Before hundreds of guests under clear blue skies, Chelsea Clinton, daughter of former president Bill and Secretary of State Hillary, married investment banker Marc Mezvinsky Saturday evening. The wedding took place at Astor Courts, a stately neo-classical building and estate on the banks of the Hudson River in the village of Rhinebeck, N.Y. While the happy couple were nowhere to be seen around town, that didn't stop masses of media and citizen gawkers from turning out in full force in the town.
The interfaith ceremony
The wedding was a hybrid of Christian and Jewish traditions. Ms. Clinton, 30, is a Methodist and Mr. Mezvinsky, 32, who wore a kippah, a Jew. First, the couple exchanged vows and rings.
Afterwards, friends and family read the Seven Blessings, a series of short incantations blessing God for creating man and asking Him to grant the bride and groom happiness. The ceremony unfolded under a traditional Jewish wedding canopy.
It was presided over by both Reverend William Shillady, a New York City-based minister and Rabbi James Ponet, a lecturer and Jewish chaplain at Yale University.
The worst-kept secret this side of Poughkeepsie
The townsfolk knew it. The media knew it. The couple who donned Bill and Hillary masks and drove around Rhinebeck waving to the crowds clearly knew it.
But the Clintons, in accordance with their daughter's desire for privacy, steadfastly declined for weeks to confirm the details of Chelsea's wedding. Then, at 7:23 p.m. Saturday, Bill and Hillary e-mailed this statement to media:
"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. 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."
The guests
Hordes of celebrity-watchers who descended on the town in hopes of catching a glimpse of the A-list - Oprah Winfrey and Steven Spielberg were rumoured to be coming - had to content themselves with a handful of politicos from Mr. Clinton's days in office and just one Hollywood couple.
Madeleine Albright, secretary of state during Mr. Clinton's second term, was mobbed as she walked down the street. Vernon Jordan, a high-profile lawyer and civil-rights activist who served as an adviser to the former president, was spotted attending a cocktail reception Friday evening. Former Democratic National Committee chairman Terry McAuliffe, who helped run Mr. Clinton's 1996 re-election campaign, was also seen around town.
Actor Mary Steenburgen, a Clinton family friend from Arkansas, and husband Ted Danson expressed bemusement as they were surrounded by reporters. "Are we the only celebrities in town?" Mr. Danson quipped. "I'm sorry."
The poem
At first glance, The Life That I Have, the poem read by a friend of the bride and groom's at the wedding, appears an anodyne paen to marital bliss, but the short work has an unusual history. Written in 1943 by British cryptographer Leo Marks, it formed the basis of a cipher for transmitting coded messages between spymasters in England and Violette Szabo, an Allied secret agent in German-occupied France. The poem became famous after it was featured in Carve Her Name With Pride, a 1958 film about Ms. Szabo, who was ultimately captured, tortured and executed by the Nazis.
The reason these verses were chosen for the Clinton wedding, however, remains an enigma.
The life that I have is all that I have
And the life that I have is yours
The love that I have of the life that I have
Is yours and yours and yours.
A sleep I shall have, a rest I shall have
Yet death will be but a pause
For the peace of my years in the long green grass
Will be yours and yours and yours.
The town
Rhinebeck, a village of about 3,000 people 144 kilometres north of New York City, went Clinton crazy. Shops displayed tributes, including a large sketch of Chelsea, in their windows; a man in a raccoon costume carried a sign asking the former first daughter to marry him and Pizza Hut sent two girls to distribute free pizza emblazoned with "I do" in pepperoni. Some people drove for more than an hour to take in the spectacle.
Spectators, however, were kept well back from the site of the wedding by police roadblocks. The Federal Aviation Administration imposed a no-fly zone over the town, preventing media choppers from filming the nuptials from above.
The dress
In the great scheme of famous wedding dresses, Chelsea Clinton's will not be remembered as anything especially dramatic or decadent (see Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy's understated Narciso Rodriguez' silk sheath or Princess Diana's fairytale frock). But the daughter of former president Bill Clinton opted for a gown that was every bit stunning, sophisticated and representative of the poised young woman she has become.
When the first photos of her wedding surfaced on Saturday evening, all the rumours about her wearing a custom Vera Wang creation were confirmed. Ms. Wang, often considered the ne plus ultra in bridal fashion, combined many of her signature elements for Ms. Clinton's dress: the strapless draped tulle bodice, the raw-edged swirling silk organza A-line skirt and the chic embellished belt. Similar but not identical styles are on display at Vera Wang boutique in Yorkville (the store was closed Sunday).
"We were predicting she would choose something modest … maybe she would go with sleeves," says Anja Winikka, editor of the TheKnot.com, a leading online destination for all things nuptial. She said the most unexpected detail was the cathedral-length veil, which has been less popular than birdcage or hair-clip versions. "Chelsea chose a dress a lot of women would choose anyway," said Ms. Winikka by phone. "I'd say the traditional veil is coming back in style and I'd go so far to say Chelsea will help propel [the trend]"
Judging by fashion blogs, which have all but drooled over the dress, Ms. Clinton nailed her entire look (right down to the tightly packed hydrangea bouquet). TheKnot.com estimates a similar custom dress from Vera Wang would cost $25,000.
Mother-of-the-bride Hillary traded her buttoned-up secretary of state ensembles for a festive and feminine floor-length ombre gown by Oscar de la Renta. The capped-sleeve bodice in deep plum gave way to a pale orchid skirt adorned with flowers. The Dominican Republic-born, 78-year-old designer is a favourite among presidential women, from Nancy Reagan to Laura Bush. Daughter Jenna Bush donned an elegant V-neck organza dress for her wedding to Henry Hager in May, 2008.
Meanwhile, the men appeared suave and unpretentious, sporting skinny black ties instead of bowties. Mr. Mezvinsky wore a tailored tuxedo by Christopher Bailey, the sprightly creative director for Burberry who also attended the wedding.
With reports from the Associated Press and the New York Times