WASHINGTON - Naomi Biden, the eldest grandchild of US President Joe Biden, and Peter Neal were married in a private ceremony on the South Lawn of the White House on Saturday morning. It was the quintessential Biden affair: planned by the close-knit family and a handful of trusted aides.
“It has been a joy to watch Naomi grow, discover who she is, and carve out such an incredible life for herself,” Joe Biden and Jill Biden, the first lady, said in a statement. “Now, we are filled with pride to see her choose Peter as her husband and we’re honoured to welcome him to our family. We wish them days full of laughter and a love that grows deeper with every passing year.”
The bride and groom both wore attire designed by Ralph Lauren, according to a person familiar with the event. For her, it was a lacy, long-sleeved ivory gown; for him, a three-piece navy suit.
A luncheon for the family and wedding party was held in the White House immediately after the South Lawn ceremony. A black-tie evening reception with dessert and dancing followed.
Naomi Biden, 28, is a lawyer who has been living at the White House with her 25-year-old groom, a recent law school graduate who hails from Jackson Hole, Wyoming, and is currently working at the Georgetown University Law Center on National Security. They met in 2018.
Their wedding was the first part of a festive weekend for Mr Biden, who will mark his 80th birthday on Sunday surrounded by family.
Since former President John Adams moved into the freshly built White House in 1800, the 18 weddings there have typically featuring family members of the president and first lady.
According to the White House Historical Association, the tradition began in 1812 when Lucy Payne Washington, the sister of first lady Dolley Madison, married Supreme Court Associate Justice Thomas Todd.
Grover Cleveland has been the only president to marry in the White House. He exchanged vows with Frances Folsom in 1886 the Blue Room.
Naomi Biden is the daughter of the president’s son, Hunter Biden, and his first wife, Kathleen Buhle.
Jill Biden’s communications director, Elizabeth Alexander, had said the Biden family will pay for the wedding activities that occur at the White House, “consistent with other private events hosted by the first family and following the traditions of previous White House wedding festivities in prior administrations”.
Unlike some past such ceremonies, the festivities were closed to the news media.
“Naomi and Peter have asked that their wedding be closed to the media, and we are respecting their wishes. This is something that the couple has decided,” White House spokesperson Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters on Friday. NYTIMES, REUTERS
