Bridgerton Season 3 Ending Explained: Penelope, Colin's Wedding, More (2024)

Bridgerton‘s third season ended on a high note for Penelope and Colin — but what about the other couples?

Based on Julia Quinn’s book Romancing Mr. Bridgerton, season 3 largely focused on Colin (Luke Newton) and Penelope’s (Nicola Coughlan) evolution from friends to lovers. The second half, which premiered on Thursday, June 13, picked up with Colin and Penelope engaged after a heated moment in a carriage.

There was one rather big issue however: Penelope’s secret identity as Lady Whistledown. Once Colin figured out what Penelope was keeping from him, it took some time for the couple to get to a better place in their relationship after they exchanged vows.

Penelope and Colin weren’t the only pair to end the season as a married couple. Colin’s sister Francesca (Hannah Dodd) and her suitor John Stirling (Victor Alli) were able to take the next step despite doubts from outsiders.

The one question that remained unanswered was which Bridgerton would be leading the fourth season of the show. For now, the top contenders remain Francesca, Eloise (Claudia Jessie) and Benedict (Luke Thompson).

Keep scrolling to see where every Bridgerton character ended up in season 3:

Season 3 originally focused on Colin’s realization that he was in love with Penelope and his subsequent efforts to win her over. The second part of the season picked up moments after Colin proposed to Penelope — to which she said yes. Penelope, however, was still harboring a pretty big secret that was eventually exposed to Colin.

He didn’t take it well, but Colin realized that he still wanted a future with Penelope no matter what. They eventually tied the knot, and Colin stayed by Penelope’s side as she embraced her identity as Lady Whistledown before deciding to keep writing under her actual name. The epilogue offered a glimpse into Penelope and Colin’s life as a married couple, which revealed that Penelope welcomed their first baby, a son.

After being the season 2 leads, Kate (Simone Ashley) and Anthony (Jonathan Bailey) returned from their honeymoon happier than ever. The first half of season 3 highlighted Kate and Anthony’s steamiest moments as a married couple before they left for another trip before taking over the Bridgerton household. The fan-favorites came back during the second half with news of Kate’s pregnancy, which they initially kept a secret from the family.

The third season ended with Kate and Anthony offering their insight to various characters after previously dealing with obstacles of their own. After receiving a letter from her sister from India, Anthony suggested they travel to Kate’s home before the arrival of their first child. Based on Quinn’s book series, Kate and Anthony’s had a son, Edmund, who they named in honor of Anthony’s late father.

The third season followed Francesca as she attempted to find the person she would spend her life with after her debut. Enter John Stirling. Everyone considered Francesca and John a perfect match — except for Queen Charlotte (Golda Rosheuvel), who was trying to set Francesca up with someone else and Francesca’s mother, Violet (Ruth Gemmell), who didn’t consider John a love match.

Despite those concerns, Francesca and John ended up engaged and tied the knot by the end of the season. The newlyweds made plans to travel to John’s home in Scotland with Eloise — and his cousin. However, contrary to Francesca’s book, When He Was Wicked, John’s cousin turned out to be Michaela (Masali Baduza) instead of Michael.

Bridgerton fans learned a lot more about Cressida through her friendship with Eloise. Her decision to pretend to be Lady Whistledown was also explored in great detail once Cressida revealed she had no suitors and needed to figure out how to survive without being married off to her father’s old friends.

Cressida’s mother (Joanna Bobin) made a brief attempt to mimic Lady Whistledown’s writing, but the truth soon came out. Cressida then (unsuccessfully) attempted to blackmail Penelope when she learned she was responsible for the gossip columns. It remained unclear whether she left with her aunt to the countryside or not.

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