Kennedy Weddings: A Family Album [Hardcover]

Jay Mulvaney (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1999

From Joe and Rose's private wedding in the Archbishop of Boston's personal chapel, full circle to John and Carolyn's secret nuptials in a former slave chapel on a secluded island, Kennedy Weddings takes you to each event, with photographs, anecdotes, memories and souvenirs.

For three generations the Kennedy family has been in the public eye, and for three generations their marriages have been the equivalent of "Royal Matches." This book covers the senior generation wedding of Joe and Rose, the second generation weddings--most notably of Jack and Jackie, Bobby and Ethel--and all of the third generation weddings: John Jr. and Carolyn Bessette, Caroline and Ed Schlossberg, Maria Shriver and Arnold Schwarzenegger, Kerry and Andrew Cuomo, Kathleen and Peter Townsend, Courtney and Paul Hill, Michael and Victoria Gifford.

The accompanying images, acquired from members of the Kennedy family, private collections of friends, and the JFK Library and National Archives, are as rare as they are unusual--many have never been published, or were published only at the time of the wedding. Kennedy Weddings is the result of years of extensive research and has benefited from the unprecedented cooperation of many members of the Kennedy family, most especially of Senator Edward Kennedy's office.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

It's often said that the Kennedys are the closest thing to royalty that we Americans have, and it's true that we share an obsession with them that parallels the British obsession with their royal family. We admire their talent, good looks, and wealth, and we respect their political successes. We also feel a connection with their familial bonds, as well as compassion for this famous family haunted by persistent tragedies.

The images of the Kennedy family weddings are at once glamorous beyond imagination and everyday in their focus on family and the rituals of marriage. Jay Mulvaney has worked closely with the Kennedy family to produce a book of remarkably joyful and exuberant moments of three generations of Kennedys, beginning with the marriage of Joe and Rose, then moving to the second generation of weddings that includes John F. Kennedy and Jacqueline Bouvier, Eunice Kennedy and Sargent Shriver, Robert Kennedy and Ethel Skakel, and Patricia Kennedy and Peter Lawford. A third generation of Kennedy weddings concludes the book, including the wedding of John Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bessette, Maria Shriver and Arnold Schwarzenegger, Caroline Kennedy and Ed Schlossberg, and Kerry Kennedy and Andrew Cuomo.

Mulvaney writes with uncloying simplicity of the events during and surrounding each couple's wedding day, sharing quotes from guests, relatives, and the happy couples themselves. Clear, rich photos, some of them never before printed or not publicly seen since the wedding, evoke each special day. While much attention has been given to the sadder events involving the Kennedys, Kennedy Weddings: A Family Album reminds us in a single book of some of the best and brightest memories of one of America's most beloved families. --Kris Law

About the Author

Jay Mulvaney is a two-time Emmy Award winning producer and writer. His career as an executive includes stints at Nickelodeon, VH-1, and CBS. He is currently Executive Producer of Crossroads Television. His career began with a stint as office boy to U.S. Senator Edward M. Kennedy of Massachusetts.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 192 pages
• Publisher: St. Martin's Press; 1st edition (October 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312242085
• ISBN-13: 978-0312242084
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 8.5 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.9 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #662,930 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I saw this book on the TODAY SHOW and had to buy it., October 21, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Kennedy Weddings: A Family Album (Hardcover)

Jay Mulvaney was on the TODAY show talking about this wonderful book all full of photographs from all the different Kennedy weddings...and it was so nice to finally see a happy book about the Kennedy family. The book is wonderful...it's got so many pictures, but also tells the whole story of the family and the many wonderful things they've done throughout the years. My favorite family was the Shrivers...they are so gorgeous, Maria of course, but also her brothers Anthony, Mark and Timothy. There are lots of stories and anecdotes from each of the weddings, and you get to see some honeymoon photos and pictures of wedding gifts and so many private photographs of the Kennedys. a MUST HAVE for anyone who likes the Kennedys and who likes weddings.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent, October 19, 1999

By 

Alexandra Ramos (Washington, DC) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Kennedy Weddings: A Family Album (Hardcover)

For all Kennedy lovers, this book is fantastic. There are a lot of never before seen pictures of Jack and Jackie and the rest of the clan. Very intresting information on each wedding. A definite must have if you collect anything Kennedy.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Highly Recommended, February 10, 2000

By 

William Chadwick (Dover, Massachusetts) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Kennedy Weddings: A Family Album (Hardcover)

Here's a book of captivating photographs and stories about the wedding celebrations and private relationships of a very public American family. I found myself remembering special moments from weddings of my own friends and family. My wife and I were young newlyweds along with Jack & Jackie. You DO remember 'where you were when...' Reading this book together was a pleasant way to spend a Sunday afternoon.