Weddings at the White House
Gallery
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This hand colored wooden engraving by illustrator Henry Ogden depicts the wedding of Ellen Wrenshall Grant to Algernon Sartoris on May 21, 1874 in the East Room of the White House. Ellen, more often referred to as Nellie, was President Ulysses S. Grant's only daughter. She was 18 at the time of her wedding to Sartoris, a well-to-do English singer. This engraving was published in "Frank Leslie's Illustrated Newspaper" on June 6, 1874.
White House Historical Association -
This engraving, published in Frank Leslie's Illustrated Newspaper, shows President Grover Cleveland's wedding to First Lady Frances Folsom Cleveland, which took place in the Blue Room on June 2, 1886. There were 28 guests at the wedding, including relatives, cabinet members with their wives, and close friends.
Library of Congress -
This is a color illustration tinted by P. Hall Baglie of President Theodore Roosevelt escorting his eldest daughter, Alice Roosevelt, down the Grand Staircase for her wedding to Congressman Nicholas Longworth on February 17, 1906.
Library of Congress -
This photograph shows Jessie Wilson, daughter of President Woodrow Wilson, on her wedding day, November 25, 1913. Jessie married Francis Bowes Sayre, a Harvard-educated lawyer who would go on to serve as the United States ambassador to Siam, now known as Thailand, and assistant secretary of state during the Franklin D. Roosevelt administration. The two were married in the White House and their first child, Francis Sayre, Jr., was born there as well.
Library of Congress -
This photograph shows Eleanor Wilson, daughter of President Woodrow Wilson, on her wedding day, May 7, 1914. Eleanor married William G. McAdoo, who served as her father's secretary of the treasury for nearly the entire Wilson administration. The two were married in the White House.
Library of Congress -
This black and white photograph shows the wedding of Louise Macy and Harry Hopkins in the Yellow Oval Room of the White House. President Franklin D. Roosevelt is seen seated next to the bride holding her bouquet, and First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt is standing behind a few of the wedding guests. Harry Hopkins was a close friend of President Roosevelt, who helped administer the President’s New Deal federal work programs and later became the Secretary of Commerce.
Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum/NARA -
In this photograph, members of the press eagerly record first daughter Luci Baines Johnson and Patrick Nugent on their wedding day, August 6, 1966. The couple was married at the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C. and enjoyed a reception at the White House. Johnson was the daughter of President Lyndon B. Johnson and First Lady Lady Bird Johnson. This photograph is part of a collection belonging to former White House Executive Chef Henry Haller. Henry Haller served as executive chef at the White House from 1966-1987. Chef Haller oversaw the food preparations for Johnson's wedding reception as well as the receptions for first daughters Lynda Bird Johnson and Tricia Nixon.
Courtesy of Henry & Carole Haller and Family -
In this photograph, taken December 9, 1967, newlyweds Lynda Bird Johnson Robb and Capt. Charles S. Robb take their first steps together as man and wife following their wedding ceremony in the East Room of the White House. The ceremony was officiated by the Right Reverend Gerald Nicholas McAllister. This was the 15th wedding held at the White House. The couple enjoyed their wedding cake in the same room where they were married. During the ceremony, the cake was hidden behind a screen, which was removed when guests returned to the East Room for champagne, cake, and dancing. Fellow White House bride Alice Roosevelt Longworth, who married in 1906, was among the approximately 500 guests who attended the wedding. The bride's parents, President Lyndon B. Johnson and First Lady Lady Bird Johnson, can be seen watching proudly on the left side of this photograph. This photograph is part of a personal collection belonging to former White House Executive Chef Henry Haller. As executive chef from 1966-1987, Haller oversaw the food preparations for three wedding receptions at the White House for first daughters Luci Baines Johnson, Lynda Bird Johnson, and Tricia Nixon.
Courtesy of Henry & Carole Haller and Family -
In this photograph, taken June 12, 1971, Tricia Nixon exchanges vows with Edward Cox during their wedding ceremony held in the gazebo of the White House Rose Garden. Theirs was the 16th documented wedding to take place at the White House and the first to be held in the Rose Garden. Nixon was the daughter of President Richard M. Nixon and First Lady Pat Nixon. This photograph is part of a collection belonging to former White House Executive Chef Henry Haller. Haller served as executive chef of the White House from 1966-1987, and oversaw food preparations for the wedding receptions for three first daughters: Luci Baines Johnson, Lynda Bird Johnson, and Nixon.
Courtesy of Henry & Carole Haller and Family
About this Gallery
From First Lady Dolley Madison's sister Lucy Payne Washington's wedding in 1812 to the nuptials of President Joseph Biden and First Lady Jill Biden's granddaughter Naomi Biden on the South Lawn in November 2022, the White House has long been the site of wedding ceremonies and receptions. In over two hundred years, there have been nineteen documented weddings and four receptions hosted at the White House. In this gallery, view the history of presidents, members of the First Family, and White House staff getting married and having wedding receptions at the White House.