Town elbows its way into Chelsea's wedding

Bill and Hillary Clinton have tried to shield their daughter, Chelsea, from the gaze of the public for most of her life. But on her wedding day last Saturday, even as the Clintons sought to shroud the event in secrecy, residents and onlookers here decided they were going to celebrate along with them, invited or not.

So despite confidentiality agreements, anonymous hotel reservations and a no-fly zone established over the area, this moneyed and normally subdued town turned into a Chelsea theme park, with shop windows filled with tributes to her, including one with a live model in a wedding dress having her makeup done.

A baseball team sent its mascot, dressed up as a raccoon, parading through town with a sign asking Ms. Clinton to marry him. Teenage boys chased after former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, seeking autographs.

Young women passed out slices of pizza with "I do" written in pepperoni. Caravans of guests sped by reporters who waited forlornly in a pen on the road leading to the wedding site, while, just beyond, a dozen brown milk cows chewed on dinner.

At 7:23 p.m. came an announcement from the family via e-mail: Ms. Clinton was now married to Marc Mezvinsky. "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." The former president and Mrs. Clinton, the secretary of state, also thanked Rhinebeck for its welcome and good wishes.

Ms. Clinton, 30, wore a strapless gown, beaded at the waist and designed by Vera Wang (who caused a commotion of her own when she showed up in town on Saturday).

The mother of the bride wore a plum-coloured gown by Oscar de la Renta. The interfaith ceremony was conducted by Rabbi James Ponet and the Rev. William Shillady. Ms. Clinton is Methodist, and . Mezvinsky is Jewish. It included elements from both traditions: friends and family reading the Seven Blessings, which are typically recited at traditional Jewish weddings following the vows and exchange of rings.

A friend of the couple read the poem "The Life That I Have" by Leo Marks. Many of the guests were friends of the bride and groom from college and work; they both attended Stanford University, and Ms. Clinton recently received her master's degree from Columbia University's Joseph L. Mailman School of Public Health.

Family flew in, too. The president's half-brother, Roger Clinton, was spotted in town in a T-shirt and track pants hours before the wedding. Marie Clinton Bruno, a cousin of the president's, reminisced about a 10-year-old Chelsea appearing as a bridesmaid at her own wedding, which was held at the Governor's Mansion in Little Rock, Ark., in 1990. That day, Chelsea wore a pale pink dress with ruffles on the shoulders and tended to the artificial flowers in the bride's bouquet.

"She was just a wonderful bridesmaid," Ms. Bruno said. "She's just as wonderful today as she was back then." As she strolled through Rhinebeck, Ms. Bruno spoke approvingly of the location: "It reminds me of the Ozarks in Arkansas, except more chic."

President Clinton appeared to have followed his daughter's instructions and lost quite a bit of weight for the ceremony. She had ordered him to lose 15 pounds, but people close to him said he had actually lost more than 20.

While the media and local residents have been buzzing for months about celebrities who were expected here - including Oprah Winfrey, Barbra Streisand, Steven Spielberg and John Major, the former British prime minister - none of those particular bold-faced names were invited. Still, there was star power: One of the most prominent guests was Vernon Jordan, a longtime confidant of Mr. Clinton's and a family friend.

But he was not generally recognised by the gawkers here as he strode into a cocktail reception on Friday night.

One man in the crowd authoritatively identified him as Hamilton Jordan, who was a top aide to former President Jimmy Carter and who died in 2008.

- New York Times