Naomi Biden and her fiancé Peter Neal have exchanged vows on the South Lawn of the White House in the 19th wedding in White House history.
Naomi, the granddaughter of President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden, and Neal tied the knot on Saturday on the South Lawn. The occasion marked the first White House wedding with a president’s granddaughter as the bride, and the first one in that location, according to the White House Historical Association.
Aerial photographs showed a small group of guests gathered in a semi-circle on the lawn to watch Naomi and Neal say “I do”.
The 28-year-old first announced the location of her White House wedding in a July tweet, in which she revealed that both the Secret Service and her pets were supportive of her choice to get married on the South Lawn.
“So not sure how best to update but was supposed to do so weeks ago… but we have finally figured out where the ceremony will be…and much to the relief of the Secret Service and with the dogs’ endorsement… we’ll be getting married on the South Lawn!” Biden tweeted along with a photo of the expansive White House lawn, in which the Washington Monument could be seen in the backdrop. “Couldn’t be more excited.”
The announcement came after Naomi revealed in April that she and Neal, who recently marked their four-year anniversary, would be celebrating their November nuptials at the historic Washington, DC, residence.
“Peter and I are endlessly grateful to my Nana and Pop for the opportunity to celebrate our wedding at the White House,” Biden tweeted at the time. “We can’t wait to make our commitment to one another official and for what lies ahead.”
While the White House confirmed at the time that the celebration would take place on 19 November 2022, the first lady’s communications director Elizabeth Alexander noted that the first family, the couple, and their parents were still in the “planning stages” and that further details would be shared closer to the nuptials.
In June, Naomi, the eldest daughter of Hunter Biden and his ex-wife Kathleen Buhle, shared a behind-the-scenes look at the planning going into the wedding festivities, with the Columbia graduate sharing a photo of herself and six others participating in a planning meeting that appeared to take place in the White House.
While Naomi blurred the faces of everyone in the room but herself, she appeared to be sitting next to her grandmother, while the president also appeared to be in the room. Naomi was also seemingly joined by Neal, 24, for the wedding planning meeting, as she tagged her future husband in the picture.
The couple, who met through a mutual friend, announced their engagement in September 2021. With their wedding Saturday, Naomi and Neal became the latest in a long line of White House wedding celebrations. In 2008, Jenna Bush, the daughter of former president George W Bush, celebrated her wedding reception with 600 guests at the executive mansion, while both of Lyndon Johnson’s daughters celebrated their weddings at the White House.
According to the White House Historical Association, nine of the 18 documented White House weddings were for a president’s daughter. However, none of the ceremonies have taken place on the South Lawn, as the association notes that five weddings were held in the East Room, four took place in the Blue Room and two took place in the Rose Garden, steps away from the Oval Office.
As for how the president and first lady feel about the nuptials, Dr Biden recently told Kelly Clarkson that she couldn’t wait for everyone to see her granddaughter as a bride.
According to Dr Biden, it has been exciting to see Naomi “planning her wedding, making her choices, becoming, you know, just coming into her own, and she’s just so beautiful”.
“So I can’t wait till all of you see her as a bride,” the first lady continued.
While Naomi has yet to share details about the outfit she chose for the nuptials, The New York Times suggested she might wear Ralph Lauren, as the outlet noted she has made “reference to the American designer on her Instagram page,” and recently attended Ralph Lauren’s runway show. However, it was also possible she would opt for Valentino, which she wore to her grandfather’s Inauguration.
At Friday’s rehearsal dinner, Naomi donned a dress designed by Danielle Frankel, who previously worked for designed Vera Wang.
“This is a national wedding that most Americans will see an element of on their televisions or their phones,” Ms Frankel told the Times ahead of the dinner. “How the White House does this wedding is going to be a global conversation. I don’t know if there will be another in my lifetime. To know I was part of that feels historical and significant.”
