Granddaughter of President Biden, ties knot at the White House

In just the 19th wedding in the White House’s history, President Joe Biden’s granddaughter Naomi Biden and Peter Neal exchanged vows on the South Lawn in abnormally chilly weather in front of a large crowd of family and friends.

During a chilly late-morning ceremony in bright sunshine but with temps in the low 40s, the bride and groom exchanged “I do”s. In addition to a train and veil, the bride donned a long-sleeved, high-neck gown. The attendees were dressed in coats and scarves and sat in white folding chairs.

Wreaths and garlands with white flowers were placed on the south side of the White House, which was facing the lawn and the distant Washington Monument. From the Diplomatic Reception Room, the bride made her way down an aisle to an altar built of bushes and white flowers. Hunter Biden, Naomi Biden’s father, sat in the front row on the other side of the aisle while holding Beau, his little son. The first wedding was at the White House and first on the South Lawn, with a president’s granddaughter as the bride.

No celebrations would be visible to the general public, unlike past recent White House marriages. Even though the ceremony took place outside on the grounds of what the president and first lady referred to as the “people’s house,” Naomi Biden and Neal decided to bar journalists from attending. Naomi Biden, a 28-year-old attorney in Washington, Kathleen Buhle, Hunter’s first wife, is her mother. Neal, 25, a Jackson Hole, Wyoming native, recently graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with a law degree. The Georgetown University Law Center is where he works in Washington. His parents are Jackson Hole doctors Mary C. and William “Bill” C. Neal.

The two met through a mutual acquaintance in New York City about four years ago, according to the White House, and have been living together ever since. Using a ring created from the band of his grandmother’s engagement ring, Neal reportedly made his proposal in September 2021 close to his Jackson Hole childhood home. The 20-somethings, their families, and the wedding party returned to the White House for lunch following their legal marriage, according to a person familiar with the planning who was not authorized to publicly disclose the wedding program. Lunch will be followed in the evening by a dessert and dancing reception.

Before the ceremony, not much further information was made public. The White House said that the president and first lady Jill Biden intended to share a statement and pictures following the wedding of the first of their six grandkids. “Congratulations to Peter and Naomi! We love you, “Following the wedding, Mr. Biden and the first lady shared a photo of themselves with the newlyweds on Twitter. Among those who attended the wedding rehearsal dinner held on Friday at the Renwick Gallery near the White House were President Biden and the first lady. The hosts were Neal’s parents. All wedding-related expenses will be covered by the Biden family, according to White House representatives.

The president’s main spokesman, Karine Jean-Pierre, stated on Friday that Naomi Biden and Peter’s wedding was a private event. We are honoring Naomi and Peter’s request to keep the media out of their wedding because it is a family celebration. Throughout the White House’s more than 200-year history, 18 marriages have been formally documented. Nine of them featured the daughter of the president, most recently Tricia Nixon of Richard Nixon in 1971 and Lynda Johnson of Lyndon Johnson in 1967. However, there have also been marriages there for the first lady’s family as well as nieces, grandnieces, and sons in the White House. Additionally, while in office, Grover Cleveland, another president, was married.