season is slated to have two parts, each with four episodes, and the second part will follow up on June 13. This highly anticipated season will feature Penelope Featherington (Nicola Coughlan) and Colin Bridgerton’s (Luke Newton) transition from friends to lovers — and the hype is so real.
Throughout the first two seasons, fans have seen these characters interact but never have their moment in the spotlight, so Polin (Penelope-Colin) shippers are more than excited to see their story get to play out center stage. As of last season, Penelope was left heartbroken after hearing that Colin had no interest in courting her. According to Netflix’s Season 3 synopsis, Colin returns after his summer abroad and is dismayed to find he is receiving the cold shoulder from Penelope as a result. He decides to offer to mentor Penelope in the ways of confidence to help her find a husband this season in order to win back her friendship. But when his lessons start working a little too well, Colin must decide what the nature of his feelings toward Penelope truly are.
As huge Bridgerton fans, my friends and I have already begun to discuss the idea of a watch party to celebrate the return of one of our favorite shows. There are a lot of creative ways to be on theme for a Bridgerton Season 3 watch party.
1. Create invitations.
This may feel over the top for Netflix and chillin’, but creating invitations is a great way to set the ambiance of a Bridgerton watch party. Some fancy calligraphy on a nice piece of parchment paper automatically makes an invitation seem fancy, and you could even go the extra mile to close an envelope with a wax seal. Bridgerton is all about elegance and old-fashioned traditions, so a beautiful invite is the perfect way to invite your friends to watch the new season.
2. Serve a variety of teas.
A party with tea is nothing if not Bridgerton-coded. You can make this as fancy or as casual as you want — whether you serve the tea in thrifted teacups or random mugs, providing a range of teas is a great way for everyone to have a beverage option that is on theme. With teas like jasmine, English breakfast, or earl grey, everyone can choose their own favorite. Plus, it’s easy to find fun tea collections at stores like World Market, or even just at your local grocery store.
3. Throw on a Bridgerton playlist.
Music is an easy way to transport your guests back to the Bridgerton time period (you know, the fictional era when Taylor Swift and Ariana Grande hits were covered by string orchestras). Spotify has an official Bridgerton playlist, or you can even just turn on music that you can envision the characters waltzing to at the ball. Either way, pull out your speaker and get the music playing for when your guests arrive.
4. Decorate your own Bridgerton cake.
As a college kid on a budget, I’m not keen on the idea of paying someone else to make a fancy cake, but I always have a lot of fun with buying a cheap grocery store cake, scraping the icing off, and tackling the redecorating process with my friends. With some cheap piping equipment and icing, you can get as creative at you want. It’s a fun activity to engage in with friends and it gives you something to eat for dessert while watching the new episode.
5. Get your home smelling like the fanciest Bridgerton estate.
I actually had no clue this was a thing until I stumbled into Bath and Body Works last week, but the beloved body and home story has a whole Bridgerton collection of products. There are five featured scents in the new collection: Danbury Shortbread, Wisteria Garden, Queen Charlotte’s Tea, Bridgerton Study, and my personal favorite, Diamond of the Season. No matter which scent is your favorite, you can set the scent scene for any watch party with a candle, soap, or Wallflower fragrance.
6. Dress up.
It’s up to you how extra you get with this one — whether you choose to just wear an empire-waist dress or go all-out with hair and makeup, this is a fun and aesthetically pleasing way to add to the vibe of your watch party. If you want to go the extra mile, you can each party guest dress up as their favorite Bridgerton, Featherington, or other character from the show. Dressing up isn’t for everyone, but for those who enjoy it, it can be a great way to have everyone engaged in the new season before they even step through your door.
7. Play a Bridgerton-themed game.
There are a lot of Bridgerton-themed games out there, believe it or not, so you have plenty of options to choose from, including Bridgerton Monopoly, Bridgerton Clue, or an original Bridgerton game like the High Society Game. Even if you don’t want to buy a game to play, there are plenty of games you can play based upon creating gossip (telephone, anyone?) or a round of charades based on the show.
8. Have a Bridgerton-themed potluck.
If you want to have a dinner party before or while you watch the new episodes, a Bridgerton-themed potluck is an easy and collaborative way to make this happen. Set up your space with some candles, an assigned seating chart, and fancy plating. Plus, with a potluck, the burden isn’t completely on you to provide a full meal; each guest can bring a type of food that’s on theme with the show or the Regency era.
9. Play Pall Mall.
For those of you who recall, Bridgerton Season 2 features a scene in which the Bridgerton family engages in a not-so-friendly (but still fun!) game of Pall Mall, which is the precursor to croquet. TBH, the exact rules of the game are lost to the 16th and 17th centuries, so you can just play croquet and call it accurate enough. This is a fun way to be active before sitting and watching the new season, and it’s perfectly on brand with the show.
10. Make some Lady Whistledown-esque predictions.
As a fun challenge for your friends, turn your viewing party into a game itself. Before watching each new episode, jot down your predictions on what scandals, events, romantic progressions, and drama will be reported on by the infamous Lady Whistledown. If you want to spice it up a bit, you can place bets, or even offer a prize for those who have the most accurate predictions.