Everything we know about Naomi Biden’s wedding

President Joe Biden’s granddaughter Naomi Biden and her new husband Peter Neal were married on the South Lawn of the White House this morning.

Biden and Neal are the first couple to ever host a wedding on the South Lawn of the iconic home and the nineteenth to marry inside the White House.

In a news conference Friday by White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, it was clarified that the event would be a private matter.

“Naomi Biden and Peter’s wedding is a private one. It’s a family event. And Naomi and Peter have asked for their wedding to be closed to the media and we respect their request.”

While we can expect photos of the occasion and a statement from the President and First Lady at some point after the wedding, the details remain a closely guarded secret for now. But that’s what we know so far about the one-of-a-kind nuptials.

What we know about the couple

Neal, 25, met Biden, 28, in 2018 through mutual friends. Neal later proposed to the President’s granddaughter in his hometown of Jackson Hole, Wyoming in 2021.

Naomi is the eldest daughter of Hunter Biden and his ex-wife Kathleen Buhle. The bride, who works as an attorney, is also said to have played a key role in encouraging her grandfather to run for the presidency against Donald Trump, whom she called the “worst president in American history” in a series of tweets in September 2020 .

Peter Neal was an intern at the Obama White House in 2015 when President Joe Biden was Vice President. He also worked on Clinton’s 2016 campaign and is now an Associate at Georgetown Law’s Center on National Security.

What we know about White House weddings

Biden and Neal’s wedding is the 19th in White House history. The first closely followed White House wedding was in 1874, when former President Ulysses S. Grant’s daughter, Nellie Grant, was married to Algernon Sartoris in the East Room.

Brides Editor-in-Chief Gabriella Rello Duffy narrates news week: “White House weddings, particularly those in honor of a relative of an incumbent president, are incredibly rare. The last comparable White House wedding would be the wedding of Tricia Nixon, which took place 50 years ago in 1971 and included a full ceremony and reception on the property.”

The only sitting president to marry in the White House was Grover Cleveland, who married 21-year-old Frances Folsom in 1886.

“Everyone – American or not – knows the White House and has seen photos of generations of state dinners and formal events held there. A family wedding is so much more intimate and gives us a glimpse into the private lives of the First Family, and there’s nowhere more beautiful to envision a wedding than on the estate’s expansive lawns,” said Duffy.

The most recent wedding event was at the White House in 2008 when Jenna Bush, daughter of former President George W. Bush, and Henry Hager held their wedding reception there after they exchanged vows at the Bush family ranch in Texas.

Duffy said that getting married in such an iconic location is something spectacular in itself.

“It’s something most of us can really only imagine: the average American could never attend a wedding at the White House, let alone get married there, so let’s all take a look at what that spectacular party looks like when it happens like,” she said.

What we know about the event

The details of the Biden-Neal wedding were closely guarded leading up to the event, but we do know that the Bidens hired famed wedding planner Bryan Rafanelli to help them organize the occasion.

Voted by one of the best wedding planners in the world Fashion, Rafanelli has been designing and producing top-class events for many years. His past events include the wedding of Chelsea Clinton, daughter of former President Bill Clinton, and many White House events for former President Barack Obama.

While it’s difficult to know what kind of bill might be involved at a wedding in the nation’s most famous house, we know it won’t be footed by taxpayers. In July, Karine Jean-Pierre shared reports that the wedding would not be funded with taxpayers’ money.

“It’s impossible to guess the cost without details, but what we do know is that the Biden family is paying for the wedding, not the American people,” Duffy said.

Many will look closely for a glimpse of the bride’s dress and to see how the South Lawn has been adapted as a wedding venue.

There has been speculation that the bride could wear a dress designed by Reem Acra, who has a close friendship with First Lady Dr. Jill Biden maintains. But Naomi is also known for liking designs by Christian Siriano and Valentino. She also attended the Ralph Lauren Fall/Winter 2022 fashion show.

Decorations and furnishings are under wraps so far, but Naomi posted a teaser on her own Instagram page yesterday. A short video of a wreath of white roses pinned to the gates of the presidential residence appeared on her Instagram story with the favorite 1960s title “Chapel Of Love” by The Dixie Cups, leading many to speculate about a white theme .

Pictures also surfaced yesterday showing construction on the South Lawn of the White House. The pictures showed more beautiful white rosaries, arches and decor throughout the south portico.