On the Way to the Wedding is a 2006 historical romance written by Julia Quinn and published by Avon. It is the eighth and last book in Quinn's Bridgerton series, which is set in Regency England. The story follows Gregory, the youngest son of the Bridgerton family.
The book was awarded the 2007 RITA Award for Best Long Historical Romance. It also achieved the fifth position on the New York Times Bestseller List and the fourth position on the USA Today Bestseller List.
Background
Quinn noted that the title came from A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum. Some of the heroine's slightly obsessive-compulsive tendencies were taken directly from traits of Quinn and her husband.
Plot
The main character in the story is Gregory Bridgerton, the youngest brother and the only unmarried male in the Bridgerton family. At a house party, Gregory sees Hermione Watson, a very beautiful and highly admired woman, and becomes instantly fond of her. When he expresses his interest in her, Hermione’s best friend, Lady Lucinda “Lucy” Abernathy, tells him that Hermione is already in love with someone else—her father’s secretary. Lucy believes Gregory is more genuine in his efforts to win Hermione’s affection than her other suitors and agrees to help him.
As the house party continues, Lucy and Gregory grow close, becoming friends and then developing romantic feelings for each other. The story describes Gregory’s struggle to understand whether his feelings for Lucy are true love or just a passing infatuation, similar to what he felt for Hermione. Lucy also faces a difficult choice because she is already promised in marriage to Lord Haselby, a commitment she has already accepted.
When Gregory realizes he loves Lucy, he goes to the church to stop her wedding to Haselby. He arrives just before the ceremony and confesses his desire to marry her. However, Lucy decides to proceed with the marriage, though her reasons remain unknown to others.
After the wedding, Gregory finds a way to speak with Lucy, and she eventually reveals the truth. Lucy’s uncle explains that Haselby’s father is threatening the family with evidence that Lucy’s late father was a traitor to England. Learning this, Gregory works to free Lucy from her marriage. It is later discovered that Lucy’s uncle, not her father, was the traitor. The marriage is officially ended, and Lucy is allowed to marry Gregory. Together, they have nine children.
Reception
The Romance Writers of America awarded On the Way to the Wedding the 2007 RITA Award for Best Long Historical Romance. In 2006, Romantic Times nominated the book for an award in the category of Historical Love & Laughter.
Kathe Robin of Romantic Times highly praised the novel, stating that "Quinn combines elements of a Shakespearean comedy with the climax of The Graduate, creating a very enjoyable love story that makes readers happy from the first page to the final ending." A review in Publishers' Weekly described the book as "as light and fun as a glass of bubbly" and noted that it deserves praise. However, the review also mentioned that the book includes fewer interactions between the Bridgerton siblings than earlier books in the series.
On the Way to the Wedding reached number 5 on the New York Times Bestseller List for paperback fiction. The novel appeared on the USA Today bestseller list for six weeks, reaching number 4.
Adaptation
The book series that the novel is part of has been adapted by Shondaland and Netflix into a television series called Bridgerton, which began in 2020. Actor Will Tilston plays the character Gregory in seasons 1 through 4 of the series.