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Bush Wedding Themes: White or Redneck?

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GETTIN' HITCHED Hager, Bush (Photo: Getty Images)
More bad news for our unpopular president: D.C.'s dream of a White House wedding may be sabotaged by the geographical schizophrenia of the Bush clan.

When it comes to the location of Jenna's wedding to former Karl Rove aide Henry Hager, the Bushies appear to be in three separate factions. In the first camp is First Lady Laura Bush, whose office made the engagement announcement and would oversee the planning of any White House wedding. A Rose Garden ceremony would be a coup for a First Lady whose relationship with the East Wing staff has been strained. (She fired the popular White House chef and social secretary before her husband's second term.) The New York Times recently put the choice in political terms, theorizing that the president could see a bump in the polls after a White House ceremony. Think flawless white dresses, flowers, lots of lace, etc.

In the second camp are the bride's grandparents, George Bush the elder and Barbara Bush, who may be inclined to try and steer the wedding toward the family compound in Kennebunkport, Maine. The former president has long enjoyed the sleepy Maine beach town and it's been the location of many a Bush family wedding. The groom may agree: Hager chose the Kennebunkport mansion as his spot to pop the question to First Daughter Jenna. Think tons of madras, bowties, Tucker Carlson.

But the ultimate decision may rest with Jenna and her father, both of whom would seem to be more partial to a Texas ceremony. Jenna, a UT alum, and her father, a transplanted prep-school cowboy, make no bones about their love of the Lone Star state. Both Jenna and her father have been known to flash the uber-annoying "Hook 'em Horns" hand signal to the press. Think massive kegs, hounds, a Hummer SUV limo.

By Ray Gustini   08/21/07 3:34 PM
Related: Jenna Bush
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