All About Jackie Kennedy's Wedding Dress (And What She Reportedly Wanted to Wear to Marry JFK Instead)

Jackie Kennedy wore a silk taffeta gown with a bouffant skirt for her 1953 nuptials to President John F. Kennedy

Jackie Kennedy’s classic wedding dress has withstood the test of time.

The former first lady and President John F. Kennedy were introduced through their mutual friend, journalist Charles Bartlett, in 1952 and later wed at St. Mary's Church in Newport, R.I. on Sept. 12, 1953. The lavish affair was covered by Life magazine and featured over 600 guests for the ceremony and 900 at the nearby reception.

For her nuptials, Jackie wore an ivory silk taffeta gown with a portrait neckline and bouffant skirt, which was designed by Ann Lowe. The silhouette of the dress was very traditional, but the embellishments were on the more playful side and included large rosettes and wax flowers. As for JFK, he also opted for a classic look with a black suit jacket with tails and pinstripe trousers.

Related: JFK and Jackie Kennedy's Relationship Timeline

Jackie’s effortless style of pillbox hats and tailored separates continues to influence the fashion world today and cemented her as a style icon of the ‘60s and ‘70s. However, it's her wedding gown that is still considered one of her most iconic looks.

From the designer to her bridal accessories, here’s everything to know about Jackie Kennedy’s wedding dress.

Jackie's wedding dress was designed by Ann Lowe

Lowe, a trailblazing Black designer, created Jackie’s iconic ivory gown. Lowe had previously worked with some of the most elite American families, including the Roosevelts and the Rockefellers. She had also designed dresses for Jackie’s mother, Janet Lee Bouvier, who commissioned Lowe to design her daughter’s wedding gown and bridesmaid dresses.

Jackie’s dress quickly became a well-known bridal look, but Lowe was not originally credited for her design. When asked about the designer of her wedding gown in the press, Jackie reportedly responded, "a colored dressmaker did it,” per Elle.

However, Julia Faye Smith, the author of Lowe's biography Something to Prove, told Elle in 2019 that Lowe later contacted Jackie to express her disappointment in the comment.

“Within days Mrs. Kennedy's secretary called Ann,” Smith said. “She explained that Mrs. Kennedy had not seen the final text before publication and did not know that Ann would be referred to as she was in the article. The White House sought retraction, but the publication never followed up on it. Still, Ann felt no animosity toward the Kennedys."

Her original gown was destroyed by water damage

A week before the high-profile nuptials, a waterline in Lowe’s studio burst and flooded the space, per the National Museum of American History. The water damaged Jackie’s wedding gown and nine of the bridesmaid dresses. Lowe chose not to tell the Kennedy family and instead purchased new fabric to remake all the dresses that had been destroyed.

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

The dress featured a pleated bodice and full skirt

The ivory gown that Jackie wore down the aisle was made of 50 yards of silk taffeta, per the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum. It featured a portrait neckline, bouffant skirt, pleated bodice, scalloped hem and large rosettes. Small wax orange blossoms were attached to the center of each rosette, which was a trademark of Lowe’s designs.

“Flowers were something she did over and over and over again,” Elizabeth Way, associate curator at The Museum at FIT and author of Black Designers in American Fashion, told Vanity Fair. “She was just really great at almost sculpting the fabric and building up into three dimensions from a flat surface.”

Jackie’s gown also included a few hidden details. For her “something blue,” a blue ribbon was sewn into the underskirt. Additionally, an Ann Lowe label was placed inside the waistline of the skirt.

Jackie reportedly didn’t choose her dress

Despite Jackie’s wedding gown being one of the most iconic bridal looks of all time, she reportedly wanted to wear a simpler, sleeker design on her big day.

However, it was JFK’s father, John Kennedy, who overruled Jackie’s idea and had final approval on the wedding dress design, per Elle. However, Smith told Elle that “Ann did like to please her clients” and that Jackie “probably had some say in the design of her own gown” as Lowe consulted with her on the design and colors of the bridal party dresses.

She completed her look with sentimental accessories

Jackie incorporated her “something borrowed” into her bridal accessories. She paired her gown with a tiara and a rosepoint lace veil with orange blossoms, which was originally worn by her grandmother Margaret Lee.

As for jewelry, Jackie wore two gifts from her husband-to-be: a pearl choker and a diamond bracelet. She also carried a bouquet of pink and white spray orchids and gardenias to complete her classic bridal look.

Her silk taffeta gown is too fragile to be displayed

Jackie’s wedding dress is a part of the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum’s permanent collection and was last on display in 2003 to celebrate the pair’s 50th wedding anniversary. The gown has since become too fragile to showcase and doesn’t leave the museum.

However, the iconic dress has been recreated on several occasions for exhibits. In 2013, Marshall Field’s Department Store donated a paper replica to the museum and put it on display in honor of Jackie and JFK’s 60th wedding anniversary. The ivory gown was also replicated in 2023 for the exhibit “Ann Lowe: American Couturier” at the Winterthur Museum, Garden & Library.

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