Sen. Cory Booker Marries Alexis Lewis After a Whirlwind, Coast-to-Coast Romance

“Hearts full and so grateful,” Booker wrote, capturing the emotion of a love story that has unfolded quickly but deeply.

The couple’s legal ceremony took place quietly on November 24 inside a Newark courthouse, where Judge Julien Xavier Neals presided over the vows. Days later, they gathered again this time beneath the glow of an interfaith ceremony in Washington, D.C., surrounded only by family. Booker, who is Christian, and Lewis, who is Jewish, blended traditions beautifully. Their ceremony was co-officiated by two of Booker’s longtime spiritual mentors: Reverend Dr. David Jefferson Sr. of Newark’s Metropolitan Baptist Church and Rabbi Matthew Gewirtz of Temple B’nai Jeshurun in Short Hills.

Booker and Lewis currently live in Newark, a city deeply woven into Booker’s story he served as mayor from 2006 to 2013 and often speaks about the city with familial affection. Both he and Lewis were born in Washington, D.C., but their upbringings diverged; Booker grew up in Harrington Park, just outside Newark, while Lewis built her academic and professional path through NYU, Cornell, and later Los Angeles, where she worked for former mayor Eric Garcetti before joining Brasa Capital Management as director of investments.

Their love story began in May 2024 thanks to a mutual friend “with an uncanny knack for matchmaking,” as Booker’s spokesperson, Maya Krishna-Rogers, described. After a marathon five-hour first date in Washington, their second date became the stuff of romantic montages: tapas at Newark’s Mompou, a Broadway night watching Suffs in New York City, and a long, reflective walk back in Newark where Booker shared the landmarks that shaped his life. Their first kiss fittingly cinematic happened outside the Cathedral Basilica of the Sacred Heart.

Booker proposed three months later on a Kauai beach, moments after local musicians serenaded the couple with Mariah Carey’s “Dream lover.” Booker captured the moment online:

At the Newark ceremony, the couple’s parents served as witnesses. After exchanging vows, everyone celebrated with Italian pastries from Calandra’s Bakery and a vegan chocolate chip cookie dough cake complete with cannoli icing from Papa Ganache in Matawan.
Their D.C. reception followed days later, where family gathered under a huppah as a pastor and rabbi blessed the union. Even the wedding cake was layered with personality: the bride, the groom’s mother, and the bride’s mother each chose a flavor almond-raspberry, chocolate ganache, and funfetti creating a dessert as blended and joyful as the celebration itself.
The couple kept their wedding under wraps until Sunday, when the news first surfaced publicly.