It was high society inside and high security outside as Chelsea Clinton wed her longtime boyfriend at an elegant estate in a Hudson River village where several prominent guests were spotted beforehand, but the husband and wife-to-be stayed out of sight.
Former US president Bill Clinton and US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton announced in a statement late on Saturday evening that their daughter had wed investment banker Marc Mezvinsky after weeks of secrecy and buildup that had celebrity watchers flocking to the small village of Rhinebeck for the evening nuptials. The site of the wedding, a Beaux Arts riverside estate called Astor Courts, was sealed off from the general public.
“Today, we watched with great pride and overwhelming emotion as Chelsea and Marc wed in a beautiful ceremony at Astor Courts, surrounded by family and their close friends,” the Clintons said. “We could not have asked for a more perfect day to celebrate the beginning of their life together and we are so happy to welcome Marc into our family. On behalf of the newlyweds, we want to give special thanks to the people of Rhinebeck for welcoming us and to everyone for their well-wishes on this special day.”
PHOTO: REUTERS
Chelsea Clinton, wearing a strapless white gown with a full skirt and silver beading around the waist, while carrying a bouquet of white flowers, was escorted down the aisle by her father. The former president and the groom wore dark suits, while the mother of the bride wore a fuchsia dress.
It is estimated that hundreds of guests gathered at the estate near the end of a near-perfect summer day of warm temperatures, blue skies and cottony clouds. The ceremony was conducted by a rabbi and a reverend — as Chelsea Clinton is Methodist and Mezvinsky is Jewish — and included a poem by Leo Marks titled, The Life That I Have, according to the family.
The road to Astor Courts was blocked off — neighbors received bottles of wine for their troubles — and the sky above was declared a no-fly zone by federal aviation officials. Police and security guards fanned out around the usually sleepy town.
Consistent with Chelsea Clinton’s desire for privacy, the family had released no details of the wedding beyond the date, but the scope of the event became apparent when more than a half-dozen buses full of wedding guests — men in black tie, women in dresses — were transported from a hotel in the village to the riverside ceremony as gawkers looked on.
Celebrities spotted in Rhinebeck for the event included actors Ted Danson and Mary Steenburgen, fashion designer Vera Wang, Madeleine Albright, who was secretary of state during Bill Clinton’s second term as president, and Terry McAuliffe, former Democratic National Committee chairman. The former president’s half brother, Roger Clinton, was spotted early on Saturday afternoon with his son Tyler, picking up food at a restaurant.
Danson and Steenburgen said they were excited about the upcoming ceremony as they strolled through Rhinebeck toward one of the hotels being used for the wedding.
“I knew her since she was a baby, so this is a big moment,” said Steenburgen, who wed Danson in 1995. “She’s a lovely, lovely girl.”
Reporters, who had been searching for celebrities in vain for most of the day, quickly zeroed in on the couple, prompting Danson to ask: “Are we the only celebrities in town?”
Celebrity seekers jockeyed with reporters for sidewalk space over most of the day too.
Donna Vena drove 80km to Rhinebeck from her home of Mount Kisco, New York, in the hope of spotting a celebrity.
“Why not?” she asked on Saturday morning, a camera slung over her shoulder. “Big story. Maybe see Oprah.”
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