Kennedy Weddings: Looking Back at the Iconic Family’s Marriage Celebrations From 1914 to Now

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If the United States had a royal family, it would be the Kennedys. And though the Kennedy weddings over the years have not quite reached the level of pomp and circumstance that accompanies the nuptials of a prince or princess, these occasions are historically still quite stylish and culturally significant affairs.

For over a century, various members of the prominent family have dominated headlines—sometimes capturing the hearts of the nation, other times embroiled in scandal and tragedy. And throughout the decades since the first noteworthy Kennedys tied the knot in 1914, the family legacy has continued to grow through prominent weddings—the most recent being just last month. On July 20, Mariah Kennedy-Cuomo, the granddaughter of Ethel Kennedy and the great niece of JFK, got married at the family compound in Hyannis Port, Massachusetts. The nuptials were a quintessential Kennedy affair, with family traditions dating back to 1953. Read on as we share an inside look at some of the most iconic Kennedy weddings in the political dynasty’s history.

Joseph P. Kennedy and Rose Fitzgerald, 1914

It was when Rose Fitzgerald, the daughter of a congressman turned mayor of Boston, married Joseph P. Kennedy, an American businessman, investor, philanthropist, and politician, that the Kennedy legacy really began. The future couple first met at Old Orchard Beach in Maine, where they vacationed as children. Joseph and Rose wed in a chapel in Boston on October 7, 1914, and later had nine children: Joseph Patrick Jr, John “Jack” Fitzgerald, Rosemary, Kathleen or “Kick,” Eunice, Patricia, Robert or “Bobby,” Jean Ann, and Edward Moore.

Kathleen Agnes Kennedy and William Cavendish, Marquess of Hartington, 1944

Kathleen “Kick” Kennedy met William Cavendish on her first trip to England in 1938. The two wed in a modest, civil ceremony on May 6, 1944, at the Kensington and Chelsea Register Office in London. Due to the ongoing war and the disapproval of the Kennedy family, the only loved ones to witness the nuptials were William’s parents, Kick’s brother Joseph, and the best man, the Duke of Rutland. Just four months after their marriage, William was killed in the war. The couple never had any children.

Robert F. Kennedy and Ethel Skakel, 1950

Robert “Bobby” Kennedy first met Ethel Skakel in 1945 on a ski trip to Mount Tremblant Resort in Quebec, Canada. At the time, Bobby was dating Ethel’s sister, Patricia. When their relationship fizzled, Bobby and Ethel started seeing each other and were engaged five years later. The couple married on June 17, 1950, in a colorful ceremony at St. Mary’s Roman Catholic Church in Greenwich, Connecticut, where Ethel grew up. There were said to be many prominent socialites at the ceremony, as well as the sumptuous wedding reception at the Skakel estate. Digitized archives of the wedding show friends and family dressed to the nines whilst dancing and dining beneath a tent in the backyard. The two went on to have 11 children: Kathleen, Joseph, Robert Jr., David, Mary Courtney, Michael, Kerry, Christopher, Max, Douglas, and Rory.

Eunice Mary Kennedy and Robert Sargent Shriver, 1953

Eunice followed in her family’s footsteps by marrying politician and diplomat Robert Sargent Shriver. The two tied the knot on May 23, 1953, in New York City. The grand ceremony was at St. Patrick’s Cathedral, with a reception following at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel. Black-and-white photos of the wedding show the bride standing on a ladder cutting a seven-tier wedding cake. The couple went on to have five children: Robert, Maria, Timothy, Mark, and Anthony.

John Fitzgerald Kennedy and Jacqueline Bouvier, 1953

America’s future It couple were first introduced in 1951 at a dinner party in the Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, DC. JFK and Jackie’s meet-cute made the gossip columns, where it was predicted a wedding would happen within the year. The picture-perfect couple wed just two years later on September 12, 1953, in Newport, Rhode Island. The 1,200-person wedding reception was held at Hammersmith Farm, a 300-acre estate overlooking Narragansett Bay. It was known to be one of the most high-profile American weddings of the 20th century, according to Life Magazine. In photos taken by Lisa Larsen, a Life Magazine photographer, one can see the couple enjoying their first dinner as husband and wife and dancing before their guests under a festive striped tent. The couple went on to have four children: Arabella (who died at birth), Caroline, John Jr., and Patrick.

Caroline Kennedy and Ed Schlossberg, 1986

Caroline, the only daughter of JFK and Jackie, married Ed Schlossberg, an American exhibit designer and author, on July 19, 1986. The couple met at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, where Caroline was working after graduating from Harvard. Their Catholic wedding took place in Hyannis Port, Massachusetts—a community in Cape Cod where the Kennedys own a multihome compound. The reception took place at the oceanfront house of the bride’s grandmother Rose, where 400 guests enjoyed dinner, dancing, and a fireworks display designed by George Plimpton. Despite being considered America’s version of a royal couple, the newlyweds managed to keep their wedding pretty under wraps with very few paparazzi. Not many details are known about the marriage ceremony, as the press was kept out of the church. According to The New York Times wedding announcement, guests were sworn to secrecy. Caroline walked down the aisle with her uncle, Ted Kennedy, in the absence of her late father.

Maria Shriver and Arnold Schwarzenegger, 1986

Maria, the daughter of Eunice and Robert, followed in the family legacy by getting married in Hyannis Port, Massachusetts. Maria met Arnold Schwarzenegger, an Austrian actor, businessman, and bodybuilder in 1977 at a tennis tournament. They tied the knot on April 26, 1986, in a Catholic ceremony. Caroline Kennedy, Maria’s cousin and the daughter of JFK, was maid of honor. The two went on to have four children: Katherine, Christina, Patrick, and Christopher.

Kerry Kennedy and Andrew Cuomo, 1990

Kerry, the daughter of Robert F. Kennedy and Ethel Skakel, followed many of her relatives before her by marrying into politics. On June 9, 1990, she married Andrew Cuomo, the son of New York Governor Mario Cuomo and a future governor himself. They tied the knot at St. Matthew’s Cathedral in Washington, DC, and went on to have three daughters: Cara, Mariah, and Michaela.

John F. Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bessette, 1996

JFK Jr., the son of the late president, met Carolyn Bessette in 1992 while she was working for Calvin Klein. The couple started dating two years later and quickly became one of the most talked about couples of the century. They were engaged in 1995, and in 1996 the pair tied the knot. Being in the public eye, with paparazzi following them everywhere they went, the It couple planned an intimate, secret wedding on Cumberland Island in Georgia. The couple and their 40 guests held a ceremony at a charming little church and a reception at the historic Greyfield Inn. In 2023, nearly two decades after the wedding and tragic death of the couple, JFK Jr.’s best friend, Billy Noonan, released never-before-seen tapes from the hush-hush nuptials.

Eunice Kennedy Shriver and Michael Serafin Garcia, 2020

Eunice Kennedy Shriver is the granddaughter of Eunice Mary Kennedy and Robert Sargent Shriver (her father is Anthony). She not only inherited her beloved grandma’s name, but her wedding dress too. On October 17, 2020, Eunice married Michael Serafin Garcia at St. Patrick’s Catholic Church in Miami, Florida, with a reception following at Four Seasons Surf Club. The bride paid tribute to her late grandmother by wearing the same Dior wedding dress she wore in 1953. “The dress was as delicate as tissue paper,” Shriver told Vogue. Eunice had the vintage dress restored and reimagined, but luckily, the bride and her grandmother happened to be the same height and have the same waist size on their wedding day. It was the perfect fit. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the couple had an intimate wedding with just 32 guests.

Mariah Kennedy-Cuomo and Tellef Lundevall, 2024

Last month, the world was blessed with another Kennedy wedding worthy of a storybook. Mariah, the daughter of Kerry Kennedy and Andrew Cuomo, said “I do” on July 20 to Tellef Lundevall. The couple first met in 2012 when they were attending Brown University, but didn’t begin dating until 2018. Tellef proposed on Thanksgiving in 2023 with a ring designed after her grandmother Ethel’s. Their summer wedding was held in Hyannis Port, Massachusetts, in true Kennedy fashion. The guest list included 400 friends and family members, with the reception being held at the former JFK House. Photos taken by Anne Rhett for Vogue show Grandma Ethel admiring the festivities, endless arrangements of classic white flowers, and Mariah standing on a ladder curing her eight-tiered cake, just like her great-aunt Eunice.

Originally Appeared on Architectural Digest

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