About the gown she wore to marry JFK

More than 70 years after President Jackie Kennedy and President John F. Kennedy went into water, her classic wedding dress hasn’t been styled.

The former First Lady and the President were introduced in 1952 when they met through mutual friend, journalist Charles Bartlett. A year later, they got married on September 12, 1953 at St. Mary’s Church in Newport, Lordly, at a gorgeous wedding covered by Life Magazine. Over 600 guests attended the ceremony, and 900 people attended the nearby reception.

For her wedding, Jackie wore an ivory silk taffeta gown with a portrait neckline and a boophant skirt designed by Anne Lowe. The silhouette of the dress was very traditional, but the decorations were on the more playful side, and included large rosettes and wax flowers. As for JFK, he chose the classic look with a black suit jacket with tail and pinstriped pants.

Jackie’s pillbox hat and tailored separation effortless style continues to influence the fashion world today, solidifying her as a style icon of the 60s and 70s. But it is her wedding gown, considered one of her most iconic looks.

From designers to bridal accessories, there’s everything you need to know about Jackie Kennedy’s wedding dress.

Jackie’s wedding dress was designed by Anlow

A pioneering black designer, Lowe created Jackie’s ivory gown. She previously worked with some of the most elite American families, including Roosevelt and Rockefeller. Lowe also designed a dress for Jackie’s mother, Janet Lee Bouvier. Janet Lee Boubier asked the designer to wear a daughter’s wedding dress and a bridesmaid dress.

Jackie’s dress quickly became a famous bridal look, but Lowe was originally not credited for her designs. When asked about her wedding dress designer in the press, Jackie reportedly replied, “The colored dressmaker did it.”

However, Julia Faye Smith, author of Lowe’s biographies, told Elle in 2019 that Lowe later contacted Jackie to express his disappointment in the comments.

“Within a few days Mrs. Kennedy’s secretary will be called Anne,” Smith said. “She explained that Mrs. Kennedy had not seen the final text before publication and that she had no idea that Anne was said to be in the article. The White House called for a withdrawal, but the publication did not track it.

Her original gown was destroyed by flood

A week before the famous nurturer, according to the National Museum of American History, the waterlines in Lowe’s studio broke the space and flooded it. Water damaged Jackie’s wedding gown and nine new bridesmaid dresses. Lowe chose not to tell the Kennedy family and instead purchased new fabrics to remake all the dresses that were destroyed.

Jackie’s original wedding dress took nearly eight weeks to complete, and Lowe was able to remake it within five days with the help of the team. The designer was reportedly expected to make a profit of $700 from the gown, but instead suffered a loss of $2,200 due to the incident.

The dress featured a pleated bodice and a full skirt.

The ivory gown that Jackie wore the aisle was made of 50 yards of silk taffeta, following John F. Kennedy’s Presidential Library and Museum. It featured a portrait neckline, a boophant skirt, a pleated bodice, scalloped hem and a large rosette. The small waxed orange flowers were attached to the center of each rosette, a trademark of wax design.

“Flowers were something she did over and over again,” Elizabeth Way, an associate curator at Fit’s Museum and author of American fashion black designer, told Vanity Fair. “She was really great at carving the fabric almost and accumulating it in three dimensions from the flat surface.”

Jackie’s gown also includes some hidden details. A blue ribbon was sewn into the underskirt for her “something blue.” Additionally, an unlow label was placed inside the waistline of the skirt.

Jackie reportedly did not choose her dress.

Despite Jackie’s wedding dress being one of the most referenced bridal looks of all time, she wanted to wear simple and refined designs on her big day.

However, JFK’s father, Joseph Kennedy, rejected Jackie’s idea and ultimately approved the wedding dress design.

Smith told Elle “Anne wants to please her clients,” while Jackie “probably had some say in the design of her gown,” and Lowe consulted her about the design and color of her bridal party dress.

She completed the look with sentimental accessories

Jackie has incorporated her “borrowed” into her bridal accessories. She paired the gown with a tiara and orange flowers and a veil of rose point lace. This was originally worn by my grandmother Margaret Lee.

As for the jewelry, Jackie was wearing two gifts from her husband. Pearl choker and diamond bracelet. She also had pink and white spray run and gardenia bouquets to complete her classic bridal look.

Her silk tuff gown is too weak to display

Jackie’s wedding dress is part of the permanent collection of the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum, and was last exhibited in 2003 to celebrate the pair’s 50th anniversary. The gowns then become too fragile to leave the museum.

However, the dress has been recreated several times for display. In 2013, Marshallfield department stores donated paper replicas to the museum, displaying them to commemorate the 60th anniversary of Jackie and JFK. The ivory gown was recreated in 2023 for the display of “Anrow: American Couturier” at the Winterthur Museum, Garden & Library.