Few Americans inspire more admiration than Jacqueline Kennedy. She was one of the most stylish women this country has ever known and her influence on fashion has never diminished. Her 1953 wedding to the dashing Senator John F. Kennedy was the event of the season, and Jackie Kennedy’s name tops every list of legendary brides.
Miss Jacqueline Bouvier met then-Congressman John Kennedy in 1952 through a mutual friend. She began a relationship, and by the following summer, Jackie was wearing a stunning Van Cleef & Arpel emerald and diamond engagement ring. The wedding was scheduled for September 12, 1953, at St. Mary’s Church in Newport, Rhode Island, followed by a reception at Hammersmith Farm, where Miss Bouvier had spent the summer with her family.
Most brides have to put up with some input from their family during the wedding planning process; when Jackie was making arrangements for her, she had to deal with both her mother and her father-in-law being very demanding of her. It was extremely important to Joseph Kennedy that his son’s wedding be used for political gain, which would explain why he invited over 1,000 guests to the event. He can be sure that all those people were not close personal friends of the bride from her days at Miss Porter’s or Vassar.
Interestingly, although Jacqueline Kennedy is revered as a fashion icon, she was unable to have the wedding dress of her choice. Mademoiselle Bouvier was a Francophile and preferred simple, elegant dresses. For her wedding, she wanted a wedding dress that was similar to the sophisticated styles she became known for. However, Joe Kennedy did not trust her taste (go figure!), and insisted on a very traditional wedding dress. Jackie’s mother selected the dressmaker, Ann Lowe of New York, who created custom garments for families like the Rockefellers and the DuPonts.
There is no question of the couturier’s skill, however, the finished wedding dress certainly did not reflect Jacqueline Bouvier’s taste. However, it was a beautiful dress and very much in keeping with the look of 1950s wedding dresses. Jackie’s ivory gown featured 50 yards of silk taffeta, which had a portrait neckline with a very full skirt. The dress was highly decorated with rows of pleats, circles of ruffles, and wax flowers. It was a very pretty wedding dress, but very ornate.
Accessories were more to Jackie’s liking. She wore her grandmother’s exquisite rose-tipped lace veil that covered a small lace cap decorated with orange blossoms. Miss Bouvier’s pearl bridal jewelry included a classic family pearl necklace and her one-of-a-kind bracelet. The stunning bangle-style bracelet was a wedding gift from JFK and featured alternating diamonds and pearls. The stunning bracelet was true pearl bridal jewelry at its finest. Additionally, Jackie wore a diamond leaf pin, which was given to her by her future in-laws.
Jackie Kennedy’s wedding day ensemble was completed with a pair of wrist-length gloves (de rigueur for a 1950s bride) and a pink and white bouquet sprayed with orchids and gardenias. Another thing about the Kennedy wedding that was very typical of the 1950s was the menu. Weddings in those days did not feature gas stations offering exotic foods from around the world. After the bride and groom cut their five-tier wedding cake, guests were served a fruit cup lunch, cream of chicken soup and ice cream in the shape of roses. That’s one part of the Kennedy wedding that even Jackie’s most ardent fans probably won’t replicate at their own reception!
After the wedding, the newlyweds spent a night at the Waldorf-Astoria before leaving for a two-week honeymoon in Acapulco. That concluded the nuptials of Jacqueline and John F. Kennedy and began the glamorous era of Camelot that wowed millions during JFK’s presidency. The enduring legend of the charismatic young couple remains a symbol of style and grace around the world.