Kennedy Weddings by Jay Mulvaney

This book combines two of my favorite topics, the Kennedys and weddings! It was a very intimate family album of 3 generations of Kennedy weddings spanning from 1914 until 1998.  I would consider myself an avid Kennedy family and I haven’t even seen some of these pictures.

I’ve read a lot of books about the Kennedys and I’ve only seen two with the family tree laid out. There is one in here that is great. This book was published in 1999 and as of that time there were 9 Kennedys from the second generation, the children of Joe and Rose Kennedy, then 28 grandchildren, and 48 great grandchildren! That’s a whole lot of Kennedys, and that’s not even counting the husband and wives.

The Kennedy dynasty all started when Rose Fitzgerald, daughter of Boston Mayor  Honey Fitz, married wealthy banker Joe Kennedy back in 1914.

“The family they created would contribute immeasurably to the welfare of the country, and at time even inspire the whole world, in the decades to come.”

It is amazing to get a glimpse inside each of the weddings, from the bride’s dresses, the table settings, the bridesmaid’s dresses, the invitations, and the gifts.

The first Kennedy to get married in the second generation was Kathleen, lovingly referred to as Kick. She married Billy Harrington from England in a civil ceremony in 1944. Their love story was tragic with resistance from her parents due to religious differences, her husband was killed by a sniper a mere 4 months after they were married, and she died 4 years later in a plane crash.

Seven of the nine Kennedy children’s (sister Rosemary was mentally retarded, and eldest brother Joe was killed in a suicide mission during the war) weddings were covered in this book, with the most details and coverage on JFK and Jackie’s wedding. Ted was the only one to divorce and remarry and both his weddings were included.

 

 

 

 

1973 marked the year of the first Kennedy wedding of the third generation. Kathleen Hartington Kennedy (named after her aunt Kick) was Bobby and Ethel’s eldest daughter of their eleven children, and like her aunt married first of her generation. Ted stepped in to escort the bride down the aisle, taking the place of his late brother Bobby, father of the bride. It was the first of many weddings that Ted had to step in for both Bobby and John’s children, 13 between them.

The weddings varied in size with some more private and intimate and others were large and publicized like that of Maria Shriver and Arnold Scwarzenegger and former first daughter Caronline Kennedy and Edwin Schlossberg. Many weddings were on the lawn of family matriarch Rose Kennedy in Hyannis Port.

One of the last weddings featured is that of JFK Jr and Carolyn Bessette who were a very private couple and opted for a small wedding of just group of close family and friends, on the small Cumberland Island. Their marriage ended in tragedy with the plane crash piloted by JFK Jr on a foggy night off the coast of Martha’s Vineyard just three short years after they were married.

Although the Kennedy name is linked to the past and often times to the so called Kennedy Curse, it is nice to catch a glimpse of this historic family in happy times celebrating love and life, just like the rest of us. The Kennedys have captivated me over the years and continue to. This book is so fantastic and I loved every page of it!

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John and Caroline by James Spada

John and Caroline is a fantastic black and white depiction of the lives of the beloved Kennedy children. This book has 255 photos starting from their births up until John Jr’s tragic premature death.

“They were the youngest children to live in the White House in over a century -Caroline just three and John Jr a newborn when their father took the oath of office. Symbolizing the youthful vigor of the new administration, they won the hearts of the American people as they romped around – and under their father’s desk in the Oval Office. And when, three years later, Caroline kissed JFK’s coffin and John Jr. saluted the passing bier, they were forever etched into the nation’s collective heart.”

“We see their awkward adolescence, their sorrows at senseless losses in the family, their first forays into romance, their efforts to establish themselves as responsible adults, their happy marriages and Caroline’s motherhood. And we watch in admiration as Caroline recovers from the untimely death of her beloved brother to assume the mantle of the Camelot legend.”

The nation fell in love with the  young Kennedys as they moved into the White House and continued to be interested in their lives as they grew up. Their lives were well documented and it’s a great look into their lives with and without their beloved father JFK. Jackie Kennedy raised such responsible, kind hearted adults and she deserves all the praise and admiration. My heart breaks for Caroline who has witnessed such tragedy in her life. The Kennedys continue to peak my interest.

Ted Kennedy Scenes From an Epic Life

Ted Kennedy, was the only son of Kennedy patriarch Joe’s four who was able to live out his life and die in his old age of natural causes. All of his brothers died violently, his eldest brother Joe Jr died in a plane crash during a mission in World War II, JFK and Bobby died both from an assassin’s bullet.  So Ted was left to carry on the on Kennedy name and be a surrogate father to Jack and Bobby’s 13 children.

“Through more than 200 stunning black and white photographs pulled from the pages of the Boston Globe and its extensive archives, Ted Kennedy: Scenes from an Epic Life provides a gorgeous visual account of Ted’s incredible journey from his joyous birth to the tragic announcement of his battle with brain cancer, including highlights from his childhood in New York, Hyannis Port, and London; his days at Harvard and in the Senate; and his roles as devoted brother, husband, father, uncle, and grandfather.”

This book follows his entire life through pictures. Because there are so many family members, I like when books focus on one person and show where they stood amidst all the history and events. Ted’s life long cause in his almost 47 years in the Senate was for health care and became known as the Lion of the Senate. He was the 4th longest serving Senator in United States history. He lived a great life and these pictures show it beautifully.

Kennedy Home Movies

I have an immense obsession with the Kennedy Family. I have followed their family for years through books and documentaries. They just intrigue me and I am so interested in them and their privileged lives. They had so much potential and promise but had so many tragedies along the way.

I can’t imagine all the heartache that Rose Kennedy, the matriarch of the Kennedy family, had to endure over the years. She outlived 5 of her 9 children and lived to be 104 years old.

I have my opinions about the way Joe Kennedy Sr raised his children though. He pushed them so hard and only wanted winners and not losers, which instilled competitiveness among them. I also don’t agree with the infidelity he engaged in. But he did raise very respectable, upstanding citizens, accomplished adults. So for now we will leave it at that.

I have seen my share of Kennedy documentaries but I really enjoyed TLC’s Kennedy’s Home Movies (I watched it on Netflix). With so much coverage already done on the Kennedys it’s hard to do something that is different and that has never been done before. But because this has home video footage, it’s much more personal and intimate.

I like that they talked about 3rd generations of Kennedys as well as focused on other members of the family other than JFK. Don’t get me wrong I love JFK but I’ve heard his story more often than I have heard his other siblings and family members. So that was interesting insight that I haven’t previously heard as much.

To celebrate the 50th anniversary of John F. Kennedy‘s presidential inauguration, TLC is breaking out some rare footage and never-before-seen Kennedy family home movies — and ET has a sneak peek.

The two-hour special “Kennedys’ Home Movies,” narrated by Stockard Channing, follows three generations of the Kennedy family through private moments and historical events.

It begins with the rise of Joe Kennedy and his political plans for his namesake, Joe Jr., who was tragically killed in action in World War II. Joe Sr. then successfully set his sights on making JFK president of the United States.

The special also covers JFK’s romance with Jacqueline Bouvier, who became his wife and his widow when he was assassinated on Nov. 22, 1963.

The next Kennedy to run for the office of president was Robert Kennedy, who sadly was fatally shot by Sirhan Sirhan at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles. And, then, of course, there was Edward “Teddy” Kennedy‘s failed run for the presidency and the Chappaquiddick scandal that could have ended his political career.

To find out what it really was like to be a Kennedy and to go inside the family’s compound in Hyannis Port.

Article from ET Online

Are there any other Kennedy fans out there who have seen this documentary? Any thoughts?