Long before they arrived at the White House, Jackie Kennedy and John F. Kennedy established themselves as the picture-perfect American couple. After first meeting at a party in 1951, the two got engaged in 1953. However, the story of how the politician proposed to the journalist is debated. While some claim that he popped the question at Martin’s, a tavern in Washington, D.C., others are sure that he asked for her hand in marriage at Parker’s, a restaurant at the Omni Hotel in Boston.
Yet, regardless of how the proposal unfolded, the duo’s nuptials are well-documented. On September 12, 1953, the two tied the knot in an opulent ceremony in Newport, Rhode Island that was quickly labeled “the society wedding of the year.” From the bride’s iconic gown to the two-hour-long receiving line, much of their nuptials fascinated the world, as it soon became known as the American royal wedding.
