Wedding ceremony Rewind: John F. Kennedy Marries Jacqueline Bouvier, September 1953

All through which we take our security of Fancy Weddings of the Earlier to the shores of America, the place in 1953 a really trendy youthful socialite married a youthful politician from a broadly identified household that had fairly just a few dangerous luck and fairly just a few good hair.  (For what it’s value, throughout the event you’re all through the lives of Wealthy Folks With Factors — one among my very private basic areas of have a look at — there are few Wikipedia entries extra attention-grabbing than Jackie Kennedy’s.)

Allow us to flip to some Marriage ceremony ceremony ceremony Factoids:

1. This was not Jackie’s first engagement. She broke it off with the primary dude on account of, after reflection, she discovered him boring. (Say what you’ll about JFK, he was undoubtedly not a boring companion.)

2. Jackie was 24 when this occurred and it was a matter of concern that she was SO OLD.

3. The gown was made by Ann Lowe — who furthermore made Jackie’s mom’s marriage ceremony ceremony ceremony robe for her second marriage ceremony ceremony ceremony — who was under no circumstances credited by Jackie precisely; she merely recommended the New York Occasions that it was made “by a coloured dressmaker,” which was critically shitty of her. (Having mentioned that, Lowe furthermore mentioned that she suspects Jackie is the one who later anonymously paid off an enormous debt she owned in as soon as extra taxes to the IRS.) Lowe was an particularly influential Black designer who really under no circumstances obtained the credit score rating score or consideration she deserved whereas she was alive. Right here is a good primer about her within the Washington Submit, and it is a actually attention-grabbing put up — with nice pictures of a few of Lowe’s different work — at The Classic Girl.

4. The marriage robe and quite a lot of completely different bridesmaids clothes had been destroyed when a pipe burst and flooded Lowe’s atelier merely ten days ahead of the marriage — merely fascinated about this presents me hives — and she or he and her staff wished to work regular to interchange them, which they did. (Jackie apparently didn’t even know this had occurred till hundreds later.)

5. Jackie didn’t really similar to the gown, and its design was pushed by a Kennedy mandate for traditionalism. (The Kennedys appear to have really run the present on this marriage ceremony ceremony ceremony, which isn’t a shock.)

6. They’d 1200 folks on the reception — held at Jackie’s stepfather’s big beautiful property in Rhode Island, Hammersmith Farm — and it took them two hours to get through the receiving line. This (a) sounds exhausting and (b) was maybe good educating for being First Lady.

7. I really like studying contemporaneous accounts of occasions, and Life’s protection of this wedding ceremony is enjoyable. (Together with some glorious outdated commercials, virtually all of that are problematic. Be warned that on account of this complete matter of Life is on-line, the marriage security segues with no warning into the following article, a narrative numerous bunch of cobras on the unfastened all through the Ozarks. At first, I used to be like, “nobody recommended me the Kennedy marriage ceremony ceremony ceremony was virtually overrun with snakes!”)

8. The JFK Library studies on the marriage luncheon: “The couple reduce a five-tier marriage ceremony ceremony ceremony cake, after which a luncheon of fruit cup, creamed hen, and ice cream sculpted to resemble roses was served.” That feels VERY 1953; I really actually really feel like each Wealthy Folks With Factors data I’ve ever research set in 1953 in America had SOMEONE deciding on at their creamed hen whereas worrying about their companion.

Let’s take a look at some footage!

This piece initially ran on August 12, 2020, nonetheless it appeared value a go to to the archives in case you missed it the primary time.

[Photos: Getty Images]