In honor of Presidents’ Day, we thought we’d give you a little glimpse at the wedding of our favorite first lady, Jackie Kennedy, whose style, poise, grace, and courage defined an era. She was married on the morning of September 12, 1953, at St. Mary’s Church in Newport, Rhode Island. The reception was held nearby at Hammersmith Farm, Jackie’s childhood home. Her original gown was destroyed in a flood, and African-American dressmaker Ann Lowe had only eight frantic days to somehow conjure up a new one. Incorporating almost 50 feet of ivory silk taffeta, the replacement dress had a portrait neckline, fitted bodice, and bouffant skirt with interwoven tucking bands and tiny wax flower details. Jackie wore her grandmother’s rose-point lace veil, which was draped from a lace tiara adorned with orange blossoms, and carried a bouquet of spray orchids and gardenias in shades of pink and ivory. Her jewelry was elegantly sparse: only a single strand of heirloom pearls, a diamond leaf pin bequeathed to her by her parents, and a diamond bracelet, a wedding gift from John. Surprisingly, Jackie wasn’t especially fond of her now iconic dress—later revealing that she thought it looked “like a lampshade”—or her four-foot-tall tiered cake. A beach bride at heart, she had wanted a simple dress and a sheet cake with the words “Oceans of Love” piped across it.
Photo by Toni Frissell courtesy of the Library of Congress
Photo by Lisa Larsen
Photo by Lisa Larsen
Photo by Lisa Larsen
Photo by Lisa Larsen
Photo courtesy of the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum
Wonderful post! Thanks for sharing. Jackie O remains such an icon… you know someone has grace when they manage to dance in a veil that long and look so poised! Her bridesmaids dresses are also a great inspiration… I’ll have to see what my girls think!
I will always love that 50s neckline. Eight days to make a wedding dress for the first lady though?? The stress of just thinking about what that must have been like is getting to me!
*Although I suppose she wouldn’t have been the first lady then… I seem to be particularly slow this morning! :)
inspirational :)