Kennedy Weddings: A Family Album (Hardcover)

by Jay Mulvaney (Author) "The genesis of the Kennedy Dynasty was a sunny Wednesday morning in the first week of October 1914..." (more)
Key Phrases: silk taffeta, white orchids, New York, Caroline Kennedy, Ethel Kennedy (more...)

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

Product Description
A lavishly illustrated book of photographs and memorabilia, Kennedy Weddings: A Family Album chronicles three generations of the most famous family in the world on the days when their lives were full of hope, promise, happiness and love.

From Joe and Rose's private wedding in the Archbishop of Boston's personal chapel, full circle to JFK Jr. and Carolyn's secret nuptials in a church built by former slaves on a secluded island, Kennedy Weddings takes you to each event, with photographs, anecdotes, memories and souvenirs, and with the stories often told in the family's own words.

For three generations the Kennedy family has been in the public eye, and for three generations their marriages have been the American equivalent of "Royal Matches." Kennedy Weddings begins in 1914 with the dynastic marriage of Joseph P. Kennedy and Rose Fitzgerald, describes in lavish detail the weddings in the second generation, most notably those of JFK and Jackie, Bobby and Ethel and the tragic romance of Kathleen and her British lord, Billy Hartington and covers all of the third generation weddings, including JFK Jr. and Carolyn Bessette, Caroline Kennedy and Ed Schlossberg, Kerry Kennedy and Andrew Cuomo, Kathleen and David Townsend, Courtney Kennedy and Paul Hill, Kara Kennedy and Michael Allen, Maria Shriver and Arnold Schwarzenegger.

The accompanying photographs and papers, acquired from members of the Kennedy family themselves, private collections of friends, the JFK Library and National Archives, are rare and unusual - many have either 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.

A portion of the proceeds from this book is being donated to the John F. Kennedy Library Foundation.

See all Editorial Reviews

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 (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #693,246 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 14 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 22, 1999

By A Customer

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

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

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.