This screen image made from Michaele Salahi's Facebook page shows, from left, Tareq Salahi, Vice-President Joe Biden and Michaele Salahi, at the White House state dinner in Washington on Tuesday. (Associated Press)

A couple of would-be reality TV stars crashed a state dinner Tuesday evening at the White House, rubbing shoulders with Vice-President Joe Biden and CBS news anchor Katie Couric.

Tareq and Michaele Salahi not only gatecrashed the party being thrown to honour Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, they also wrote and posted photos of the event online.

White House organizers were red-faced after learning the couple attended the party without being on the guest list.

Secret Service agency spokesman Ed Donovan said there will be an investigation of security procedures, but that the Salahis passed through normal security screening for weapons along with 300 other guests.

He stressed that President Barack Obama and his wife were not in danger.

The Salahis, said to be part of the Virginia horse-country set, are under consideration for the Bravo reality TV show Real Housewives of D.C.

They posted photos on a Facebook page showing themselves with Biden and Couric. There are also shots of them with White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel, Washington Mayor Adrian Fenty and unidentified marines in uniform.

Donovan would not comment on whether charges would be pressed or whether the couple had been contacted as part of the Secret Service investigation.

With files from The Associated Press