Update: The photos have been released of Jenna’s special day and it looks incredible.

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Jenna Bush, 26, married her boyfriend of nearly four years, former White House aid and MBA graduate student Henry Hager, 30, on Saturday. The event was held at Bush’s ranch in Crawford, Texas, and was attended by around 200 guests. Jenna certainly could have chosen to have an elegant affair at the White House, but that’s not her style and she didn’t want to draw too much attention to herself.

There was a very good editorial by Diane Roberts on NPR today about how Jenna missed a chance at a wedding that would have been as close to a royal occasion as is possible in America. Roberts cited some Presidents’ daughters who chose to have White House weddings that were attended by the press and followed closely by millions of Americans. If Jenna would have had that type of wedding it might have provided her lame duck President father a brief blip in his terrible ratings, but it also would have made her a target.

As it is, we only have one old pre-released photo of Henry and Jenna and the details about their wedding. They chose to go the Beyoncé and Jay-Z route and haven’t even released a wedding portrait yet. (Update: Here’s a link to the photos of Jenna’s wedding)

Here are some details from People and an NPR story.

• A rehearsal dinner was hosted by Hager’s parents for around 100 people in Salado, Texas on Friday, and all the wedding guests were invited.

• The wedding and reception were outdoors.

• Jenna wore “an embroidered organza Oscar de la Renta gown” that’s described as simple and elegant. She did not wear a veil.

• Her twin sister Barbara was the maid of honor and wore a de la Renta dress that was cut low in the back and was “moonstone blue shimmer with a silver sash.”

• There were 14 other attendants in her “house” party, which sounds less formal than a standard wedding party.

• The men wore suits, not tuxes, with Henry in a dark blue suit and powder blue tie. His brother was his best man.

• He had 14 ushers in his party also. They are said to have walked the women to their seats but not to have been involved in the ceremony.

• The bride and groom stood at a special beige limestone cross made for them of the same stone used on the ranch home on the estate.

• The wedding was officiated by Rev. Kirbyjon Caldwell of Windsor Village United Methodist Church in Houston.

• Wedding singer Tyrone Smith or “Super T” and his 10-piece band provided the music for the reception. He is described by People as “a favorite at Southern frat parties.”

• The first dance was “Lovin’ in My Baby’s Eyes” by Taj Mahal, and the father-daughter dance was “You Are So Beautiful.”

• Jenna and Henry are thought to be honeymooning in Europe. They will live in a two bedroom, two bath house on Baltimore’s south side. Jenna will return to her job teaching at a public school in Washington, DC and Henry has a position with energy company Constellation Energy. He will graduate with his MBA from the University of Virginia next month.

[Many bulleted details nearly word for word from NPR report.]

Other weddings of sitting presidents’ daughters
NPR reminds us that the most extravagant White House wedding in recent history was President Nixon’s daughter Tricia’s live wedding broadcast from the Rose Garden. Tricia Nixon married liberal Harvard law student Edward Finch Cox on June 12, 1971, when the Vietnam War was still in full force. Cox was featured on the cover of Life Magazine twice after her wedding, which Life called “akin to American royalty.”

In contrast, Dorothy Bush, Jenna’s aunt, got married in a super secret ceremony in 1992 at Camp David when Jenna’s grandfather was President.

An aid to President HW Bush explains in part why Jenna chose a more low-key event: “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. They’re preparing the transition to private life and they’re not particularly interested in seeing Jenna Bush become a huge celebrity.”

You understand why they didn’t have a wedding at the White House and it seems like a wise decision for them. The whole world would have made fun of Jenna instead of her dad for once.

Best wishes to Jenna and Henry for a normal family life. They’re a very cute couple and they seem to be off to a good start, all things considered.

Here’s Tricia Nixon and President Nixon at her 1971 wedding in the Rose Garden, the only wedding held there in history.