Inside JFK Jr. and Carolyn Bessette's secret wedding ceremony; rare photos surface
Posted on: Aug 09, 2025 21:32 IST | Posted by: Hindustantimes
John F. Kennedy Jr. And Carolyn Bessette were everywhere in the ’90s - glossy magazine covers, paparazzi shots on New York streets - yet, in 1996, they managed to pull off a wedding almost no one knew was happening. The couple tied the knot on Georgia’s secluded Cumberland Island, in a tiny wooden chapel with just a handful of family and close friends.
A set of rare photos shared by CNN gives a glimpse into the couple’s nuptials. The photo was released ahead of the channel’s three-part original series American Prince: JFK Jr., which airs on August 9.
One image shows the couple later that night, barefoot on the sand near a beach bonfire. It was stripped-down, almost spur-of-the-moment, but in hindsight, it set a new standard for understated elegance, thanks in part to Bessette’s now-iconic Narciso Rodriguez slip dress.
Also read: It's official: My Best Friend's Wedding is getting a sequel! Is Julia Roberts on board?
The never-before-seen images come from Carole Radziwill, a journalist-turned–Real Housewives alum, whose late husband, Anthony, was JFK Jr.’s cousin and best man. She shot the wedding weekend on a simple Instamatic camera, later putting the prints into a scrapbook for the couple. The photos were released ahead of the release of American Prince: JFK Jr.
“It’s almost like they eloped with 30 of their closest friends,” Radziwill told CNN. “You didn’t get the sense that anything was overly planned. They just let things happen the way they happened. And there was something so beautiful about that,” she added.
Some guests did not even know they were attending a wedding until the last moment. “It became apparent pretty quickly that nobody in the world knew we were there or why we were there. Mostly Carolyn pulled it off, because she was determined to be married privately,” she said.
Also read: What do the JFK files reveal about Lee Harvey Oswald and Jack Ruby?
In one photo, Anthony Radziwill grins as JFK Jr. Throws an arm around him while getting dressed. Another shows Ted Kennedy speaking with the pastor before the ceremony. Later, the couple leans over a three-tiered floral cake, and on the dance floor, Bessette wears her husband’s jacket as he holds her close.
Radziwill still remembers the bride’s arrival. “It was already dark… they were lighting the inside of the church with candles. I just remember the doors opening… She just looked so beautiful. And the light was insane. It was like a movie. Scorsese couldn’t have done this better," she told CNN.
They got married on Cumberland Island, Georgia.
It was held in September 1996.
Narciso Rodriguez had reportedly designed the dress.
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