POTUS & FLOTUS

Ah, marital bliss! Ain’t it grand?
A little peek into some presidential wedding albums.

After graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in French literature from George Washington University in 1951, Jacqueline Bouvier started working for the Washington Times-Herald as an inquiring photographer. The following year, she met then-Congressman John F. Kennedy at a dinner party and sparks flew. Just 10 days before her wedding to JFK, the dress designed for Jackie by fashion designer Anne Lowe was ruined in a water pipe disaster. With access to a team of skilled seamstresses, excess ivory French taffeta and pink silk faille, the famed designer was able to pull off a presidential wedding miracle.

Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter wed early in life in 1946. He was 21 and she was 18. She initially refused his first proposal but eventually accepted once Jimmy graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy. They married in their hometown of Plains, Georgia. Rosalynn chose a knee-high dress and matched it with a pair of gloves, hat, and corsage while her husband went with his dress uniform.

Nancy Davis was a respected actress when she met Ronald Reagan in 1949; he was the president of the Screen Actors Guild at the time. After his recent divorce from Jane Wyman, Ronald was not shaping up to be a marriage-material man. Nonetheless, her charm won out. The duo married in 1952 – so last minute, in fact, that the only guests were the best man and matron of honor. Nancy wore a simple dress that covered her growing baby bump.

George H.W. Bush remembers meeting his bride – “They called it a holiday dance at Christmas time and here she was in this red and green dress. ‘Who is that beautiful girl over there?’ I asked. ‘That’s Barbara Pierce from Rye, New York’ said a guy named Wozencraft and he introduced us. And the rest is history.” The two married in 1945 at First Presbyterian Church in Rye, N.Y. (my former church). Barbara was gifted a veil from George’s mother for the ceremony.

Hillary and Bill Clinton met each other as they both attended Yale Law School in 1971. Supposedly, Hillary Rodham noticed Bill staring at her in the library (what a shocker!). She took the initiative and introduced herself. Three years later, Bill would propose. Bill wanted a large and extravagant wedding but Hillary couldn’t be bothered with the idea. They married in their living room; Hillary’s wedding dress was a Jessica McClintock Victorian lace gown, purchased just the day before.

Laura Lane and George W. Bush met at a backyard barbecue in Midland, Texas, on November 5, 1977. They were so devoted to each other that they were engaged only three months later. Laura chose a simplistic tan dress she bought easily off a department store rack while her mother wore a more traditional and extravagant gown. 

Much like the Clintons, the Obamas met each other while working at Sidley Austin law firm of Chicago. Michelle refused numerous dinner invitations from Barack but finally relented in 1989; three years later they were married at Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago. She wore a white gown with  tapered tip sleeves on her shoulders alongside a traditional veil. The husband and wife shared a dance to “You and I” by Stevie Wonder.

In 2005, Melania Knauss married Donald Trump. Her dress was designed by Dior and featured 300 feet of tulle with over 1,500 pearls and rhinestones. Her dress, weighing near 60 pounds, took over 600 hours to complete and is estimated to have cost $150,000. It was so heavy and cumbersome that it was suggested to Melania that she should have a full meal before the ceremony to be able to have enough energy to carry around the dress. Oh, my aching back!

Joe Biden lost his first wife and one-year-old daughter to a tragic car accident in 1972, leaving him to raise his two young sons by himself. Three years later he met Jill Jacobs while she was a student at the University of Delaware. It took more than one proposal for Jill to say yes. In fact, Joe proposed five times before they officially got engaged! They were finally married on June 17th, 1977 in a small ceremony at the United Nations Chapel in New York City.

Hmm, no July 4th wedding days? Well, if you were married on this day, Happy Anniversary!

I hope you enjoyed this little trip down the presidential wedding aisle.

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