When John F. Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy's plane went down near Martha's Vineyard 25 years ago, the duo were headed to Cape Cod to attend the wedding of JFK Jr.'s cousin, Rory Kennedy, the youngest daughter of Ethel and Robert Kennedy. Also aboard their plane, piloted by JFK Jr. himself, was Lauren Bessette, Carolyn's older sister, who the couple was meant to drop off in Martha's Vineyard before continuing on their way to the Kennedy compound in Hyannis. However, JFK Jr. allegedly became disoriented due to unexpectedly thick fog and the plane plunged into the Atlantic.

So, what came of the wedding that the pair was meant to be attending the next day, Saturday, July 17, 1999? Rory Kennedy, then 30, and her husband, Mark Bailey, had been planning their wedding for more than nine months, The Washington Post reported at the time, orchestrating an event for 300 guests, including a tented reception on the famed Kennedy property in Hyannis Port which overlooks the Nantucket Sound. According to The New York Post, the celebration had a $300,000 price tag, but never came to pass; the couple ultimately canceled the celebration in the wake of the family tragedy.

The wedding party, which the The Washington Post reported was made up of 30 loved ones, gathered at the Kennedy home that Friday night to await word on JFK Jr. and Carolyn's fate. Christina Rivers, the hairdresser who styled Rory's hair for her rehearsal dinner Friday night and was hired to coif the bridesmaids' hair on the big day, told The New York Times in 1999 that spirits were high before news of JFK's missing plane made way to the family. "It was just wonderful over there last night, just exciting," Rivers said. "It's just not fair. I don't know what it is, but it's not fair."

The New York Post reported that a six-peaked tent had been erected for the occasion, and food that had been intended to be served during the reception was sent to a nearby hotel where guests were staying. “Rory was very strong for everyone,” a guest told the outlet at the time.

Instead of enjoying that tented reception and spending time with guests, photographers captured Rory and her fiancé holding hands as they walked the beach on the morning of July 17. In the days immediately following the tragedy, reports came out that Rory and Mark had postponed the wedding "indefinitely," but the pair ultimately had a much quieter version of their special day a little over two weeks later on August 2, 1999. They traded Cape Cod for Greece, where roughly 25 guests watched them exchange vows at the family home of shipowner Vardis Vardinoyiannis in "the exclusive northern Athens suburb of Ekali," The Cape Cod Times reported in 1999.

Though the guest list and photos from the event were never released, reports indicate that the bride's mother, Ethel Kennedy, was in attendance, along with "a few close family members," The Los Angeles Times reported. The New York Post reported that the bride donned a classic white gown created by a New York City-based designer, but no other details have ever been shared. They also note that the ceremony was held on a gazebo surrounded by white orchids and candles.