President Bush spent months joking about being a father of the bride, but yesterday he was downright wistful about giving his daughter Jenna away to her longtime beau.
“Our little girl, Jenna, married a really good guy, Henry Hager,” Bush said, standing next to Laura Bush at an airport in Waco, Texas, where he boarded Air Force One for his flight back to Washington. “The wedding was spectacular. It's just – it's all we could have hoped for.”
Unlike other first family weddings that have been broadcast live, the Bushes didn't share their daughter's nuptials with the nation. But yesterday the White House released 11 photos of the affair at Bush's Prairie Chapel Ranch.
A White House official confirmed by e-mail at 9:28 p.m. Saturday that Jenna and Henry, the son of the chairman of the Republican Party in Virginia, had been officially hitched.
The post-wedding party ensued. The more than 200 family and friends were entertained by the Tyrone Smith Revue, a 10-piece party band from Nashville, Tenn. The musicians gave the newlyweds what Smith described as a “get down” party.
Bush and Jenna glided across the dance floor to “You Are So Beautiful” – a ballad made famous by Joe Cocker. The newlyweds danced to “Lovin' in My Baby's Eyes” by Taj Mahal.
Officiating was the Rev. Kirbyjon Caldwell, an influential minister from Houston and longtime spiritual adviser to the president.
FARINA ARRESTED AT LAX
Dennis Farina, a former policeman who has built a Hollywood career playing detectives, was arrested yesterday at Los Angeles International Airport for carrying a gun on his way to board a plane, police said.
Farina, 64, told police he brought the .22-caliber, semiautomatic pistol with him on a drive from Arizona to Los Angeles and forgot it was in his briefcase when he tried to pass through airport security, police said in a statement.
He was scheduled to take a United Airlines flight to his home in Chicago.
The actor was booked on one misdemeanor count of carrying a loaded firearm, and his bail was set at $25,000.
Farina was a Chicago police officer for nearly 20 years before taking up acting in the 1980s. He has starred in movies such as “Get Shorty” and “Sidewalks of New York” and is perhaps best known in the role of New York Detective Joe Fontana on the popular television crime series “Law & Order.”
UNDERWOOD JOINS OPRY
Carrie Underwood is the newest member of the Grand Ole Opry.
The singer joined the cast of the long-running country music show Saturday. Garth Brooks handled her formal induction and Vince Gill sang a duet with her.
“This really seems like a great family to be part of,” Underwood said, as she fought back tears. “I promise I'll do everything I possibly can to not make you regret it.”
The “American Idol” winner sold 7 million copies of her debut album “Some Hearts” and shot to superstardom almost overnight with hits including “Before He Cheats” and “Jesus, Take the Wheel.”
– COMPILED FROM NEWS SERVICE REPORTS
