Looking Back at a Century's Worth of Kennedy Weddings (2024)

The wedding that essentially started the Kennedy dynasty was Rose Fitzgerald's vows to Joseph P. Kennedy in 1914. The couple got married in Boston, as it was Fitzgerald's hometown and where her father, John Francis Fitzgerald, held the mayoral office.

Rose and Joseph Kennedy's fourth child, Kathleen "Kick" Kennedy, met her husband while living in London during her father's ambassadorship. The couple wed in London in 1944, but only a few months later Cavendish was killed in World War II.

Robert F. Kennedy and Ethel Skakel first met in 1945 on a ski trip in Mount Tremblant Resort in Quebec, Canada. The couple announced their engagement in February 1950, and they got married a few months later.

Robert F. Kennedy and his bride, Ethel Skakel, descend the steps of St. Mary's Catholic Church in Greenwich after their nuptials on June 17, 1950. Following the couple's church ceremony, a reception was held at the Skakel estate in Greenwich, Connecticut.

Joseph and Rose Kennedy's third daughter, Eunice Mary Kennedy, married businessman Robert Sargent Shriver in New York City on May 23, 1953. They were married by Cardinal Spellman at St. Patrick's Cathedral with a reception at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel.

The newlyweds' cake was so tall, it required a step stool in order to reach the top of the six tiers to cut into it. The bride wore a tulle and lace Dior wedding gown with a Juliet cap veil and pearl jewelry for the special day.

Arguably the most famous Kennedy couple, future President John F. Kennedy and Jacqueline Bouvier, got married on September 12, 1953. They tied the knot at St. Mary's Roman Catholic Church in Newport, Rhode Island, and held a large outdoor celebration at the Bouvier's estate, Hammersmith Farm.

While enjoying their reception, the newly married couple sit front and center of a King Arthur-style table with their tiered wedding cake. Here, the couple is surrounded by some of JFK's many siblings.

It was truly a grand affair when Joseph and Rose Kennedy's fourth daughter, Patricia Kennedy, married famous actor Peter Lawford. The couple said "I do" at the Church of Saint Thomas More in New York City and held their reception nearby at The Plaza Hotel.

Patricia looked glamorous in a quarter-sleeve silk wedding gown and pearl jewelry for her nuptials.

Two years after her older sister Patricia's wedding, Jean Ann Kennedy wore the same dress to marry Stephen Smith. Here, the bride poses outside of St. Patrick's Cathedral with her parents, Joseph and Rose Kennedy.

Following their nuptials, Jean Ann Kennedy and Stephen Smith smile for a photo en route to their reception at The Plaza Hotel. The couple held their ceremony in the Lady Chapel behind the main altar of St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York City.

Edward "Ted" Kennedy and Joan Bennett met in 1957 at Manhattanville College in Purchase, New York. The couple got married a year later in Bronxville, New York.

The newlyweds wave goodbye to their family and friends as they depart their wedding reception in 1958. The couple was married in a church ceremony at St. Joseph's Roman Catholic Church.

Five years after her husband's death, Jackie Kennedy walked down the aisle once again. Her second marriage was to Greek shipping magnate Aristotle Onassis. The couple got married on the Island of Skorpios in Greece.

The newlyweds opted for a lowkey reception after their church service. Instead of a grand event, the couple hosted guests aboard their yacht, named Christina O.

The eldest daughter of Robert and Ethel Kennedy married Harvard graduate student David Townsend in 1973. They tied the knot at Holy Trinity Church in Washington D.C.

Senator Edward Kennedy, the youngest brother of both John F. Kennedy and Robert F. Kennedy, stepped in to walk the latter's daughter down the aisle on her wedding day.

The son of the late Robert F. Kennedy married Sheila Rauch on February 3, 1979. Here, the couple greets the press following their church ceremony in Gladwyne, Pennsylvania.

Courtney Kennedy married ABC sports producer Jeffrey Robert Ruhe on June 14, 1980. The couple tied the knot in a church ceremony in Washington, D.C.