(May 6, 2008)—The fairy-tale wedding of first daughter Jenna Bush and fiancé Henry Hager is expected to translate to real profits for area hotels, motels, restaurants and even taxi companies.
With 200 invited wedding guest in town along with White House staffers, a host of secret service agents and the national media, weekend accommodations are pretty much nonexistent in Waco.
Local taxi companies such as Waco’s Yellow Cab say they are planning nearly to double their usual staffs for what’s expected to be a hopping weekend.
"Well we're ready for it! I am,” said Yellow Cab driver Joe El Reyes.
Steve Smith of the Waco Chamber of Commerce says the Bush wedding tops off an already-busy weekend.
Other scheduled events include a regional softball tournament, NCAA Men's and Women's Tennis Tournaments at Baylor University, an annual high school technology summit, and the Rocking Heart Ranch Gala, which is a fundraiser benefiting the American Heart Association, Smith said.
The wedding will be a private, family affair on the Bush's 1,600-acre ranch near Crawford
There are 14 attendants, and Barbara Bush, Jenna's twin, is the maid of honor.
Jenna's diamond is a Hager family heirloom that was reset in a ring that also features sapphires.
Jenna is the 22nd child of a president to marry while their fathers were in office.