US: Joe Biden's granddaughter Naomi to be married at White House's South Lawn

The eldest grandchild of United States President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden has stated that her wedding ceremony will take place on the South Lawn of the White House later this year. Naomi Biden, the daughter of Hunter Biden and Kathleen Buhle, announced her wedding plans on Thursday. While updating her nuptial preparations, Naomi wrote in a tweet, “We have finally figured out where the ceremony will be...and much to the relief of secret service and with the dogs' endorsement...we'll be getting married on the South Lawn!" 

According to an ABC News report, Naomi's 25-year-old fiancé, attorney Peter Neal and she would host a reception at the White House on November 19 of this year. Following Naomi's engagement last year, First Lady Jill Biden made an indication that the wedding may happen in the White House, Fox News reported. Notably, in September, the pair made their engagement public. 

Joe Biden's granddaughter's wedding reception at White House

In April, Naomi Biden announced that she and Peter Neal would only conduct their wedding reception at the White House; the ceremony will be held elsewhere. However, according to Naomi Biden, her wedding arrangements have changed and will now entirely take place at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, CNN reported. 

Furthermore, it is mentioned that the National Park Service looks after the South Lawn, a sizable green area at the White House that spans many acres. Tennis courts, a putting green, and the White House Kitchen Garden are all located there as part of the White House's leisure facilities, as per the CNN report. 

Biden family to pay for reception

In addition to this, the Biden family will pay for the reception, according to the White House, in accordance with the custom of wedding celebrations under previous administrations and consistent with past private gatherings held by the first family of the US. 

Highlighting this, Karine Jean-Pierre, the Press Secretary for the White House, told reporters on Thursday that the wedding ceremony will not be paid for by using taxpayer funds. During the press conference, she said, “I can ensure to you that taxpayer dollars will not go to that”, CNN reported. She also added, “That is a personal affair that is happening. That is not White House business, so I cannot speak to that from here." However, she remained silent about the fact that whether the press will be allowed entry, CNN reported.  

The White House has been the venue of 18 recognised marriages and four documented receptions, as reported by the White House Historical Association (WHHA). The most recent ceremony took place in 2013, during the term of President Barack Obama when his photographer Pete Souza and Patti Lease were married. 

The most recent Reception took place in 2008 at the Bush family ranch in Texas for President George W. Bush's daughter Jenna Bush before her nuptials to Henry Hager, ABC News reported. Although the WHHA acknowledges that the Rose Garden has hosted marriages in the past, they do not record any ceremonies that took place on the South Lawn. 

(Image: AP)