A look back at JFK and Jackie's lavish 1953 wedding

AOL.com Editors
Updated ·2 min read

It was the wedding of the year.

On September 12th, 1953, Jaqueline Bouvier and John F. Kennedy married in a lavish fall ceremony at Newport, Rhode Island's St. Mary's Roman Catholic Church. Attended by nearly 800 guests, the nuptials were a milestone for the already picture-perfect American couple, who were featured on the cover of Life magazine only a few months before.

Life photographer Lisa Larson, who was sent to document the wedding, reported the events as a modern-day "coronation."

"Their wedding turned out to be the most impressive the old society stronghold had seen in 30 years," she wrote according to Brides. It was so notable that the couple received a personal blessing from the Pope.

The two met in Washington, D.C, where she was working as a photographer and JFK was new to the Senate. After two years of dating, he proposed with a 2.9-carat diamond ring from Van Cleef & Arpels, complete with a matching emerald.

Take a look inside their wedding:

Jackie walked down the aisle in a classic ivory silk gown designed by notable African American fashion designer Ann Lowe. The gown featured a portrait neckline and shoulder sleeves, as well as a bouffant skirt. According to the JFK Library, it took 50 yards of fabric to complete the design, which Jackie paired with a pearl choker, diamond bracelet and lace veil with a rose hue. The jewelry was a gift from JFK.

Days leading up to the wedding, a burst pipe almost destroyed Jackie's wedding dress and bridesmaids gowns. However, the gowns were quickly recreated, with Lowe and her team working nonstop to replicate the looks. To this day, Jackie's bridal gown is one of the "most iconic" wedding gowns of all time.

Holding a bouquet of white and pink orchids, Jackie was given away by her stepfather. Her bridal party included her sisters and 10 bridesmaids, all dressed in matching pink taffeta. The groomsmen were joined by brothers Robert and Edward Kennedy, as well as other political notables.

The reception, like the ceremony, was fit for a princess. After the nuptials, nearly 1200 guests gathered at the gorgeous Hammersmith Farm, owned by Jackie's mother, to a beautiful orchestra, four-foot wedding cake and dancing. According to Brides, it took the couple two hours to make their way down the receiving line.

Jackie and JFK danced to "I Married An Angel" for their first dance, later jetting off to Acapulco, Mexico, for the honeymoon.

If this wedding isn't proof of American royalty, then we don't know what is.

Related: Jackie over the years