Former President Joe Biden’s granddaughter, Naomi Biden, has the distinction of being the first woman to get married at White House South Lawn on November 19, 2022. She is also the first sitting president’s grandchild to do so as well.
Aside from these firsts was a beautiful love story of Naomi Biden and Peter Neal, and an unforgettable wedding dress that marked generations in the historic White House.
Naomi Biden’s Wedding Dress, Presidential Classic
Speaking with Vogue about her historic White House wedding, Naomi explained that, “We’re so close to our families, so we always knew we’d get married in someone’s backyard. I think if my pop weren’t president, it would probably be their house in Wilmington or Peter’s family’s backyard in Jackson [Wyoming].”
To match the super stately presidential compound full of history, Naomi chose to have Ralph Lauren design her majestic wedding gown.
The dress featured a high-neck, closed-collar top, with chantilly lace all over its area. It’s a beautiful frame that has a sweetheart neckline and off-the-shoulder edges beneath. The long sleeves and shaped bodice then turn into solid white bridal fabric, before turning over to its layered, wavy-pleated silk organza with a grand, Cathedral train. The chantilly lace motifs reappear here in all their embroidered glory.
Her wedding veil is one of the longest veils observed by wedding dress designers. Although they never disclosed the actual length, photos show they covered the whole flight of stairs of the White House leading to the South Lawn.
Naomi paired with minimal but elegant accessories: Tiffany & Co. diamond and pearl drop-style earrings and a wedding band. She held a fresh bouquet of white flowers with green accent leaves, a perfect match to the White House and its lush green lawn grounds.
Wedding Ceremony and Wedding Reception Custom Dresses
The press was all anticipating who Naomi would pick to design her all-white wedding dress for her big day. Speculations were at a high when Ralph Lauren invited Naomi to their Fall/Winter Fashion Show in 2022.
Peter Neal also wore Ralph Lauren on their wedding day. Ralph Lauren himself designed Biden’s inauguration suit in 2021.
Aside from her gorgeous designer wedding gown, Naomi also commissioned two custom wedding reception dresses. One was a Mikado sleeveless and strapless ivory silk dress with a seamless downward flow from Reem Acra. It had a Cathedral train decorated with her grandmother’s pearls.
She paired this evening dress with a pearl necklace and pearl bracelets, with illusion fabric long sleeve gloves. Later on in the night, she wore a Markarian mini dress adorned with beaded fringe motifs.
Naomi and Peter’s Love Story
Naomi and Peter are lawyers who were in the same Washington DC and government circles.
She graduated from her law studies at Columbia Law School back in 2020 and is an associate attorney at Arnold & Porter. Peter finished law school at the University of Pennsylvania. He also did stints as an extern in the National Security Division of the Department of Justice and the US House General Counsel’s Office.
Fate had a way of bringing them together when a mutual friend introduced them, and they went on a date in June 2018.
By 2019, they were already in a relationship, with Peter greeting her on Instagram. During the pandemic, they quarantined together. They worked on their online law school courses and on the My CARES Act Benefits quiz to help assess people who were eligible for the stimulus package.
They soon appeared together in public, most notably at President Biden’s inauguration in January 2021. By September of the same year, Peter proposed to her near his family home in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. He used his grandmother’s wedding band and added an emerald-cut diamond.
Naomi posted it on her Instagram, posing with her hubby on a glorious sunny day. The internet went overboard at the announcement, with multitudes of congrats and well wishes from fans and friends.
Naomi also went on Twitter to post about her upcoming wedding, saying, “Peter and I are endlessly grateful to my Nana and Pop for the opportunity to celebrate our wedding at the White House. We can’t wait to make our commitment to one another official and for what lies ahead.”
The couple had 250 guests that lovely day on the White House South Lawn. President Biden and his wife hosted the wedding reception inside the White House following the ceremony.
