Mike Groll / AP
Wedding guests wait Saturday afternoon for a shuttle bus to take them to the wedding of Chelsea Clinton and Marc Mezvinsky at the Astor Courts estate in Rhinebeck, N.Y.
RHINEBECK, N.Y. — Chelsea Clinton has married her longtime boyfriend in an interfaith ceremony at an exclusive estate along New York's Hudson River.
Bill Clinton and Hillary Rodham Clinton announced in a statement that their daughter wed investment banker Marc Mezvinsky on Saturday after weeks of secrecy and buildup that had celebrity watchers flocking to the small village for the evening nuptials.
“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 statement 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.”
More than 400 guests were expected at the historic estate, and some of the celebrities spotted in Rhinebeck for the event included actors Ted Danson and Mary Steenburgen, fashion designer Vera Wang and Madeleine Albright, who was secretary of state during Bill Clinton's second term as president.
Details of the wedding have been difficult to come by, with shopkeepers, innkeepers, vendors and restaurateurs sworn to secrecy. Officials restricted airspace over the estate, and the area will remain a no-fly zone until 3:30 a.m. Sunday.
The New York Times reported that the wedding ceremony celebrated and honored both Jewish and Christian traditions. Chelsea Clinton, like her mother, is Methodist; Mezvinsky is Jewish. The Times said the ceremony was to be conducted by Rabbi James Ponet, a Jewish chaplain at Yale University, and the Rev. William Shillady, executive director of the United Methodist City Society, and was to include friends and family reading the Seven Blessings, often recited at Jewish weddings after the vows and exchange of rings.
'The only celebrities in town?' In the early afternoon, Danson and Steenburgen strolled through Rhinebeck toward one of the hotels being used for the wedding. Both said they were excited about the upcoming ceremony.
"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?"
Donna Vena drove 50 miles to Rhinebeck from her home of Mount Kisco, New York, in the hopes of spotting a celebrity.
"Why not?" she asked Saturday morning, a camera slung over her shoulder. "Big story. Maybe see Oprah."
Nearby, two young women passed out slices of pizza with "I do" written in pepperoni.
Hundreds of people gathered outside the hotel where many of the guests are staying were rewarded Friday night when the Clintons exited a van arm-in-arm outside the Beekman Arms Hotel.
Shortly before 11 p.m., the former first lady, wearing a long green dress, waved to the cheering crowd waiting behind metal barricades and quickly went into the hotel. She left with the former president about a half-hour later.
'We love it here'
Earlier Friday, the former president made an appearance around lunchtime, popping out of a car and walking a few blocks, greeting people on his way to a restaurant.
Looking fit and relaxed in blue jeans and a black knit shirt, he gave easy answers to questions shouted by well-wishers and reporters.
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"We're all fine. We love it here," he said, when asked how he was. "Chelsea loves the area as well."
And what do you think of Mr. Mezvinsky, Mr. President, someone asked.
"I like him very much," Clinton said. "I really do. I admire him. Hillary feels the same way."
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Chelsea Clinton then and now
Images: Daughter of a president and a Secretary of State, the only child of Bill and Hillary Clinton has grown up in the public eye.
The former president's half-brother, Roger Clinton, was spotted early Saturday afternoon with his son Tyler, picking up food at the same restaurant. When asked by reporters if he was excited, Roger Clinton said, "Yes, very excited" as they slipped into a waiting SUV.
The wedding is set to take place at Astor Courts, a secluded estate along the Hudson River built as a Beaux Arts style playground for John Jacob Astor IV more than a century ago. The estate features the sort of commanding view that once inspired Hudson River School painters, as well as 50 acres of buffer space to shield the party from prying eyes.
Chelsea Clinton and Mezvinsky were friends as teenagers in Washington, and both attended Stanford University. They now live in New York, where Mezvinsky works at G3 Capital, a Manhattan hedge fund. Mezvinsky worked previously at Goldman Sachs as an investment banker.
Clinton completed her master's degree in public health earlier this year at the Mailman School of Public Health at Columbia University.
Mezvinsky is a son of former U.S. Reps. Marjorie Margolies-Mezvinsky of Pennsylvania and Ed Mezvinsky of Iowa, longtime friends of the Clintons. His parents are divorced.
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mazel tov!!!!!!!
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