Jenna Bush Hager, the vivacious co-host of TODAY With Jenna & Sheinelle, recently shared a heartwarming and slightly chaotic anecdote from the eve of her wedding to Henry Hager. Speaking on the show, the 44-year-old revealed a rather unconventional way she spent her final hours as a single woman, a story that involves her twin sister, Barbara, a bit of a weather scare, and a mother’s practical concerns.
The wedding festivities were set to take place at her parents’ sprawling ranch in Texas, a location steeped in family history. However, the night before the big day, nature decided to throw a spanner in the works. “There was really bad weather the night before,” Jenna recounted on the June 1st episode of TODAY With Jenna & Sheinelle. “And my mom woke Barbara and I up — we slept together because we’re twins.”
Co-host Sheinelle Jones, visibly touched by the sentiment, exclaimed, “Wait, the night before your wedding you slept with your sister? Awww, that is the sweetest thing!” It’s a poignant image – twin sisters, sharing a bed on the eve of one of their most significant life events, a testament to their unbreakable bond.
However, as Jenna elaborated, their mother, former First Lady Laura Bush, 79, had a more pragmatic, albeit slightly less sentimental, reaction. “She was like, ‘We need to change the sheets!'” Jenna recalled, much to the amusement of her co-host. Barbara’s witty retort, “Gross, Mom! This isn’t The Other Boleyn Girl!” playfully referenced the historical drama where sisters were often entangled in romantic liaisons, highlighting the humorous absurdity of their mother’s immediate concern.
The weather drama wasn’t just a minor inconvenience; it was significant enough to cause a stir. “My mom was like, ‘Girls, get out of bed! A tornado came and hit the tent, but everything’s fine!'” Jenna continued, painting a picture of a mother trying to remain calm amidst potential disaster. The sisters, understandably, had a moment of bewildered reaction to the news. “And we were like… she’s a very calm lady, but we were like, ‘Huh?'”
Jenna and Henry Hager exchanged vows in 2008 at her parents’ Prairie Chapel Ranch in Crawford, Texas. The couple has since built a beautiful family and are now proud parents to three children: Mila, 13, Poppy, 10, and Hal, 6.
The Journey to the Altar: A Father’s Insight
The story of Jenna and Henry’s union is also one that her father, former President George W. Bush, had a keen premonition about. On a previous episode of TODAY With Jenna & Sheinelle, on May 22nd, Jenna shared how her father knew she and Henry were destined for marriage. Their relationship’s crucial turning point, which President Bush affectionately dubbed a “make-or-break tour,” began with a trip to her grandmother Jenna’s home in West Texas.
“She packed us up a little cooler with some snacks from Southwest Airlines, some peanuts and such,” Jenna recalled, describing the simple yet thoughtful provisions for their journey. From there, their adventure took them to Portland, Oregon, involved hiking the Grand Canyon, and camping in West Texas. It was during this period of shared experiences and challenges that George W. Bush made his prediction.
“And my dad was like, ‘If y’all get home and still like each other, I bet you’ll get married.’ And we did,” Jenna revealed, underscoring the faith her father had in their connection.
A Father’s Pride and Joy
Following the 2008 nuptials, George W. Bush spoke with immense pride and affection about his daughter’s marriage. In a radio broadcast shortly after the wedding, he expressed his happiness, stating, “This is a joyous occasion for our family as we celebrate the happy life ahead of [Jenna] and her husband, Henry.”
He fondly referred to Henry as a “really good guy,” a testament to the man his daughter had chosen. The former president described the wedding as “spectacular,” exceeding all their hopes and marking it as “just a special day and a wonderful day, and we’re mighty blessed.” The sentiment from both Jenna’s shared memories and her father’s public sentiments paints a picture of a deeply loved daughter embarking on a cherished marriage, even if it involved a pre-wedding sleepover and a mother’s concern for clean linens amidst a potential tornado.
