Congrats to Chelsea Clinton and Marc Mezvinsky (an investment banker and political offspring) getting married this past weekend on Saturday July 31st, 2010 at Astor Courts in Rhinebeck, NY. The Friday night before wasn’t to hectic either. Crowds gathered outside the Beekman Arms, another hotel fully booked by the wedding party. Guests, including the bride’s parents, were seen heading from a rehearsal dinner to a cocktail party at the local tavern.
Mezvinsky, 32, is Jewish, while Clinton, 30, was raised Methodist, like her mother Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Their Saturday ceremony, which was co-officiated by Rabbi James Ponet, a Jewish chaplain at Yale, and the Rev. William Shillady, a Methodist minister from New York City, was a nod to both their faiths.
It featured many Jewish traditions: the couple married under a chuppah or canopy; the groom wore a yarmulke or skull cap and tallis or prayer shawl; friends and family recited the Seven Blessings typically read at traditional Jewish weddings.
Former president Bill Clinton and Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton allowed a statement about their “great pride and overwhelming emotion,” and their staff offered a few grace notes about the interfaith ceremony, which was conducted by Rabbi James Ponet and the Rev. William Shillady. (Mezvinsky was raised in the Jewish faith, while Clinton is a Methodist.) Along with their vows, there was a reading of the Seven Blessings, a Jewish tradition.
The wedding party was formidable — a dozen bridesmaids and nearly as many groomsmen — and so too was security: Guests needed specially issued ID bracelets to board a bus to the ceremony. A few sharply dressed crashers who tried to blend in with the crowd were quickly rebuffed. The party raged until 4:30 a.m.
But otherwise, the wedding of Bill and Hillary Clinton’s only child was noteworthy for being, you know, just a really nice wedding. Large? Definitely (about 400 guests). Lavish? Sure (though a longtime family friend scoffed at seven-figure estimates floating through the media). But not over-the-top, and not crammed with celebs.
“It felt like a family wedding,” one guest said. “It didn’t feel like a big extravaganza.”
Here’s a quick rehash of everything that happened at the wedding:
The dinner: Catered by the St. Regis Hotel in New York, it was “okay,” a guest said — short ribs, Atlantic char, a vegetarian option, and gluten-free rolls. The gluten-intolerant bride also selected a gluten-free cake from La Tulipe.
The flowers: roses and hydrangeas, all purpley-pinky-blue. It was a hue that corresponded with the attendants’ gowns, which we’re told were actually wedding gowns dyed a plummy color, after they couldn’t find a traditional bridesmaid-style gown they liked.
The guests: Terry McAuliffe. Madeleine Albright. Vernon Jordan. Lots from “Hillaryland”: Melanne Verveer, Maggie Williams, Capricia Marshall, Kelly Craighead. One of Chelsea’s ex-boyfriends from Stanford, Jeremy Kane, attended; however, her former beau Ian Klaus — so popular with her parents that they toasted him at his book party long after their breakup — was not in evidence. Only a few big donors — Alan Patricof and Steve Bing, but not Ron Burkle or Denise Rich. Frank Giustra, the Canadian mining magnate who has become one of the biggest backers of the former prez’s philanthropy, made the list. But no James Carville, no Paul Begala. And for all the Clintons’ Hollywood connections, very few showbiz types: Ted Danson and Mary Steenburgen were the biggest names. Barbra Streisand was not there; neither was Steven Spielberg.
After the band wrapped up, guests moved to an after-party on the tennis courts, where a DJ played ’80s tunes and current Top-40 fare — you know, typical wedding stuff. Bill was on the dance floor; so was Hillary aide Huma Abedin with her new husband, Rep. Anthony Weiner.
Bill gave one of the toasts, of course, saying that ever since his daughter had been old enough to formulate a thought, he had “been outnumbered” in his household, two to one. Now, with a son-in-law, he said, “the playing field is even. I have someone else on my side.” The kind of welcome that any old dad might give, at any old wedding.
I wish them the best, here are some Chelsea Clinton wedding photos I want to share with everyone!!
What picture is your favorite? How long do you think this marriage will last?
Here are some other posts about Chelsea on our blog:
Chelsea Clinton announces wedding on July 31st, 2010
Chelsea Clinton announces engagement by e-mail to her parents
Wedding & Engagement Noise 
It sounds like a beautiful wedding. They make a beautiful couple. It wonderful to hear is was more of a family wedding rather than a party extravaganza.
it was every girl’s dream of a wedding. how come i don””””””’t see the groom’s parents?i wish them all the best; sure they will argue, quarrrel, maybe break up a little, but they will be back in each other’s arms, i pray.