Key Takeaways A week before Jackie Kennedy's wedding to JFK, her dress was ruined after designer Ann Lowe's workroom was flooded. Lowe and her team recreated the gown in just five days, but they never told Jackie about the incident. When Jackie Kennedy married John F. Kennedy on September 12, 1953, in Newport, Rhode Island, eager fans of the couple dubbed the celebration "the American royal wedding." The designer ultimately decided not to tell the bride and her family what had happened. Many think that the anonymous benefactor was Jackie Kennedy, who was then living in the White House as the first lady.