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

Donald Trump Jr. and Bettina Anderson walk on the tarmac as they await the arrival of President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump at Teterboro Airport in Teterboro, New Jersey, on July 13, 2025. Brendan Smialowski/AFP/Getty Images via CNN Newsource

Palm Beach socialite and model Bettina Anderson celebrated her marriage to U.S. President Donald Trump’s eldest son, Donald Trump Jr., on a tropical island Saturday. It wasn’t the affair the bride had originally envisioned.

Anderson had initially expressed interest in getting married at the White House, multiple sources told CNN. But the groom didn’t think it was appropriate, particularly given the U.S.-Israel war with Iran, and Anderson herself ultimately agreed, one of the sources said. President Donald Trump also told allies he didn’t think it was a good idea.

The couple settled instead on a small, exclusive ceremony on an island in the Bahamas where Anderson has previously posted images of crystal blue waters and secluded beaches. There could also be a follow-up celebration at the White House later this year, a source familiar with the matter said.

Anderson posted an image on her Instagram story Saturday evening of the pair holding hands, showing off their new wedding bands, writing, “Forever yours” and “Forever mine.”

Friends of Trump Jr. told CNN they have never seen the groom so happy.

Technically, Trump Jr. and Anderson were already married; a marriage certificate filed in Palm Beach County, Florida, shows they legally tied the knot Thursday. That’s not uncommon for couples who opt for international destination weddings.

For Trump Jr., it was a short engagement that followed a considerably longer one. After quietly splitting with Kimberly Guilfoyle, his fiancee of roughly four years, after the 2024 election, he was spotted around Palm Beach, and then at Mar-a-Lago, hand-in-hand with Anderson.

Their hard launch came at the president’s inauguration, Anderson by Trump Jr.’s side in the Capitol, dancing with him at the inaugural balls, eating McDonald’s aboard the family plane in a designer dress with a matching Dior handbag. The public courtship spurred some backbiting that played out through anonymous sources on the front pages of tabloids.

After a year together, including an appearance on a presidential trip to Scotland, Trump Jr. proposed — the move revealed by the president to a White House holiday party crowd.

“This has really been the most unforgettable weekend of my life, and I get to marry the love of my life, and I feel just, like, the luckiest girl in the world,” Anderson said in impromptu remarks in the Cross Hall at the White House.

This weekend, Trump Jr. and Anderson officially celebrated tying the knot on a small island in the Bahamas. The president said Friday he will not attend.

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

The wedding was kept small by design, according to two people familiar with the plans, with family and the couple’s closest friends making up the fewer-than-50-person guest list.

Extra security precautions were put in place after the wedding’s location was leaked earlier this week, sources familiar with the matter told CNN. The couple had already been concerned about security ahead of the event.

The groom’s siblings Eric Trump and Ivanka Trump were expected to attend with their spouses, as will Trump Jr.’s five children: Kai, Donald III, Tristan, Spencer and Chloe, ranging from 11 to 19 years old.

Trump Jr., 48, has been married before, to Vanessa Trump, who announced this week that she is battling breast cancer. Trump Jr. and Vanessa Trump remained close after their divorce, celebrating daughter Kai ahead of her senior prom, at a 19th birthday party, and at her graduation in recent days.

Anderson, 39, has styled herself as an influencer on social media, posting links to her designer wardrobe selections and favorite products — from bikini bottoms to bucket hats to LED masks — alongside tongue-in-cheek captions to photos reflecting a glamorous lifestyle.

Among her Instagram musings: “Now I have to know the make and model of the planes I get on?!! I barely know what kind of cars there are!” and “[talking to my married friend] so he’s just like, always there? in your house? and you don’t get sick of him?”

“Palm Beach season is our Winter Olympics,” she wrote alongside an image with her fiancé in black tie.

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

“Love Trumps All,” said the custom iced cookies.

Meanwhile in Athens, Guilfoyle, now U.S. ambassador to Greece, remains close to the Trump family. Despite years engaged and multiple ultimatums, a wedding never materialized, and privately, she was devastated, according to one source familiar with the matter. She hit the town Friday evening, arriving at the EuroLeague Final Four basketball tournament in Athens in a minidress and stilettos, all smiles.

“I’m happy for Don,” she recently told The New York Times in an interview. “I wish him, of course, all the best.”

By Kristen Holmes, Betsy Klein, CNN