In the vast concentric circles of Clintonian friendship, a new vocabulary defines coolness. The lingo doesn't pivot on name-dropping. But wedding-dropping. 

"I'll see you after The Wedding" spoken at stage-whisper levels  translates into "I'm so very, very tight with the fam. Wink, wink." Nary a mention of Bill or Hill or Chelsea necessary. Inclusion in the wedding confers an intimacy, an extra-special, next-generation "friend of the family" status that stands alongside FOB or Hillaryland bona fides -- a family triangle of triangulation. It's a kind of closeness that no private-jet sit-down, business collaboration or political grip-and-grin, no matter how exclusive, can achieve.

They're not A-listers, this "see you after the wedding" crowd, but something beyond. "That's the Triple-A list," says John Catsimatidis, a billionaire New York supermarket mogul whose chumminess with the Clintons, and knack for raising megabucks for their campaigns, did not, alas, merit an invitation. "They'll look at themselves as the lucky ones," Catsimatidis says.

The nuptials of Chelsea Clinton and Marc Mezvinsky are scheduled to take place Saturday in all their secretive, in-crowd glory at a secluded mansion protected by a no-fly zone and barricaded roads outside the village of Rhinebeck in the country-home paradise that is the mid-Hudson Valley. Managing the guest list, a scant 400 or 500 -- a big bash for life-size folks, a tiny gathering for the JumboTron-scaled Clintons -- presented a hyper-delicate challenge for Madam Secretary, Mr. Former President and their First Daughter, family intimates say.

The talking points that evolved seem to honor and elevate their only child, while providing cover for parents whose political and social lives intertwine, sometimes: The guests must have a personal connection to the bride or the groom. This is Chelsea's day, not her famous parents' day. 

"They respect her and what she thinks. . . . They want what she wants," says a family friend who is attending the wedding and agreed to speak for a few moments only after a series of cross-my-heart, hope-to-die, stick-a-needle-in-my-eye promises of anonymity. "They raised her to be her own person -- independent in thought."

In some cases, intermediaries communicated the message to the dearly snubbed, family friends say, and sometimes even the former president himself lodged an I-feel-your-pain call. Still, there are whispers of injured feelings among the elites in Washington and New York who were left out. Some feel compelled to feel bad on behalf of others. New York donor Victor Kovner, not going? How could that be?

D.C.'s top secret?

The allure juicing the celebration only intensifies because of the secrecy. (Another first daughter, Jenna Bush, had her own fabulous nuptials in 2008 when her dad was still commander in chief. Jenna took less of a wedding-as-state-secret approach, sharing dress details with Vogue editors.)

Divining the invitees to the Clinton soiree is a Washington parlor game of the most status-clarifying kind, an exercise in who's up, who's down and who's on the bubble. Wedding guests and non-guests alike shudder at the thought of the Clintons finding out any hint that they've been gabbing. The clampdown is a testament to the loyalty the Clintons inspire and the intensely genuine affection many feel for Chelsea, as well as an acknowledgement, for some, that banishment from the circle would be the assumed punishment.

"I'd have to kill myself after we talked, so I think I'll pass," one Washington pooh-bah and logical invitee says. A curious number of sources asked about the guest list simply respond "nope," as if working from a script. Even normally talkative types operate in a cone of silence, politely ducking interview requests through their assistants. "Thank you for thinking of Mandy for this piece," writes an assistant to Mandy Grunwald, a typically chatty Clinton spinmeister. "Unfortunately she won't be speaking on this topic."

The left-out group is more firmly established than the let-in group. President Obama, whose victory nixed the White House as a wedding venue, won't be going -- even said so on "The View" -- nor will former British prime minister Tony Blair, he of the Special Relationship with Bill Clinton, according to a spokesman. Al and Tipper Gore, now in the throes of a separation, issued a statement a while back that they won't be attending, without elucidating whether they were invited.

Among those widely expected to be "in" are Hillary Clinton's brothers, Hugh and Tony Rodham; whether Bill's brother, Roger -- always entertaining -- will make the scene is a favorite topic. The smart money is on Tony Rodham's daughter, Fiona, as flower girl. There will surely be plenty of school and work friends of the bride and groom, and the whispering classes are feeling awfully confident that the guests will include Washington power broker Vernon Jordan and his wife, Ann, as well as Lady Lynn Forester de Rothschild, a wealthy businesswoman and Clinton stalwart, and Elizabeth Bagley, a former ambassador to Portugal who navigates the upper tiers of Georgetown society.

Heavy speculation also centers on former White House chums, such as Melanne Verveer, the U.S. ambassador-at-large for women's issues who was once Hillary Clinton's chief of staff, as well as on Capricia Marshall, the current White House chief of protocol who is said to have grown close to Chelsea while serving as her mother's social secretary. Another widely expected guest is Huma Abedin, the elegant aide who is Hillary's right arm; she married New York's feisty congressman Anthony Weiner in a ceremony officiated by Bill Clinton earlier this month. Abedin is considered so tight with the MOTB that one Clinton friend quipped that two of HRC's daughters are getting married this summer.

'A no-fanfare person'

Hillary Clinton's biological bride-to-be maintained her Garbo-esque reticence as her big day approached. "What she's trying to do is minimize the atmospherics that have been created around this -- all the stuff around the edges," a wedding guest says. "The irony is that Chelsea is such a no-fanfare person."

Chelsea -- now a stylishly flat-ironed and poised 30-year-old, not the gawky, curly haired teenager of our memories -- demands privacy, officially. Then again, she opts for a wedding extravaganza that commands spotlight attention, rather than following the au courant celebrity model of the tiny wedding in a private residence. To some, there is an element of "don't look at me, look at me" to the whole affair. She slips into a big floppy hat to conceal her identity, but heads through the front door to visit dressmaker Vera Wang -- an image predictably captured and splashed all over the Web.

"The wedding seems as conflicted as the Clintons can sometimes be," says Doug Wead, an aide to the first President Bush who has written extensively about first families. "She's a private, dignified woman; on the other hand, she's getting married two hours from New York City."

The shabby-chic rhythms of Rhinebeck resist the effects of hype. Still, it's impossible to avoid the wedding, especially when Bill Clinton is popping out of a vehicle in the middle of town, shaking hands and sitting down for lunch Friday afternoon at a place called Gigi Trattoria. Shop windows are festooned with happy-couple congrats -- an image of Chelsea and Marc on a wedding cake at Wing & Clover, an art shop a few steps from Rhinbeck's only stoplight; two doves kissing above a pencil drawing of Chelsea, and a streetside photo of Bill and Hillary Clinton at Pete's Famous Restaurant.

Before the former president's arrival packs the streets, the hordes of reporters occupy themselves with the ramblings of a couple promenading one evening in Bill and Hillary Clinton masks. "I was just on ABC and CBS, the Daily News and the New York Post, all in the past 20 minutes," Gary Kiernan says after slipping out of his Bill Clinton mask. In the lobby of the Beekman Arms, tourists interrupt tales of their canoe trip to observe a cameraman running past the window.

Not surprisingly, there's a fair amount of grumbling from villagers annoyed about the invasion of cars, the hubbub, the road closings -- there always are in these situations, regardless of the location. "I wanted to make a sign that said, 'Royalty, Go Home!' " says Michael Tucker, a filmmaker, from the back porch of his picturesque home on River Road, near the wedding location. "That's what it has been like -- royalty. . . . This is not the Hamptons!"

No one expects the full royal treatment, a Lady Di train or a Cinderella carriage, for these lavishly inconspicuous proceedings, but the rumors of price tags in the several millions and the daughter of George Soros hosting the former first family suggest a swankified affair. The invitations went out cryptically, revealing only that the festivities would take place outside New York on July 31. Guests were asked to select from several hotel price ranges, and a travel agent made the reservations, as well as transportation arrangements, one invitee explains. Just this week, guests began getting individual phone calls firming up the details. They will be bused to the wedding site, Astor Courts, a beaux-arts mansion hidden by thick stands of trees. The 13,000-foot spread, with striking views of the Hudson River, was designed by renowned architect Stanford White to resemble the Grand Trianon at Versailles, for John Jacob Astor IV, an industrialist who died in the sinking of the Titanic.

The vista, with the black-tie occasion expected sometime around sunset, is certain to be spectacular. But there will be much more than nature's magnificence on display. Once the guests arrive, they will know  most for the first time just who's really in and just who's really out. And, surely, they will remember.

RHINEBECK – Before Chelsea Clinton’s wedding was held at Astor Court in Rhinebeck, the palatial estate built in 1902-1904, was on the block for sale for $12 million.

Now, two weeks after the wedding of the century that drew public officials and notables to watch Chelsea wed Marc Mezvinsky, the facility, which was inspired by the Grand Trianon at Versailles, is back on the market for $13.5 million.

The realtor handling the property, Harry Hill III of Rhinebeck, did not return a phone call for comment. But, the H.H. Hill Realty Services, Inc. website lists Astor Court as: “Located on 50 secluded, pastoral acres, this classical pavilion-style home offers panoramic views of the Catskill Mountains and 2000 feet of river frontage – and, it has a Letter of Patent from New York State guaranteeing access to the Hudson River in perpetuity.”

According to the website, the structure, also known as Astor Casino or Ferncliff Casino, was originally built as a sporting pavilion with indoor tennis court, swimming pool, squash courts on the main level and a bowling alley on the lower level.

In 1941, the building was converted to a residence.

“The current owners have completed a scrupulous renovation of the structure back to its original plans,” according to the website. The owners were not identified.

It looks like Chelsea Clinton and Marc Mezvinsky have headed into the bush — they are celebrating their honeymoon on a South African safari! WWD reports, “sources say the newlyweds have headed into the wild — South Africa.” We guessed right!

President Clinton declined to comment on these speculations Monday, having said little since the wedding except to note his daughter’s nuptials were “wonderful.”

The paper goes on to point out the benefits of a safari for Chelsea and Marc, “First, few would recognize them in South Africa. And second, what paparazzi is going to risk being attacked by a lion or rhino just to get a photo of the couple?”

In our opinion, there may be more than a few paparazzi heading their now willing to take that risk for just one shot!

The only thing more apparent than the charm in Rhinebeck, a town tucked away about 100 miles north of New York City, is the chatter.

People on the outside may be skeptical, but Rhinebeck residents are preparing for a royal wedding. They are convinced this quaint town of 4,600 will host Chelsea Clinton's nuptials.

Jim Langan, the editor of the Hudson Valley News, said he had no doubt that it is happening in Rhinebeck.

"Anyone who says it isn't happening here is dead wrong," he said. The former first daughter and her fiancé, Marc Mezvinsky, are expected to tie the knot July 31. 

"This is a small town and we have more moles here than a vegetable garden," Langan said. According to his sources, Clinton and Mezvinsky will say their "I dos" at the 50-acre Astor Courts on the Hudson River.

The guest list allegedly includes President Barack Obama, Oprah Winfrey, Steven Spielberg and Barbara Streisand.

Speculation is that the rehearsal dinner will take place at a stone barn near town called Grasmere.

While ABC News shot video of it, the crew was escorted off the property by police and then told their information would be given to the Secret Service.

Exclusively caught up with Bill Clinton backstage at the First Annual World Leadership Awards -- hosted by our own Kevin Frazier -- in Atlanta on Friday night, and in a rare public comment on the subject of his daughter Chelsea's wedding, the former president told ET the nuptials were "wonderful."

Clinton was honored with the Service Legacy Award at the awards ceremony, which was thrown by music star Usher's New Look Foundation, a non-profit organization that strives to motivate and mobilize youth around the country to become corporate and community leaders.

Also on Friday, Clinton broke ground on a new, communal hurricane shelter in Haiti following his Clinton Foundation's $1 million pledge to improve hurricane safety. The nation's 42nd president also announced that, inspired by the Clinton Foundation's commitment, the American Red Cross is investing $1 million to develop additional emergency shelters, and will invest $4 million more as other shelter sites are identified.

One week ago, Clinton walked his daughter Chelsea down the aisle when she married longtime beau Marc Mezvinsky at the lavish Astor Courts estate in Rhinebeck, New York.

The image shows the bride posing with her mother, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and her grandmother, Dorothy Howell Rodham.

The picture shows more of Clinton's ivory strapless gown with a laser-cut organza ballgown skirt and a sparkly belt, which was designed by Vera Wang, and also gives a better look at her mother's dress, a fuchsia gown with floral details by Oscar de la Renta.

A guest at the wedding told People magazine that when the mother of the bride walked down the aisle, "it took your breath away."

"She looked stunning-like a princess. She was beaming," the guest continued.

A friend of the secretary of state added that she was "so thrilled and over the moon about the dress" and her role as mother of the bride.

And another friend of the Clintons told the magazine it was important that Chelsea's grandmother, seen in the photo wearing a grey dress with a sparkly brooch, was included in the big day.

"It was so important to Hillary to share her daughter's day with her own mother. When the three of them are together Hillary isn't the secretary or the senator or the celebrity -- she is her mother's daughter and her daughter's mother."

Chelsea Clinton married Marc Mezvinsky in a much-talked-about ceremony last Saturday in Rhinebeck, N.Y.

Someone even likened the New York nuptials to America's "royal wedding," which would have been the antithesis of the young woman's raising. Whatever they did wrong, the Clintons did something right in rearing Chelsea.

We haven't heard much about her since she was a shy schoolgirl living in the White House. She hasn't been arrested for drunk driving, or romanced a movie star, or been a tabloid cover girl. She finished school, started to work and now has married a young man she's known for years.

Chelsea Clinton's  Private Life

The point is this: When running against the Clintons, Republicans always bragged about their stand for "family values." It was always a vague, nebulous -- some would say hypocritical -- term, but we voters knew what was meant. It harkened to Bill Clinton's womanizing and Hillary's feminism. We somehow were supposed to think Republicans had cornered the market on morality.

Guess again. The unlikely Larry Flynt made that point clear during the white hot heat of the Monica Lewinsky affair. For every Democratic skirt-chaser, he found three Republicans with loose zippers. Seems that no one political party had cornered the market on straying spouses.

As a hellbent political and professional couple, the Clintons have stumbled more than once. But from all evidence, they were on the same page about Chelsea. They fought for her privacy like tigers on the road to the White House, during a presidency kept on tender-hooks by political enemies, throughout a terribly public airing of dirty marital laundry. When an adult Chelsea campaigned for her mother during the failed Hillary presidential campaign, we were almost surprised.

Family values are different for each and every family. That's why they are called "family" values. They aren't decided by a single religion, a majority vote or one political party out to exploit mistakes of the other.

In choosing public lives for themselves, Bill and Hillary invited into their lives intense scrutiny, zealous critics and both sides of the coin stamped by fame. Some would say they thrive on it.

They had the decency, however, to protect Chelsea till she could choose a course for herself. How easy it might be for a Clinton daughter to run for office, write a best-selling book, travel the world meeting princes and trailing paparazzi. So far, at least, she's chosen a much more sensible route. As first daughter, even with protective parents, perhaps she had enough publicity to last a lifetime.

I think the abiding image this nation might have of Chelsea Clinton will have nothing to do with a fairy-tale wedding or with the peripheral hubbub like pepperoni pizzas with meat that spelled out "I Do." I think, instead, it will be the photograph of a much younger Chelsea, walking between her parents, holding both their hands, on their way to try to patch up an ailing family. Something about the young woman's body language exuded love and determination and, yes, hope.

Every marriage has problems, every family its struggles. Chelsea and her new husband no doubt will have their share of trials, self-induced and otherwise.

Something tells me that life has given Chelsea a leg up in the coping department, however. I think the family values she grew up with -- yes, while living with Bill and Hillary -- will serve her well.

Read more: The Williamson Daily News - The private life of Chelsea Clinton

Who needs pre-wedding dance lessons from that Arthur Murray guy when you can get choreography from "Dancing With the Stars" pro Maksim Chmerkovskiy instead?

Chelsea Clinton and Marc Mezvinsky's "sultry" first dance as husband and wife — part of a little wedding celebration that went down Saturday in New York — was not only on-trend, wedding reception wise, but it was choreographed by the ballroom pro, People reports.

"It was an amazing, funny, unexpected dance," a friend of the bride told the mag.

Chmerkovskiy partnered with Erin Andrews in the most recent season of "DWTS" and has in the past danced with Tia Carrere, Laila Ali, Denise Richards, Misty May-Treanor, Willa Ford, Debi Mazar and Mel B, who was the runner-up that cycle.  

— Christie D'Zurilla

Chelsea Clinton will say "I Do" to her boyfriend of about five years, Marc Mezvinsky on Saturday evening in Rhinebeck, New York. What is said to be the wedding of the year, secrecy and buzz has caused hundreds to crowd into this small village hoping to catch of a glimpse of a former president, a secretary of state or their daughter. The 30-year-old daughter of Bill Clinton and Hillary Rodham Clinton is expected to wed her beau at a ceremony at Astor Courts, the ultra-private Hudson riverfront estate, in front of 400 to 500 guests.
The couple 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.

Meanwhile, a longtime Clinton family friend denied that the wedding would cost more than $1 million. The friend, who spoke on condition of anonymity in keeping with the family's desire for privacy, said the cost will not exceed six figures. Wedding experts told The Associated Press the wedding could cost $2 million to $3 million, while other outlets said it could hit $5 million.

Several other of the 500 attendees will have a low-key arrival via bus. They'll be picked up from local inns Saturday afternoon to be whisked away to the mansion, which is set back from the road with a long driveway protected by off-duty police officers.

Out-of-town attendees received a small box of chocolates from Samuel's and wine from Clinton Vineyards.

"It's white, it's called Tribute and it's a Seyval Blanc. It's the 2009 vintage," Rita Flood, who works at Clinton Vineyards, told Us Weekly. "It's called Tribute for two reasons: one, initially, the owners called it Tribute to recognize the fact that they harvested their grapes on 9/11, and it was released in tribute of those who died in 9/11. And another tribute to honor the founder of Clinton Vineyards, Ben Feder."

Biggest question in the fashion industry who made Chelsea Clinton’s wedding dress? 

The bride-to-be was spotted entering Vera Wang’s New York studio, wearing a big floppy hat, reportedly for a fitting. The mother-of-the-bride, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, is also getting ready for the big day. Hillary Clinton is rumored to be wearing Oscar de la Renta.

The cost of the wedding is estimated to include $125,000 to $200,000 for the venue, $750,000 for the catering (by Blue Ribbon Restaurants, St. Regis and Olivier Cheng Catering and Events), $250,000 for the flowers, $40,000 for the music, $35,000 for photography, $30,000 for security, and $15,000 for the wedding dress. 

WWD’s Wednesday, July 28, cover features Chelsea Clinton, obscured by a large floppy hat, arriving at Vera Wang’s midtown showroom in New York City on July 27 to meet her Secretary of State mom, Hillary Rodham Clinton, who was already there. Reportedly, Wang is doing the bridesmaids’ dresses, the flower girls’ dresses, as well as the all-important wedding dress. And supposedly Hillary and Chelsea have met with Wang five to 10 times over the last four months

Rhinebeck has been buzzing for weeks in anticipation of the high-profile nuptials between the former first daughter Chelsea Clinton and her longtime boyfriend, 32-year-old Marc Mezvinski, an investment banker. Extensive preparations have been made, and reports speculate that the wedding costs could total $2 million.

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