The Story Behind Former First Daughter Barbara Bush’s Vera Wang Wedding Dress
The Story Behind Former First Daughter Barbara Bush’s Vera Wang Wedding Dress
Every aspect of Barbara Bush’s wedding to screenwriter and Jarhead actor Craig Coyne was intentionally personal. The president of Global Health Corps and former first daughter planned her wedding with her sister and mother, and the secret ceremony took place on Sunday at her family’s vacation home in Kennebunkport, Maine. “The dress design process was not long as the wedding plans happened rather quickly,” Vera Wang told Vogue afterwards. The gown, which features spaghetti straps and a cowl neckline, was a custom creation worn with Gianvito Rossi heels and Larkspur & Hawk earrings that were her “something blue,” gifted to her by her twin sister Jenna Bush Hager.
Made with a light silk crepe fabric and cut on the bias, the dress had a body-skimming silhouette without being overly fitted. “The cowl-front neckline also helped to create a seductive ease,” Wang explains. “But it was totally her idea to wear a sheer Italian silk cape that echoed the floor-length veil for a truly diaphanous effect.” Barbara tried on many styles, and ultimately “the one” was an amalgamation of several details from various dresses Wang has designed over the years. “The main thing she definitely wished to achieve was a certain modernity with an ethereal, delicate feel,” Wang adds. “At heart, she is a minimalist.”
This low-key nature is something Barbara is known for, and it was reflected throughout the couple’s courtship and their wedding weekend. The two were initially set up by friends on a blind date back in November, and kept their long-distance romance under wraps until recently. She and Craig chose to marry in Kennebunkport because that’s where her grandfather lives, and it was actually there, when she and Craig were walking on the beach during a family gathering over the summer, that he got down on one knee in the same spot where Barbara’s grandparents got engaged 75 years earlier in August of 1943. Shortly thereafter, Barbara and Craig started planning their nuptials, knowing from the get-go that they would keep the guest list small and the festivities intimate—with just 20 family members in attendance. The importance of family was further reflected with the bride’s choice of jewelry—her “something borrowed” was a bracelet that her grandfather gave her grandmother on their 70th wedding anniversary.
Barbara was escorted down the aisle at the Walker Point compound by her father, former President George W. Bush, while her mother, Laura Bush, in a light blue dress by Oscar de la Renta, her grandfather, former President George H.W. Bush; and his service lab Sully looked on nearby. A seat next to him was vacant in remembrance of her grandmother and namesake, Former First Lady Barbara Bush, who passed away just this April at 92. The bride’s aunt, Dorothy “Doro” Bush Koch, officiated the ceremony, and her sister Jenna served as matron of honor. Hager’s daughters, Margaret and Poppy, ages 3 and 5, served as flower girls alongside Craig’s niece, and Poppy almost stole the show in her secondary role of ring bearer while wearing a white faux fur shrug and angelic flower crown. After vows were exchanged and the couple was pronounced husband and wife, they were showered with rose petals and made their way back down the aisle to Sam Cooke’s “Wonderful World.”
