Amid a painful year for the Bush family, this weekend was pure joy. Five months after the death of her namesake, George W. Bush's daughter, Barbara Bush, wed beau Craig Coyne in a gorgeous outdoor Maine ceremony. "Happy tears, heart exploding as I watched this beautiful girl get married in the place that means love and family," wrote Jenna Bush Hager of seeing her twin walk down the aisle. Mom Laura Bush shared a family photo with her husband, children and grandchildren, writing, "It was a wonderful day in Maine when Barbara married her love and Craig joined our family." But it's an image of George H.W. Bush, draped in a navy blanket as he watches his granddaughter exchange vows, that's perhaps the most striking photo captured by photographer Paul Morse, who also shared moments from the nuptials. Just 20 people, all family members, were invited to enjoy the ceremony, according to People. The intimate affair took place on a private compound owned by the family, where Craig proposed just five weeks ago. He did so in the same spot where Barbara's grandparents got engaged in August 1943. “The ‘something borrowed’ that I’m wearing is this bracelet that my grandfather gave to my grandmother on their 70th anniversary,” Barbara told the outlet. Barbara, formerly a First Daughter of the United States, is the co-founder and president of public health-focused nonprofit Global Health Corps. Craig is a screenwriter who has also appeared in films. The two met through a blind date in November 2017.<doc-sep>Former President George Bush took on another important role this weekend, walking his daughter down the aisle at her wedding. Barbara Bush, the former first daughter, married her fiance, Craig Coyne, in Kennebunkport, Maine, on Sunday. Her proud parents shared photos of the big day on Instagram Monday morning. In one photo, George Bush can be seen walking Barbara, 36, down the aisle at the outdoor ceremony at the Bush family's compound. George Bush paid tribute to his late mother, Barbara Bush, in the post, writing that his daughter and mother share similar traits. "Barbara is named for a unique and strong woman — and rightly so, because she is unique and strong. @laurawbush and I are so proud of our compassionate, daring, fierce, kind, intelligent, loving daughter. And we’re thrilled to welcome Craig Coyne to our family," he wrote in his Instagram caption. Former first lady Laura Bush shared a family portrait, which included Barbara's twin sister Jenna Bush Hager, her husband and daughters. Laura Bush called it "a wonderful day." Barbara Bush told People magazine that only 20 family members were present for the "very short, sweet ceremony." Her twin sister Jenna Bush Hager also shared photos from the memorable day, noting how her elder daughter Poppy did double-duty as both a flower girl and the ring bearer. Hager told her fellow Today Show cohosts that it was a "very secret wedding a little bit like my elusive sister" and that it was "just family in a place that means family love." She also said that part of the reason why the couple chose to get married on the Bush compound in Maine was so that their grandfather, former President George H.W. Bush, could attend. Hager gave a speech during the reception, singing her sister's praises. "I just told her and everybody how much she means to me but I ended with a letter that my grandfather wrote to my grandmother because I searched all the romantics and Shakespeare just wasn't doing it," Hager said in a phone interview on Today. The photographer, Paul Morse, posted three photos from the ceremony, one showing how the couple was showered with white flower petals as they walked down the aisle after the ceremony. The wedding ceremony was a true family affair, with the bride's aunt Dorothy Bush Koch officiating. Barbara Bush wore a custom ivory silk Vera Wang gown. She told People that she kept with tradition by wearing a bracelet that her grandfather gave her grandmother Barbara, who died in April, as her "something borrowed" and a pair of earrings from her sister Jenna as her "something blue." The groom is a screenwriter and the married couple will live in New York City, as does her sister Jenna and her family. "We’ve been excited to do such a small wedding with just our family," Barbara Bush told People.<doc-sep>
Former first daughter Barbara Bush married screenwriter Craig Coyne Sunday at her family's Walker Point compound in Kennebunkport, Maine. A family statement noted that Bush, who wore a custom Vera Wang gown, was escorted down the aisle by a pair of former presidents: grandfather George H.W. Bush (No. 41) and father George W. Bush (No. 43). Her aunt, Dorthy Bush Koch, served as officiant. According to the statement, the wedding was a "private family ceremony." A statement from Vera Wang described Bush's dress as a light ivory silk crepe gown with spaghetti strap detail and a cowl draped neckline. Her shoulders were covered by a floor-length cape made of Italian tulle and accented with a matching tulle veil. On Monday, former first lady Laura Bush shared a photo of the newlyweds surrounded by the rest of the Bush family. (Coyne can be seen to the right of his new wife.) "Barbara is named for a unique and strong woman — and rightly so, because she is unique and strong," Bush 43 captioned an Instagram photo posted Monday. "@laurawbush and I are so proud of our compassionate, daring, fierce, kind, intelligent, loving daughter. And we’re thrilled to welcome Craig Coyne to our family." Her twin sister, "Today" correspondent Jenna Bush Hager, revealed Monday that Bush's "something borrowed" was a bracelet given by her grandfather to her late grandmother and namesake, former first lady Barbara Bush, on the couple's 70th wedding anniversary. (She died in April at age 92.) "I’m crying 24 hours later," Jenna said when she called in Monday to share the details with her NBC colleagues. "There were so many happy tears." Bush Hager echoed the "happy tears" theme in her own Instagrampost Monday, sharing a photo of the sisters overlooking the ocean. "Happy tears, heart exploding as I watched this beautiful girl get married in the place that means love and family." The bride, 36, is a Yale graduate who co-founded the public health nonprofit Global Health Corps. She and Coyne, 37, will reside in New York. Contributing: Associated Press