America revels in its own 'Royal wedding'

Published on Saturday 31 July 2010 15:00

THE cheering crowds had gathered and the media was in mass attendance as only it can be in America. But the well-wishers and star spotters - buoyed by earlier appearances from Bill and Hillary Clinton – were left waiting for the guests of honour themselves.

Yesterday, as the wedding of Chelsea Clinton to her long-time boyfriend Marc Mezvinsky was due to be under way – those who had gathered on the streets of the usually quiet little town of Rhinebeck went without a glimpse of the star attractions.

The marriage of Chelsea, only child of former president Bill Clinton and US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, had been billed as the closest Americans will get to having a Royal wedding of their own.

But the wedding, reputedly costing millions of pounds, was cloaked in secrecy, only adding to the speculation about everything from the guest list to the toilets the A-listers would be using during the luxury reception.

Fans yesterday gathering before the wedding was due to start had to content themselves with glimpses of notables such as Ted Danson and his wife Mary Steenburgen, designer Vera Wang and Madeleine Albright, the former Secretary of State.

The father of the bride helped kick off the frenzy on Friday with a short walk around town, meeting locals much inconvenienced by the arrival of the wedding entourage – not that they seemed to care, given the high esteem in which the Clinton clan, and Chelsea in particular, are held in the US.

Looking laid-back in blue jeans and a black knit shirt, Clinton (and his security men) wandered down the main street to the Gigi Trattoria, amid a shower of questions and greetings from the crowds. Asked how the family was doing, he replied: "We're all fine. We love it here. Chelsea loves the area as well."

Later, onlookers were treated to a wave from Hillary, resplendent in a long green, flowing dress, as the couple left their hotel.

Rumours had abounded that the plan to marry in Rhinebeck was an elaborate decoy arranged by the media-shy Chelsea, 30, to throw the press pack off her scent.

But in the hours leading up to the nuptials yesterday, the conspiracy theories subsided as speculation turned to what the secretive celebrations would involve for the 400-plus guests.

They were rumoured to include director Steven Spielberg, and some of the Clintons' powerful political allies.

The cost of the wedding has been the subject of much debate. While one family friend insisted the bill would be no more than $1 million (638,000) others have suggested the cost could be between $2m (1.28m) and $3m (1.9m). Some have even suggested an eye-watering price-tag of $5m (3.2m) – compared with the $24,000 (15,000) cost of the average American wedding.

For this kind of money, you would expect the facilities to be top-notch and the family appeared to have left nothing to chance as the reception kicked off yesterday evening.

The wedding took place at Astor Courts, the 50-acre former estate of the millionaire John Jacob Astor IV on the banks of the Hudson river. The 13,000ft pavilion was built between 1902 and 1904 and designed to resemble the Grand Trianon at Versailles.

Around $630,000 (400,000) was spent on erecting the marquees, while a further $120,000 (75,000) went on the tables and crockery. The bride also ordered a $11,000 (7,000), five-tier, gluten-free wedding cake.

All the local businesses lucky enough to be involved, such as caterers, florists and clothing designers, were made to sign confidentiality agreements four months ahead of the big day. And despite the fevered efforts of the media, none seemed to break the code of silence.

The secrecy – no doubt fuelled by the fear of losing such lucrative deals – meant that even as the wedding began, many of the key details, such as who made the dress and what was on the menu – remained unknown.

But one vital piece of information did make its way into the public domain – details of the portable toilets to be used by the guests.

Classy porcelain loos were rented at a cost of $15,000 (9,500).

Another key part of the preparations involved the former president's waistline – he was told to lose 15lb ahead of walking Chelsea down the aisle.

Yesterday, state troopers directed the growing number of cars driving through the village and security guards were posted at key locations. Limousines with blacked out windows ferried guests around the winding rural roads, adding further to the mystery.

The Federal Aviation Administration also restricted airspace over the wedding site between 3pm yesterday and 3.30am today.

Andrea Alvin, who lives on the same road as Astor Courts, said state police told her last week that the road would be closed from 4pm to 8pm yesterday and gave her a sticker so she could get in and out.

She came home on Thursday to find a bottle of wine from the nearby Clinton Vineyards, courtesy of the wedding planner, with a note apologising for any inconvenience. "I think it's great. It's a happy occasion," she said. "It's good publicity for the town. What's losing a weekend in the summer?"