CRAWFORD, Texas — Jenna Bush couldn’t see herself getting married at the White House surrounded by antique furniture and oil portraits of presidents. She and Henry Hager said “I do” Saturday at President Bush’s ranch in Crawford, where the corn is thigh-high, roads are named Cattle Drive and the Texas flag is painted on the rooftops of barns.
Away from the glare of television cameras that have beamed other first family weddings into American living rooms, Jenna’s outdoor wedding at the ranch reflected her family’s penchant for privacy and her preference for the casual over grandiose.
Even without the prying eyes of strangers, Jenna’s marriage to her longtime boyfriend, Henry Hager, made presidential history. It will be remembered as an upbeat moment of Bush’s two-term presidency beset by terrorism, war and the nation’s current limp economy.
“This is a joyous occasion for our family, as we celebrate the happy life ahead of her and her husband, Henry,” Bush said in his Saturday radio address. “It’s also a special time for Laura, who this Mother’s Day weekend will watch a young woman we raised together walk down the aisle.”
Jenna, 26, is the 22nd child of a president to get married while their father was in the Oval Office. Their ceremonies have ranged from Tricia Nixon’s extravagant wedding broadcast live from the Rose Garden in 1971 to the 1992 Camp David wedding of Jenna’s aunt, Dorothy Koch. That one was kept so secret that the press didn’t find out about it until it was over.
“All of them are different. This one really reflects the personality of both Jenna and the George W. Bush family,” said Doug Wead, a former aide to President George H.W. Bush and author of a book on presidents’ kin.
“If they’d have gone on TV, the wedding would have been shown all over the world and Jenna Bush would have been an international celebrity — and she would have been a target,” Wead said. “They’re preparing the transition to private life, and they’re not particularly interested in seeing Jenna Bush become a huge celebrity.”
The media was not invited, but Jenna’s wedding will be closely scrutinized — down to the matte beading and embroidery on her white Oscar de la Renta gown.
“The wedding details will be reported on for generations, influencing both present-day and future brides-to-be,” said Millie Martin Bratten, editor in chief of Brides magazine and student of first family weddings.
Jenna’s twin sister, Barbara, was maid of honor, and 14 other women were in her “house party.” Barbara Bush wore a long, moonstone blue dress with a low-cut back. The women in the “house party” were clad in seven styles of knee-length dresses in seven colors that match the palette of Texas wildflowers — blues, greens, lavenders and pinky reds.
The best man was the groom’s brother, John “Jack” Hager. Also part of the “house party” were 14 ushers, who walked with the 14 women down the aisle to their seats but did not participate in the ceremony.
More than 200 family and friends converged on the 1,600-acre ranch, where a tent was erected for the post-ceremony dinner and dancing. The ceremony began about a half hour before sunset. The couple stood at a cross made of beige-colored Texas limestone, erected near the ranch’s man-made lake. Made of the same stone used to construct the Bushes’ ranch house, the cross and altar will be a landmark at the ranch for years to come. The Rev. Kirbyjon Caldwell of Windsor Village United Methodist Church in Houston officiated.
After the wedding, the couple is rumored to be honeymooning in Europe. They plan to live in a two-bedroom, two-bath townhouse on the south side of Baltimore. She plans to return to teaching, and he will work for Constellation Energy, a power supplier based in Maryland.
Details of the nuptials
Bride: Jenna Welch Bush
Groom: Henry Chase Hager
Place: President Bush’s Prairie Chapel Ranch, Crawford, Texas
Guests: More than 200 friends, relatives
Maid of honor and attendants: Jenna’s twin sister, Barbara, and 14 women known as members of the “house party,” not bridesmaids
Best man and ushers: The groom’s brother, John “Jack” Hager, and 14 men also in the “house party”
Bride’s gown: By Oscar de la Renta
Ring: Platinum ring with round diamond flanked by sapphires, from groom’s maternal great-grandmother
Entertainment at reception: The Tyrone Smith Revue of Nashville, Tenn., also called Super T band. The father-daughter dance was to be to “You Are So Beautiful” by Joe Cocker.
The newlyweds’ first dance: “Lovin’ in My Baby’s Eyes” by Taj Mahal.
The Associated Press
