My husband gets a kick out of the fact that I still refer to our wedding as "my" wedding. I don't do it on purpose. Seriously. It's a subconscious tick of mine that I justify by reminding him that he was never interested in the planning and details anyway. Besides, weddings have forever been the province and dream of the bride. Her dream, her day, has always been my undiplomatic take on it.

So, I felt more than a little hypocritical when I scoffed at the news that Jenna Bush opted to forgo a White House wedding affair for her parent's Crawford, Texas ranch. 'Who let her make THAT decision?', I cattily thought.

Last month I attended the Papal Welcoming Ceremony on the South Lawn. The place just screams "Wedding" or "Wedding Reception", or at least "Wedding Pictures". Yes, there is the White House social secretary to contend with, but I've seen this classy woman with her indispensable pearls and clipboard interviewed on television and frankly, Jenna would be hard pressed to find a more knowledgeable and efficient wedding planner in all of her beloved Lone Star state. Besides, everyone knows that the Bushes are famously down-home people who have, with only a few notable exceptions (Queen Elizabeth, Pope Benedict) adapted White House protocol to suit their Texas-casual style. I'm certain Jenna would have been able to do the same with her wedding day.

And what's with her "I'm not glamorous enough" explanation? The Bush girls have always been infinitely more glamorous (and fun) than the painfully gawky and reclusive Chelsea Clinton.

So it was with my own dashed White House wedding dreams for Jenna that I called my mom to dish and complain about the way-too-private-for-a-first-daughter wedding at the humble (by comparison)Texas ranch.

My mother surprised me with her thoroughly modern response: "Good for her!"

What? I was in shock. This is the same woman who scrimped and saved to take us both on a cruise aboard the QE 2 my senior year.

"Look," she continued, "I think it is very classy of her. The White House is the "people's" house and too many presidents and candidates (I knew she was referring to the Clintons here), act as if it is theirs. This sense of entitlement is plain tacky. She's setting a good example. As for the secrecy, why should they invite the press? The press has never been kind to them."

And with those sage words, my mother changed my mind.

Congratulations to Jenna and Henry on her, I mean, their wedding.