The ceremony was initially scheduled for the day after JFK Jr.’s plane crash.

What happened to Rory Kennedy’s wedding after JFK Jr. and Carolyn Bessette’s deaths?

The ceremony was initially scheduled for the day after JFK Jr.'s plane crash.

By Allison DeGrushe

Allison DeGrushe

Allison DeGrushe is a timely SEO writer at **. She has been working at * *since 2025. Her work has previously appeared on Distractify.

EW's editorial guidelines

March 27, 2026 6:12 p.m. ET

Leave a Comment

Rory Kennedy and Mark Bailey during the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Presents TV Cares: Ribbon Of Hope Celebration 2004 in North Hollywood. Credit:

Barry King/WireImage

- Rory Kennedy and Mark Bailey had originally planned to get married in July 1999.

- Their wedding was postponed after the tragic deaths of Rory's cousin, John F. Kennedy Jr., his wife Carolyn Bessette, and her sister Lauren Bessette.

- Caroline Kennedy wasn't at the wedding, and she hadn't planned on attending the original ceremony either.

Rory Kennedy's wedding plans changed due to unforeseen, tragic circumstances. What was meant to be a celebration was postponed after her cousin, John F. Kennedy Jr., died in a plane crash alongside his wife, Carolyn Bessette, and her sister, Lauren Bessette.

In the weeks that followed, the Kennedys focused on grieving, and the wedding was put on hold. When Rory and her fiancé, writer and editor Mark Bailey, eventually married, their special day looked very different from what they had originally planned.

Here's everything to know about the delayed wedding, including when Rory and Mark tied the knot — and why Caroline Kennedy wasn't there.

When was Rory Kennedy’s wedding originally scheduled?

Rory Kennedy and Mark Bailey attend HBO's 'The Jinx Part Two' advance screening on April 15, 2024 in West Hollywood.

Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic

Rory and Mark were set to get married on July 17, 1999, at the family's compound in Hyannis Port, Mass., per Elizabeth Beller's 2024 book *Once Upon a Time: The Captivating Life of Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy*. It was planned as a large but private celebration, with 275 guests invited, including JFK Jr. and Carolyn.

Beller noted that JFK Jr. "loved" Rory, but Carolyn wasn't especially eager to attend the wedding at first. She was "exhausted" and "felt she'd done her share of Kennedy events for the time being," but eventually agreed to go.

Carolyn Bessette and John F. Kennedy Jr at the Municipal Art Society Gala.

Richard Corkery/NY Daily News Archive/Getty

On the night of July 16, the couple ran late, planning to drop off Carolyn's sister Lauren in Martha's Vineyard first. But the wedding weekend was in full swing already in Hyannis Port. An "enormous white tent" was set up for the ceremony, according to Beller, and guests were laughing, toasting, and giving gifts to the bride and groom. "Everyone was cheerful and happy for Rory and Mark," she wrote.

At first, no one was worried about JFK Jr. and Carolyn's late arrival. But after hours passed without word from them, panic started to set in. Beller said that no one slept that night, and by the next morning, the tragic news had spread.

Instead of celebrating under the tent, the family came together for a prayer and vigil, and Rory and Mark put their wedding on hold.

When did Rory Kennedy and Mark Bailey get married?

Rory Kennedy and Mark Bailey at the 2026 Sundance Film Festival.

Neilson Barnard/Getty

According to the *Cape Cod Times*, Rory and Mark finally tied the knot in August 1999 with a small, private ceremony in Greece. The couple exchanged vows at the mansion of the late billionaire Vardis Vardinoyiannis in Ekali, a quiet, upscale suburb just outside Athens.

The outlet reported that candles lit the driveway leading up to the reception. Inside the house, guests enjoyed listening to music by the legendary singer Frank Sinatra.

Only about 25 people attended, including Rory's mother Ethel and the Vardinoyiannis family, who are longtime friends of the Kennedys.

Why wasn’t Caroline Kennedy at Rory Kennedy’s wedding?

Edwin Schlossberg and Caroline Kennedy at the SNL50 red carpet in February 2025.

NBC/Kevin Mazur/NBC via Getty

Caroline wasn't at Rory's wedding in Greece, and she hadn't planned to be at the original ceremony in Hyannis Port either. Most accounts suggest it was a personal decision.

In her book, Beller mentioned that in mid-July, Caroline was away with her husband, Ed Schlossberg, and their children "on a rafting trip in Idaho, in an area known as the River of No Return."

Between the family's private plans and Caroline's own summer vacation, it seems her absence was simply a matter of timing and prior committments.

***Get your daily dose of entertainment news, celebrity updates, and what to watch with our EW Dispatch newsletter.***

Original Article on Source

Source: “EW Drama”