04/19/2022
Jacqueline Bouvier married John F. Kennedy on September 12, 1953. The wedding dress had a fitted bodice and a bouffant skirt embellished with 50 yards of ivory silk taffeta. To complement the gown, Jackie donned a choker full of pearls and a diamond bracelet, and carried a bouquet of pink and white spray orchids and gardenias. The look would go on to become one of the most notable bridal ensembles in modern history.
Though Jackie's gown takes center stage, she accessorized her bridal look with a rosepoint lace veil, which her grandmother wore when she got married. The veil was placed over a tiara made of lace and orange blossoms.
The gown was designed and created by Ann Lowe, the wildly talented trailblazing couturier who catered to much of New York’s high society throughout the ’50s, including the Rockefellers, the Roosevelts, and the du Ponts, and regularly crafted gowns for the International Debutantes Ball.
The interesting back story is that ten days before Kennedy’s ceremony, a pipe bust in Lowe’s NYC studio and destroyed the original wedding dress plus nine out of the 15 bridesmaids gowns.
The gown had taken two months to create. The designer’s team worked tirelessly to catch up and remake the intricate pieces in time for the ceremony.