U.S. President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden's granddaughter Naomi Biden said on Monday that she would hold her wedding reception at the White House later this year. The event will be the first time the executive mansion has hosted a wedding reception for a presidential family member after 14 years.
In a statement issued by the first lady's office, Jill's communication director, Elizabeth Alexander, announced that the first family and the couple are still in the planning stages of all of the wedding festivities. They look forward to promoting further details in the coming months.
According to CBS News, Naomi will tie the knot with Peter Neal, who is finishing his final semester of law school at the University of Pennsylvania.
A wedding in November
In a tweet on Monday, Naomi profusely thanked her grandparents, saying that they are endlessly grateful to "Nana and Pop" for the opportunity to celebrate their wedding at the White House. She says they could not wait to commit to one another officially.
Naomi and Peter's reception is scheduled for November 19, but the couple did not disclose the wedding ceremony location yet. If the couple opts for a Catholic wedding, the service usually occurs in a church.
According to Michael LaRosa, a spokesman for Jill Biden, the Biden family will be paying for the wedding activities that would occur in the White House. This is consistent with other private events hosted by the First Family, and with the tradition of previous weddings at the White House of earlier administrations, the Washington Post reports.
Naomi, 28, is a lawyer and the eldest daughter of Biden's son, Hunter. Her father was a lawyer, investor, lobbyist, and banker and now works as an artist. In his memoir, "Beautiful Things," he wrote how he became a drug addict and how his family helped him recover.
Naomi and Peter got engaged last year when he proposed near his childhood home with a ring that included the band of his grandmother's engagement ring.
The couple now lives in Washington DC, but they met in New York City when a mutual friend set them up for a date four years ago. According to the first lady's office, they have been inseparable ever since.
A White House wedding reception after 14 years
USA Today reports that the last time the White House hosted a wedding for Jenna Bush and Henry Hager was in June 2008. Jenna Bush was one of President George W. Bush's twin daughters. The wedding ceremony was at her parent's ranch in Texas on May 10, 2008.
In August 1966, Luci Baines Johnson, the younger daughter of President Lyndon Johnson, held her reception for 700 guests at the White House after a wedding ceremony at the Basilica of the National Shrine for Immaculate Conception Washington.
A year after, Lynda Bird Johnson married Charles Robb in the East Room.
In June 1971, Tricia Nixon and Edward Cox had a wedding ceremony and a reception in the Rose Garden.
The only presidential wedding in the White House was in June 1886, when U.S. President Grover married Frances Folsom in the Blue room.
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