A White House wedding...and golden anniversary
Tricia Nixon Cox and Ed Cox celebrate by thanking COVID workers and first responders at the Nixon Library and museum in Yorba Linda, California
The South Lawn of the White House is America’s most iconic backyard and the most picturesque setting for a White House wedding. With sweeping views of the Washington Monument, Jefferson Memorial and a sea of meticulously manicured blades of green grass, the South Lawn has played host to many memorable occasions etched in the memory of millions when we think about state arrivals, dinners, salutes, Marine One send-offs and now, a wedding.
There is no other location in the world like the exterior grounds of the President’s House, including the South Lawn. This uniquely American setting makes the perfect location to host the wedding of Naomi Biden, granddaughter of the President.
Legendary event planner Bryan Rafanelli, who has been brought in to orchestrate this event that has not taken place at the White House for more than half a century agrees. Rafanelli, who choreographed Chelsea Clinton’s wedding in addition to designing many significant events for the Obama White House, recently told me, "There are a lot of fantasies out there of where one would want to be married, but there is no better setting than the White House. It is one of the few places in the world that could truly never be replicated."
Part of Rafanelli’s key to success is how each of his events always tells a story. "Whether it’s an under the stars state dinner in the White House Rose Garden or a family meal on St. Patrick’s Day, every celebration should tell a story," wrote Rafanelli in his book, A Great Party.
Bryan Rafanelli is also known for including what is most important – family. Chelsea Clinton said Rafanelli took great care to make sure that both her Mother and Grandmother were included "at every step" in her wedding planning. She even wrote, "I could see my grandmother’s influence everywhere, as well as the love that we had shared my whole life…"
Rafanelli, having worked with three presidential families, is now part of White House history, just like the White House weddings themselves. As Chelsea Clinton put it, Rafanelli’s work highights "the culture and history of our country, and the love of two people."
Saturday’s historic event will not simply be the union of a first granddaughter and her fiancé, but it will also be telling the story of a nation by highlighting the customs and traditions of entertaining at the White House.
Since the earliest days of the historic home known as the "President’s House" the South Lawn has remained a mainstay for both the presidency as well as a symbol for America. For more than two centuries the White House South Lawn has been the forefront for some of our nation’s most historic moments hosting Arrival Ceremonies for Popes, Prime Ministers, Kings and Queens, to the most unique of events including a ceremony commemorating the 200th Anniversary Ceremony of the White House itself.
BIDEN GRANDDAUGHTER NAOMI BIDEN TO HOLD WEDDING ON WHITE HOUSE SOUTH LAWN
U.S. President Joe Biden, U.S. first lady Jill Biden and granddaughter Naomi Biden walk from the Marine One helicopter on the South Lawn to the White House in Washington, U.S., October 11, 2021. REUTERS/Sarah Silbiger
The South Lawn also plays host to some of our first families’ more prominent traditions such as the White House Easter Egg Roll and annual Halloween celebration.
In addition to its grand public events, the South Lawn has also provided great refuge for our heads of state and their families. It has been a playground for first children like Caroline and John Kennedy, Jr, as well as Sasha and Malia Obama. It has been a place for contemplation when President George W. Bush took time to reflect on sending the country to war after the September 11th attacks. It has also provided a refuge for more quiet moments such as President and Mrs. George H.W. Bush famously playing with their dog Millie’s puppies and taking one last walk before departing from the White House for the last time before our historic transition of power.
On Saturday, this horticultural gem held within the 18 acres that makes up the White House grounds will host one of the rarest of events: a White House Wedding.
Of the 18 White House weddings, only nine were for first children. It has been more than five decades since Lynda Johnson and Tricia Nixon were the last first daughters to wed at the White House.
BEIJING, CHINA - AUGUST 17: U.S. Vice President Joe Biden (L) waves with his granddaughter Naomi Biden as they walk out from Air Force Two upon arrival at the Beijing Capital International Airport on August 17, 2011 in Beijing, China. Vice President Joe Biden, a veteran foreign policy hand during his 36-year Senate career, arrived for a five-day visit in China under a cloud of criticism over the U.S. debt, as he seeks to build a rapport with Xi Jinping, the man expected to be the rising Asian power's next leader. He will later visit emerging U.S. partner Mongolia and longstanding ally Japan. (Photo by Ng Han Guan-Pool/Getty Images)
For those select few first family members, a White House wedding remains one of the most coveted and still rare celebrations for any first family in the history of the President’s House. "I will forever cherish my wedding. To this day people still stop me and tell me they watched my wedding. It was a perfect day and such a tremendous honor to exchange my vows at such a historic home," said Tricia Nixon Cox, to me reflecting upon the 50th anniversary of her ceremony at what she calls The People’s House.
This wedding will now be part of a very rare White House tradition that has never been afforded to a grandchild of the President and First Lady, nor has one ever been held on the South Lawn in the history of the White House.
There have been beautiful Rose Garden Weddings held for members of the first family in 1971 for Tricia Nixon and in 1994 for Anthony Rodham but none on the South Lawn, which means we can anticipate a larger gathering for friends and family.
Just as the world watched President Nixon’s Rose Garden transform into a floral wedding oasis, millions will be eager to see how the South Lawn is transformed into the perfect setting for Naomi Biden, Granddaughter of the President and First Lady, and her fiancé Peter Neal.
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U.S. President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden look on as Biden's granddaughter Naomi and her boyfriend Peter Neal manage Naomi's dog after a trip to Camp David, at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, U.S., February 15, 2021. REUTERS/Erin Scott
Many will seek to find if there are any traditions carried out from previous White House weddings for example inviting the former first daughters who had been married at the White House to attend or using their monogram as part of the decor as Tricia Nixon and husband Ed Cox chose to do. Will Naomi include the presidential seal on napkins or programs?
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It is hard to fully appreciate how momentous an occasion it is to have a wedding at the White House. This small number of weddings that have taken place inside the historic gates of the White House exterior grounds makes for an exclusive club of its own.
For the American people it is a reminder that the temporary inhabitants of the White House have families they want to honor and celebrate as we all do. Whether it was the Johnsons, Nixons, Bushes, Clintons, Trumps or the Bidens a wedding proposal, reception or the most rare, a wedding ceremony is a special experience and a tradition we can all celebrate.
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