WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden’s granddaughter Naomi Biden and Peter Neal were married Saturday in just the 19th wedding in the history of the White House, exchanging vows on the South Lawn in unseasonably cold temperatures in front of scores of family and friends.
The bride and groom exchanged “I do’s” during a nippy late-morning ceremony in bright sunshine but with temperatures in the low 40s. The 250 guests sat in white folding chairs, and some wore scarves with their coats.
The newlyweds, dressed by American fashion designer Ralph Lauren, posed for photos afterward on the balcony, with the bride’s long veil flowing over the railing.
The south side of the White House, facing the Washington Monument in the distance, was decorated with wreaths and garland bearing white flowers. The bride walked along an aisle that led from the Diplomatic Reception Room to an altar made up of shrubs and white flowers.
Naomi Biden’s father, Hunter Biden, sat in the front row on one side of the aisle, holding his toddler son, Beau.
It is the first White House wedding with a president’s granddaughter as the bride, and the first one ever on the South Lawn.
The public saw none of the festivities, unlike some past White House weddings. Naomi Biden and Neal decided to keep journalists out, although the ceremony was outdoors on the grounds of what the president and first lady call the “people’s house.”
Naomi Biden, 28, is a lawyer in Washington. Her mother is Kathleen Buhle, Hunter Biden’s first wife.
Neal, 25, of Jackson Hole, Wyo., recently graduated from the University of Pennsylvania law school. He works at Georgetown University Law Center in Washington. His parents are Drs. Mary C. and William C. Neal of Jackson Hole.
The couple, who have been living at the White House, were set up by a mutual friend about four years ago in New York City and have been together ever since, the White House said. Neal proposed in September 2021 near his childhood home in Jackson Hole with a ring that repurposed the band of his grandmother’s engagement ring, according to the White House.
After the 20-somethings officially became husband and wife, their families and the wedding party went back inside the White House for lunch, which was to be followed in the evening by a dessert-and-dancing reception.
To accommodate public interest, the president and first lady Jill Biden issued a statement confirming the marriage of the first of their six grandchildren and planned to release photos.
President Biden and the first lady were among those who attended the wedding rehearsal dinner Friday at the Renwick Gallery steps from the White House. Neal’s parents hosted.
The Biden family will pay for all wedding activities, White House officials have said.
“The wedding of Naomi Biden and Peter is a private one,” Karine Jean-Pierre, the president’s chief spokesperson, said Friday. “It’s a family event.”
