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Chelsea Clinton weds at genteel estate

The crowd is estimated in the hundreds, including Madeleine Albright and designer Vera Wang.

By MICHAEL HILL The Associated Press

RHINEBECK, N.Y. - Chelsea Clinton wed her longtime boyfriend under extraordinary security at an elegant Hudson River estate late Saturday.

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Former President Bill Clinton walks his daughter, Chelsea, down the aisle for her wedding Saturday in Rhinebeck, N.Y. Chelsea Clinton wed her longtime boyfriend, investment banker Marc Mezvinsky, after weeks of secrecy that had celebrity watchers flocking to the village.

The Associated Press/Genevieve de Manio

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Chelsea Clinton and Marc Mezvinsky are seen during their wedding Saturday at an elegant Hudson River estate called Astor Courts in Rhinebeck, N.Y.

The Associated Press/Genevieve de Manio

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Bill Clinton and Hillary Rodham Clinton announced in a statement that their daughter wed investment banker Marc Mezvinsky after weeks of secrecy that had celebrity watchers flocking to the small village of Rhinebeck for the evening nuptials. The site of the wedding, a Beaux Arts riverside estate called Astor Courts, was sealed off from the general public.

"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. 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."

It is estimated that hundreds of guests gathered at the historic estate near the end of a day of warm temperatures, blue skies and cottony clouds. The ceremony was conducted by a minister and a rabbi, as Chelsea Clinton is Methodist and Mezvinsky is Jewish. The couple read a poem by Leo Marks titled, "The Life I Have," according to the family.

The wedding was a mix of high society and high security. The road to Astor Courts was blocked off Saturday -- neighbors received bottles of wine for their troubles -- and the sky above was declared a no-fly zone by federal aviation officials. Police and security guards fanned out around this usually sleepy town.

Consistent with Chelsea Clinton's desire for privacy, the family had released no details of the wedding beyond the date. But the scope of the event became apparent when more than a half-dozen busloads of wedding guests -- men in black tie, women in dresses -- were transported from a hotel in the village to the riverside ceremony.

Celebrities spotted in Rhinebeck for the event included actors Ted Danson and Mary Steenburgen, fashion designer Vera Wang, Madeleine Albright, who was secretary of state during Bill Clinton's second term as president, and Terry McAuliffe, former Democratic National Committee chairman.

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.

Clinton completed her master's degree in public health earlier this year at the Mailman School of Public Health at Columbia University.