Jackie Kennedy almost canceled wedding to JFK

Jackie Kennedy almost canceled wedding to JFK after last-minute jitters
The soon-to-be First Lady's actions in the build-up to her nuptials enraged insiders, including her sister-in-law Ethel Kennedy, who threatened to kill the bride if she didn't go through with the wedding.
By CLIVE HAMMOND
08:57 ET, Fri, Sep 15, 2023 | UPDATED: 09:45 ET, Fri, Sep 15, 2023
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Jackie Kennedy almost canceled her wedding to John F. Kennedy - affectionately known as JFK - after getting a bad case of last-minute jitters, a biography has claimed.

The family was so concerned Jackie wouldn't go through with the wedding that Ethel, her sister-in-law, said she would "kill her with my own two bare hands".

According to Adora Rule - one of the wedding planner assistants - Jackie was nervous ahead of the ceremony, which would see her join one of the country's most politically influential families.

Rule was just 18 when she was assigned to help with the September 12, 1953, ceremony, and recalled the car ride she spent with Ethel - the wife of JFK's brother Robert Kennedy - prior to the nuptials.

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John and Jackie Kennedy on their wedding day

John and Jackie Kennedy on their wedding day (Image: GETTY)
Speaking in Jackie: Public, Private, Secret, written by J. Randy Taraborrelli, Rule said Ethel shared: "I swear to God if that girl leaves Bobby's brother at the altar, I'll kill her with my own two bare hands."

She allegedly added: "She doesn't know how lucky she is to marry into this family."

However any potential issues would soon subside and Jackie would be walked down the aisle by her stepfather Hugh D. Auchincloss, wearing a stunning ivory tissue silk dress.

More than 800 guests watched the ceremony, which was performed by Archbishop Cushing, aided by four other priests including the ex-president of Notre Dam.

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The couple wed on September 12, 1953

The couple wed on September 12, 1953 (Image: GETTY)
In the build-up to the big day, Jackie had previously told The Boston Globe she was "planning a small wedding" - but her father-in-law had other ambitions for his son JFK - who had just become a US Senator.

Jackie's family insisted the wedding take place in Newport, Rhode Island, and as a compromise, the Kennedys pulled together an extensive guest list.

This infuriated Jackie's mother Janet Auchincloss, who according to Biography.com, raged: "The wedding will be just awful — quite dreadful. There will be one hundred Irish politicians!"

While Jackie was nervous in the build-up, so too was JFK - who was well-known for his philandering tendencies.

According to one friend, they had "never seen a man more depressed than on the day he told me he was getting married".

On the day itself, Jackie was set to be walked down the aisle by her father but he reportedly got so drunk the night before the wedding that he was unable to carry out the parental responsibility.