Joe Biden’s granddaughter marries in White House wedding

US President Joe Biden’s granddaughter Naomi Biden and her fiance, Peter Neal, were married on Saturday in just the 19th wedding in the history of the White House.

Naomi Biden and Neal exchanged vows during a private late-morning ceremony on the South Lawn, which was turned into a wedding venue for the first time. It is the first White House wedding with a president’s granddaughter as the bride.

Naomi Biden, 28, who wore a long-sleeved, high-neck gown by Ralph Lauren, is a lawyer in Washington. Her parents are Hunter Biden, the son of the president, and Kathleen Buhle, Hunter’s first wife.

Mr Neal, 25, of Jackson Hole, Wyoming, recently graduated from the University of Pennsylvania law school. He works at Georgetown University Law Centre in Washington.

The couple, who have been living at the White House, met four years ago in New York City, the White House said.

The president planned to issue a statement and release photos after the first of their six grandchildren tied the knot, the White House said.

President Biden, who celebrates his 80th birthday on Sunday, and the first lady Jill Biden were among those who attended the wedding rehearsal dinner on Friday at the Renwick Gallery, steps from the White House.

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 on Friday. “It’s a family event and Naomi and Peter have asked that their wedding be closed to the media and we are respecting their wishes.”

There have been 18 documented weddings in the 200-plus-year history of the White House. Nine involved a president’s daughter, most recently Richard Nixon’s daughter Tricia in 1971 and Lyndon Johnson’s daughter Lynda in 1967.

One president, Grover Cleveland, tied the knot at the White House while in office.