Photo: Tyler Mallory/Newsmakers/Getty
John F. Kennedy Jr.andCarolyn Bessette Kennedywere married in one of the most famous — and top-secret — weddings of its time.
The couple exchanged vows on Sept. 21, 1996, during a small, private ceremony inside the First African Baptist Church on Cumberland Island, a mile off the coast of Georgia.
One trusted photographer who attended the wedding, Denis Reggie, recalled the moment his camera captured the newlyweds leaving the church.
“It was an incredibly magical moment,” ReggietoldVanity Fairin 2021 of his memory of taking a photograph that later landed on the cover of PEOPLE. “I saw it as it was unfolding, almost in silhouette. It was virtually dark outside. John reached for the hand of Carolyn; she was caught off guard. I’m walking backwards in the light rain at dusk, and John does this amazing gesture, taking her hand and bringing it to his lips.”
Denis Reggie
He continued, “It was indicative of the way the wedding was — natural and of the moment, not trying to be any more than it was in its simplicity. It had such an incredible elegance and romance; the authenticity of it all, its simplicity, gives it real power. It was a really special photograph.”
For many, Reggie’s image crystallized the romance, glamour and intimacy of the event, which took six months of planning that “required the skill of aJames Bondand the whole CIA,” Letitia Baldrige, the formerWhite Housechief of staff to the groom’s mother, former First LadyJacqueline Kennedy Onassis, told PEOPLE at the time.
The Dress
“It was a great moment in my career but also a beautiful moment in my personal life,” RodrigueztoldVoguein September 2018. “Someone I loved very much asked me to make the most important dress of her life.”
Dave Allocca/DMI/The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty.Dave Allocca/DMI/The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty
The simplicity and elegance of the design made a lasting impression on the fashion world. FormerHarper’s Bazaareditor in chief Kate Betts, who worked atVogueat the time of the wedding, described the dress as “revolutionary.”
“Vera WangandCarolina Herrerawere simplifying their designs, but not as simple as a slip dress,” Betts toldVanity Fairin 2021. “It crystallized that trend [minimalism] in fashion. That was her aesthetic, and her wedding dress was a very, very bold expression of that minimalism.”
“What struck me about the dress is it was so bare — no ornamentation, no rhinestones or sequins or even embroidery,” style expert and formerWhat Not to Wearco-hostStacy LondontoldVanity Fair. “She was just one of those women who understood how to make fashion work for her, not the other way around.”
First African Baptist Church.Thomas S. England/Getty Images
The Guests
Among the 40 guests who crowded into the church that September day included Sen.Ted Kennedy(John’s uncle) and his wife, Vicki Kennedy; Onassis' sister,Lee Radziwill Ross, and her son Anthony Radziwill, who was best man;Onassis' longtime companion, financier Maurice Tempelsman; John’s sisterCaroline Kennedyand her husband, architect-planner Edwin Schlossberg, and their daughters, Rose and Tatiana, who were flower girls, and their son,Jack Schlossberg, who was the ring bearer; and Bessette’s mother, Ann Marie, sister Lisa and brother-in-law Michael Roman.
Justin Ide/Getty.Justin Ide/Getty
The Celebration
The Greyfield Inn, a nine-bedroom mansion, was the location of the rehearsal dinner — where the groom toasted the woman who made him the “happiest man alive” — and the reception. Highlights of the post-wedding celebration included a three-tier white wedding cake covered with vanilla buttercream frosting and flower decorations, the couple’s first dance toPrince’s “Forever in My Life” and Sen. Kennedy’s toast, which brought everyone to tears, his spokeswoman Melody Miller told PEOPLE at the time.
Joe Vericker/Getty
The Secrecy
That one of the country’s most prominent couples wanted to keep their wedding secret wasn’t surprising givenBessette’s uneasiness with the blinding spotlighton her new husband.
The fact they were successful is another story. The planning was a big part of it — but so was the remote location, where more wild horses than people roam.
source: people.com
