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.

Chelsea Clinton’s Vera Wang wedding dress cost an estimated $20,000. If you love this style and are hoping to re-create Chelsea’s look, here are some similar dress ideas for less:

Chelsea’s gown is a modified version of the “Diana” dress from Vera Wang’s Spring 2010 line. Clinton changed the neckline and added a crystal belt to accentuate her tiny waist. Sites like Preownedweddingdresses.com have the “Diana” dress for half the retail price. Check Etsy for a belt like Chelsea’s at a fraction of the price.

Monique Lhullier’s strapless organza “Sunday Rose” also has the look of Chelsea’s gown with a pleated bodice and rose embroidered A-line skirt. This dress retails for $9,500 but can be found on sites like Once Wed for a discounted price.

The Signature Galina gown at David’s Bridal has cascading organza tiers and asymmetrical ruffles just like Chelsea’s dress. Retail price $1,150.

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