The cast of Downton Abbey had a mini-reunion when Michelle Dockery wed at a gorgeous ceremony last weekend. The actress, who is known and adored for her role as Lady Mary Crawley in the much-loved period drama franchise, married film and television producer, Jasper Waller-Bridge after getting engaged in January 2022.
Jasper is the younger brother of comedy writer, actress and star of Fleabag, Phoebe Waller-Bridge who was also, of course, in attendance at the star-studded ceremony that took place at St Nicholas' church in Chiswick, West London.
Michelle's co-stars including Hugh Bonneville, who played her on-screen father Lord Grantham in Downton Abbey, Lily James, Joanne Froggatt and Elizabeth McGovern all arrived in their finery to watch the Mary Crawley actress get hitched.
Die-hard fans will know that the star's long-running stint as Lady Crawley saw her perform the role of a bride twice throughout Downton's run on TV between 2010 and 2015. And those eagle-eyed fans might have also noticed a few similarities between her real-life fairytale wedding and her on-screen ceremonies. Let's take a closer look…
Michelle's on-screen persona first married in the premiere episode of series three of Downton when Lady Mary and Matthew Crawley got hitched in a beautiful church ceremony.
Much like in real life, her on-screen father, Robert Crawley, was a proud father of the bride, as was her other Downton father figure Mr Carson (Jim Carter). Both Hugh and Jim, and Jim's actress wife Imelda Staunton, were in attendance at Michelle and Jasper's wedding looking elated for their close friend and former colleague.
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Michelle Dockery's bridesmaids
Another wonderful similarity was Michelle's bridesmaids. Downton fans would have been delighted to see Michelle's co-star, Laura Carmicheal, take on the role of Bridesmaid at the church ceremony over the weekend. Laura looked stunning as she wore a sage green silk dress and carried a beautiful bouquet of flowers.
It's no surprise that Laura, who played Lady Edith, and Michelle have built a strong friendship after playing sisters on the show. In both of Mary's on-screen weddings, Lady Edith had an important role in her sister's special day.
The finer details
Fans might have spotted from photos of Michelle and Jasper's special day that Michelle was holding a white bag adorned with pearls on the strap. A bride can never go wrong with pearls on her wedding day, and Lady Mary wore a string of gorgeous pearls on her second wedding to Henry Talbot, played by Matthew Goode, following the tragic death of Matthew Crawley (Dan Stevens).
Although the blushing bride had her hair down in loose waves for her big day, her on-screen persona sported updos on both of her TV weddings. Mary's hair was a classic 1940s chic style, in theme with the time period of the drama series.
In both her real-life wedding and on-screen weddings, however, Michelle's make-up was the perfect natural finish. She kept her eye make-up simple and her lip colour was a pale pink – gorgeous!
Michelle and Jasper say 'I do'
Keeping with wedding traditions, the bride and groom walked out of the church after saying 'I do' while their friends, family and other guests threw flower petals over the grinning couple. In Mary's weddings to both Matthew and Henry, their guests do the same, celebrating Lady Mary's special day.
Meanwhile, Michelle and Jasper are yet to speak out about their nuptials last week, but are no doubt enjoying wedded bliss after becoming husband and wife. They shared the news of their engagement in The Times. The announcement read: "The engagement is announced between Jasper, son of Michael Waller-Bridge of King's Lynn, Norfolk, and Teresa Waller-Bridge of Battersea, London, and Michelle Dockery, younger daughter of Michael and Lorraine Dockery of Gidea Park, Essex."
The couple are believed to have met through friends in 2019 and made their first public appearance together at the Rome Film Festival.