Bettina Anderson floated a White House wedding to Donald Trump Jr. She’ll get an island ceremony instead

Palm Beach socialite and model Bettina Anderson is dating President Donald Trump’s eldest son, Donald Trump Jr. He will celebrate his marriage with. today on a tropical island. It won’t be the relationship the bride originally envisioned.

Multiple sources told CNN that Anderson initially expressed interest in getting married at the White House. But one of the sources said the groom thought it was inappropriate, especially given the ongoing US-Israeli war with Iran. President Donald Trump also told allies he didn’t think it was a good idea.

The couple instead decided on a small, private ceremony on an island in the Bahamas, where Anderson previously posted photos of crystal blue waters and secluded beaches. A source close to the matter said there could be a follow-up celebration at the White House later this year.

Trump Jr.’s friends told CNN they have never seen the groom this happy.

Technically Trump Jr. and Anderson are already married; A marriage certificate filed in Palm Beach County shows they were legally married Thursday. This is not uncommon for couples who choose international destination weddings.

Trump Jr. For him, this was a short engagement following a rather long engagement. After quietly splitting from his fiancée of nearly four years, Kimberly Guilfoyle, after the 2024 election, he was spotted hand-in-hand with Anderson around Palm Beach and then at Mar-a-Lago.

Their ordeal took place at the president’s inauguration; Anderson was next to Trump Jr. at the Capitol, dancing with him at the inaugural balls, eating McDonald’s on the family plane wearing a designer dress and a matching Dior bag. Public dating has spurred some gossip on the front pages of tabloids, carried out through anonymous sources.

After a year together, which included taking a presidential trip to Scotland, Trump Jr. proposed the move, which the president announced to the holiday party crowd at the White House.

“This has truly been the most unforgettable weekend of my life and I’m marrying the love of my life and I feel like the luckiest girl in the world,” Anderson said. in question He made impromptu remarks in Cross Hall at the White House.

This weekend Trump Jr. and Anderson will celebrate being civilly married on a small island in the Bahamas. The president said Friday he would not attend.

“I think it is important for me to stay at the White House in Washington, D.C. during this important time. Congratulations to Don and Bettina!” Trump said on Truth Social:

The wedding is being kept small by design, according to two people familiar with the plans; Family and the couple’s closest friends make up the guest list of fewer than 50 people.

According to information given to CNN by sources familiar with the matter, extra security measures are being taken after the location of the wedding was leaked earlier this week. The couple was already worried about safety before the event, and those concerns have now increased even more.

The groom’s siblings, Eric Trump and Ivanka Trump, as well as Trump Jr.’s five children, Kai, Donald III, Tristan, Spencer and Chloe, aged 11 to 19, are expected to attend with their spouses.

Trump was previously married to Vanessa Trump, who announced this week that she was fighting breast cancer. Trump Jr. and Vanessa Trump remained close after their divorce, and recently celebrated their daughter Kai’s prom, 19th birthday party and graduation.

Anderson, 39, described himself as an influencer on social media. post a link From bikini bottoms to fisherman hats to LED masks, to designer wardrobe picks and favorite items, as well as sarcastic captions and photos that reflect a glamorous lifestyle.

Among her Instagram thoughts: “Now I’m supposed to know the make and model of the planes I’m on?!! I barely know what kind of cars they are!” And “[talking to my married friend] So is it always there? at your house? and don’t you get bored of it?”

“Palm Beach season is our Winter Olympics,” he wrote alongside a black-tie photo with his fiancée.

The couple raised eyebrows last month. extravagant bridal shower It was a lace-trimmed three-tiered cake, complete with lavish flowers for the hundreds of guests in the Mar-a-Lago ballroom. Attendees, including Erika Kirk, designer Stacey Bendet and the president’s ex-wife Marla Maples, received monogrammed canvas gift bags filled with luxury Lafco candles, Mutha eye patches and an assortment of skin-care products, a porcelain teacup and pastel Alice + Olivia cardigans. Anderson linked to all of them.

The special frosted cookies read “Love Surprises All.”

Meanwhile, in Athens, Guilfoyle, now the US Ambassador to Greece, remains close to the Trump family. Despite years of engagement and many ultimatums, a wedding never materialized, and she was privately distraught, according to a source familiar with the matter. HE hit the town It’s all smiles as they arrive at the EuroLeague Final Four basketball tournament in Athens on Friday evening, wearing minidresses and stilettos.

“I’m happy for Don,” she said recently said In an interview in the New York Times. “Of course I wish him the best.”

CNN’s Alayna Treene contributed to this report.

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