Surprising & Scandalous Presidential Weddings Through History

Published Thursday, Feb. 12th, 2026

Take a look at some of the most surprising presidential weddings in history. Some scandalous, some sweet, from our founding fathers to modern presidents.

collage of president images and wedding images

Happy President’s Day! With this annual holiday right around the corner, here’s a brief look at some of the most surprising – and scandalous – presidential weddings.

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Surprising Facts About America's Most Famous Presidential Weddings

1. John Tyler and Julia Gardiner, married June 26, 1844

John Tyler, the 10th US President, and Julia Gardiner were married in a secret ceremony in NYC with only 12 guests in attendance. The reason? The couple's scandalous age gap! Tyler was 54 to Julia's young 24.

The couple were engaged only a few months earlier. Tyler first proposed during a White House masquerade ball celebrating George Washington’s birthday in 1843, but Gardiner turned him down. After her father’s death in early 1844, she finally agreed to marry, saying, “"After I lost my father, I felt differently toward the president. He seemed to fill the place…” – a sentiment which certainly added to the gossip at the time.

Julia was walked down the aisle by her brother, and wore a simple white dress, veil, and a wreath of white flowers in her hair. After the wedding, the couple traveled back to the White House for a reception of cake and wine in the Blue Room.

2. Ronald and Nancy Davis, married March 4, 1952

Ronald Reagan and Nancy Davis were married in a hurry in a tiny wedding in North Hollywood. Although they were both popular Hollywood actors at the time, only two guests were invited to the very hush-hush ceremony: actor William Holden and his wife, actress Brenda Marshall.

When the Reagans’ daughter was born just 7 months later, the rush to the altar suddenly made sense. But what might have become a scandal – a shotgun wedding! – was kept mostly off the radar, thanks in part to the Reagans’ close relationships with two prominent gossip columnists of the time. The tabloids stayed quiet until decades later, when daughter Patti Davis publicly revealed that she was the reason behind the couple’s hurried vows.

Fun Fact: True White House weddings are actually pretty rare, as most US presidents are already married before they take office. Only three men – John Tyler, Grover Cleveland, and Woodrow Wilson – got married while serving as President, and only one was married inside the actual White House. That unique honor goes to President Cleveland, who married Frances Folsom (nearly 28 years his junior!) in a small ceremony in the Blue Room.

3. Franklin Delano Roosevelt and Eleanor Roosevelt, married March 17, 1905

Eleanor Roosevelt was given away at her wedding by her uncle, sitting President Theodore Roosevelt. Guests were so enamored with Teddy's charm, the stories say, that they followed him right out of the room following the ceremony – leaving the bride and groom behind! Totally upstaged by his famous new uncle, the future President Franklin Delano Roosevelt soon became jealous.

Franklin and Eleanor were fifth cousins, once removed, belonging to two powerful branches of the Roosevelt family. They were married in a private home in Manhattan, while a Saint Patrick’s Day parade passed by outside. According to reports, Teddy whispered to Franklin as he gave Eleanor away, "Well, Franklin, there's nothing like keeping the name in the family!"

4. Warren G. Harding and Florence Mabel Kling DeWolfe, married July 8, 1891

Warren Harding's wife Florence was obsessed with astrology, symbolism, and numerology. In fact, she was so superstitious about the wedding day that she insisted the vows take place at exactly 8:30pm, so that the hands of the clock would be reaching up – or "rising" – at the start of their marriage. She believed this symbolism might ensure their fortunes continued to rise in marriage.

In addition to being superstitious, the couple’s wedding was also scandalous at the time – partly because Florence was five years older than Warren, and partly because she had a child from a previous common law marriage. But the biggest factor behind the outrage was actually Florence’s father – a noted racist – who believed rumors that Warren had African American heritage. He was violently opposed to the union and boycotted their smalltown Ohio ceremony.

5. John Adams and Abigail Smith, married October 25, 1764

John and Abigail Adams quietly left their wedding reception on horseback, riding a single horse for 5 miles in silence to their new home. The ritual is said to have symbolized their transition into a shared adulthood and marriage. Though not surprising at the time, this solitary ritual is a shocking contrast to the glitz and excess of modern presidential weddings.

The couple’s no-frills wedding and lowkey exit were a perfect reflection of their personal values, which were heavily influenced by the Puritan and Stoic sensibilities of the time – defined by modesty, austerity, and quiet New England pride.

6. Abraham Lincoln and Mary Todd, married November 4, 1842

During his last-minute wedding to Mary Todd, Abraham Lincoln gave his bride a gold "posy ring" inscribed with the message "A.L. to Mary, Nov. 4, 1842. Love is Eternal," as a symbol of his devotion.

You might be surprised to learn that Lincoln and Todd had actually called off their engagement the year before, with some rumors claiming that Lincoln had even left Mary Todd waiting at the altar. It was a dark time for Lincoln, and the young lawyer was overwhelmed by depression and anxiety. When the couple reconciled and decided to marry, they did it in a hurry – giving friends and family only a single day to prepare.

The Tragic Bachelor: Out of the 45 men elected to the office so far, James Buchanan is the only US president who never married. He was a lifelong bachelor, though not entirely by choice. Buchanan was once engaged to wealthy heiress Anne Coleman, but the relationship ended abruptly following rumors that the young attorney was only courting Coleman for her money. Anne Coleman died less than a week after ending the engagement, and her death was rumored to be (a potentially accidental) suicide caused by an overdose of laudanum.

7. Barack Obama and Michelle LaVaughn Robinson, married October 3, 1992

Barack and Michelle Obama's first dance as newlyweds was to Stevie Wonder's classic love song "You and I." The song symbolized the couple's shared love of music, and Michelle's superfan status!

Michelle Obama’s lifelong love of Stevie Wonder’s music is well documented – and the song “You and I” is a track from the first vinyl record she ever bought as a young girl, Wonder’s 1972 album “Talking Book." The couple bonded over their shared love for the artist during their early dating years, and Obama has even joked publicly, "I think it's fair to say that had I not been a Stevie Wonder fan, Michelle might not have dated me. We might not have married."

8. Bill Clinton & Hillary Rodham, married October 11, 1975

Bill and Hillary Clinton were only engaged a week, but dated much longer. In fact, Hillary turned down two earlier proposals from Bill before finally saying yes! After finally deciding to tie the knot, the rest happened quickly. Hillary still hadn’t found a wedding dress the night before the ceremony, so her mother took her to a Dillard’s department store. She picked a simple dress off the rack.

The couple's wedding was fairly lowkey, and Hillary kept her maiden name in a bold move that honored her modern feminist views and professional identity – a choice that caused significant political scandal at the time. The wedding was followed by a large family-style honeymoon, with Hillary inviting her parents and siblings along to Mexico for a fun “buddymoon” celebration in the sun.

Wedding Cake Fail: One of the most memorable wedding fails happened during the 2005 celebration of Donald Trump and Melania Knauss’ union (née Melanija Knavs). The couple spent an estimated $50,000 on a massive wedding cake – a 5-foot-tall sponge cake soaked in orange liquor and decorated with over 2,000 individually handcrafted sugar flowers – that couldn’t actually be eaten. The cake took nearly 2 months to prepare, but was so big that it had to be held together by metal wires, making it inedible. Instead, the guests were served slices of sheet cake from the kitchen and given a 4-inch mini-cake as a wedding favor.

Which of these interesting presidential wedding facts surprised you the most?

Explore more celebrity weddings and famous wedding officiants in these fun articles from American Marriage Ministries

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Jessica Levey

Lead Staff Writer & Illustrator

Jessica Levey is a content specialist at American Marriage Ministries, where she writes about marriage law and wedding industry trends. She holds a degree in Strategic Communications and has a background in trade journalism, with experience in data-informed, people-first reporting, SEO, and LLM optimization. She was ordained with AMM in 2020 and is an advocate for marriage equality, LGBTQ+ rights, and individuality. In her personal time, Jessica writes, illustrates, and makes comics and zines independently at hellojesslevey.com.

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