Rarely seen photos show JFK Jr. and Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy’s secret wedding

CNN exclusive

Photos by Carole Radziwill
Words by Jacqui Palumbo, CNN

August 9, 2025

They were one of the world’s most publicized couples but kept their wedding a secret — even from some of the guests.

On the cusp of fall in a one-room church on Georgia’s Cumberland Island, John F. Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy were married in 1996 in front of their closest family and friends. Despite the relaxed nature of their nuptials that weekend — the tiny, rustic chapel; makeshift outdoor dance floor and late-night beach bonfires — the wedding has become fabled, and Bessette-Kennedy’s unconventional choice of an elegant slip dress has since redefined bridal style.  

Though additional images and anecdotes have trickled out over the years, a trove of snapshots has been shared exclusively with CNN ahead of the network’s premiere of its three-part CNN Original Series “American Prince: JFK Jr.,” airing on August 9.

The snapshots were taken by Carole Radziwill, a former journalist (and, more recently, a “Real Housewives” alum) who was close to the Kennedys. Her late husband, Anthony, was JFK Jr.’s cousin and best man, and her Instamatic film shots were part of a scrapbook she made for the couple.

“It’s almost like they eloped with 30 of their closest friends. It was very much like that,” she said. “You didn’t get the sense that anything was overly planned. They just let things happen the way they happened. And there was something so beautiful about that.”

Radziwill knew upon arrival about the wedding plans, from its intimate setting to the dress by Narciso Rodriguez. Bessette-Kennedy knew the designer from her time working as a publicist at Calvin Klein. But for some of the guests, she said, the wedding itself was kept under wraps until the last moment to prevent the press from finding out about it.

“It became apparent pretty quickly that nobody in the world knew we were there or why we were there,” she said. “That in itself was magical, because we were just like, ‘Oh, my God, they pulled it off.’ Mostly Carolyn pulled it off, because she was determined to be married privately.”

The weekend’s events were attended only by the high-profile couple’s closest family and friends.

Bessette-Kennedy with friends Jules Watson and Jessica Weinstein.

In Radziwill’s snapshots, she took unposed pictures of the couple chatting and laughing with friends and family at the rehearsal dinner. JFK Jr. and Ted Kennedy chat with the pastor outside of the white and red chapel; friends and family gather under a canopy tent for the reception. Anthony Radziwill, who died from cancer less than one month after the deaths of JFK Jr. and Bessette-Kennedy, poses happily with his cousin while he gets dressed for the ceremony, JFK Jr.’s arm slung around him. After the ceremony, the newlyweds stand close to cut a sprawling floral three-tiered cake, and, on the dance floor, Bessette-Kennedy wears her husband’s suit jacket as he holds her close.  

And though the bride arriving at the ceremony is not among the images, that moment is forever etched into Radziwill’s memory.

“It was already dark by that point, so they were lighting the inside of the church with candles. It was very impromptu,” she said. “I just remember the doors opening in the back of the chapel and her walking in. She just looked so beautiful. And the light was insane. It was like a movie.”

“I mean, literally, I was like, ‘Scorsese couldn’t have done this better,” she said.

The simplicity of the weekend is something she looks back on fondly, as the group came together to celebrate the couple before anyone else knew. “There’s an elegance to the casualness that I think is hard to replicate — certainly now and even then,” Radziwill said. “It’s just who they were as human beings.”

Best man Anthony Radziwill with JFK Jr. before the ceremony.

“Anthony and John were so close… I don’t think that there was ever any doubt in Anthony’s mind when they got engaged, he would be best man.” — Carole Radziwill

Radziwill was JFK Jr.’s cousin. He died from cancer a few weeks after the couple’s fatal plane accident in 1999.

The officiant meeting with Sen. Ted Kennedy, JFK Jr., and John Perry Barlow, a political activist and lyricist for the Grateful Dead, outside of the chapel.

The couple at their rehearsal dinner.

Bessette-Kennedy dancing with Anthony Radziwill during the reception.

“The dress was very simple, remember this is the ‘90s — women were not wearing slip dresses as their bridal dress.” — Carole Radziwill

Kennedy family members and friends outside of the chapel.

JFK Jr. speaking at the rehearsal dinner.

The reception took place at a handful of tables underneath a white canopy tent.

“There’s an elegance to the casualness that I think is hard to replicate – certainly now and even then.” — Carole Radziwill

Bessette-Kennedy’s rehearsal dress also evoked the minimalist spirit of her wedding gown.

Dinner by candlelight for family and friends.

The couple dancing together after their ceremony on a makeshift dance floor, JFK Jr.’s suit jacket keeping Bessette-Kennedy warm.