Naomi Biden Is Married! Here's What We Know About Her White House Wedding to Peter Neal

Naomi Biden and Peter Neal are married! Today, November 19, 2022, President Biden's granddaughter, a Columbia Law School graduate, married Neal, a University of Pennsylvania Law School graduate, during an 11 A.M. ceremony on the White House's South Lawn. Immediately following their "I dos," the couple held a luncheon for their families and wedding party inside the White House's State Dining Room.

According to the White House's official press release, 250 guests gathered to watch the couple exchange vows. “It has been a joy to watch Naomi grow, discover who she is, and carve out such an incredible life for herself,” said the President and First Lady in the official statement. “Now, we are filled with pride to see her choose Peter as her husband and we’re honored to welcome him to our family. We wish them days full of laughter and a love that grows deeper with every passing year.”  

Biden wore a long-sleeve wedding dress by Ralph Lauren, which she paired with a lengthy veil. Neal wore a navy three-piece suit, also by Ralph Lauren, and both President Biden and Dr. Jill Biden dressed in blue for the occasion. A long white aisle extended out from the White House onto the South Lawn. There, guests were seated in white chairs arranged in a semi-circle shape facing a cluster of shrubs and white flowers. The White House itself was dressed up for the occasion, decorated in classic shades of white and green.

Lush greenery and what appear to be white roses and peonies were arranged on the exterior of the building, delicately swagged from the South Portico's railings, surrounding arched doorways, and in the form of wreaths arounds exterior lights.

"Congratulations Naomi and Peter! We love you," President Biden and Dr. Jill Biden said in a joint Instagram post, which included the first official photo of the bride and groom.

Elizabeth Alexander, communications director for First Lady Jill Biden, confirmed that celebrity wedding planner Bryan Rafanelli of Rafanelli Events was hired to transform the stately White House into the ultimate wedding venue. Rafanelli shared 10 exclusive photos from the celebration, photographed by Corbin Gurkin and John Dolan, that give us a closer look at the overall design of the day. For his part, Rafanelli is no stranger to White House celebrations: He planned Chelsea Clinton's wedding in 2010 and has organized several large-scale political events, including state dinners.

"I am honored to have had the opportunity to bring Peter and Naomi’s vision for their wedding day to life and to work in this historic house once again," Rafanelli said in an Instagram post. "As with every private celebration, we have worked closely with the couple and their families to create a beautiful and elegant celebration reflecting their story while highlighting the rich history of the White House."

The party isn't over just yet: An evening reception will take place later today, when family members and friends will join the newlyweds at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue for dancing and dessert. According to People, invitations sent to guests indicate that tonight's celebration is a black-tie event; President Joe Biden and Dr. Jill Biden were listed as the hosts.

According to the White House Historical Association, this was the first time a sitting president’s granddaughter was married at the White House; the wedding was also the first one ever held on the South Lawn.

As for who foot the bill for the celebration, the White House confirmed to Time that no taxpayer dollars went to the cost of the wedding. Instead, the Biden family personally paid for the celebration. "Consistent with other private events hosted by the First Family and following the traditions of previous White House wedding festivities in prior Administrations, the Biden family will be paying for the wedding activities that occur at the White House," Alexander told the outlet.

Biden and Neal, who currently reside in the White House and share an apartment within the third-floor residence, People reports, officially began their wedding weekend Thursday, November 17. Neal posted a photo that showed him and his bride-to-be holding hands beneath a white arch at the Washington, D.C., Marriage Bureau, where they picked up their marriage license.

A rehearsal dinner, hosted by the groom's parents, Drs. Mary and William Neal, was held yesterday evening, November 18, at the Renwick Gallery, which is conveniently located across the street from the White House. Both President Biden and Dr. Biden were in attendance. The bride-to-be wore a custom-made outfit by bridal designer Danielle Frankel for the occasion, The New York Times reports. The "transitional" outfit was made from four separate pieces: a top bustier, a tailored jacket and trouser, and a pleated tulle cape covered in lace flowers.

"This is a White House wedding, so there’s regard for the White House and for our country, but also for the sanctity of the wedding. We wanted to pay tribute to all of those components while still showcasing who Naomi is, respectful but sophisticated with a tinge of femininity," Frankel says. "She’s young and cool. Wearing the cape and the tulle is reminiscent of wearing a gown but has an ethereal quality that creates something grand and a sense of importance in that moment. For the rehearsal dinner, she’ll swap out the cape for the jacket, which is a more tailored, commanding clean look. We wanted to create a different moment and shift into the evening."

While Biden and Neal's celebration is undoubtably captivating, it's certainly not the first White House wedding—in fact, it's the 19th, the White House Historical Associate explains. The last comparable wedding held at the White House was Tricia Nixon and Ed Cox's nuptials in 1971. There have been other celebrations since—including Anthony Rodham's wedding to Nicole Boxer in 1994 and Jenna Bush and Henry Hagler's 600-person party (the duo married privately in Crawford, Texas, but held a larger party at the White House one month later) in 2008—but nothing at this same scale.

The newlyweds were fist introduced by a mutual friend in 2018. In September of 2021, Neal proposed to Biden in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, where he grew up, with an engagement ring that's said to include his grandmother's band, CNN reports.