RHINEBECK, N.Y. — Never mind that the details about Chelsea Clinton's wedding are being guarded like state secrets. The postcard-pretty town of Rhinebeck is ready for its close-up.
The former first daughter and her parents have not even confirmed that her wedding is being held in Rhinebeck. Still, signs congratulating her hang in shop windows, residents are talking to TV crews and officials are bracing for crowds.
Clinton, 30, will wed investment banker Marc Mezvinsky on Saturday, and this little Hudson Valley town of upscale boutiques and pricey homes is expecting an influx of A-List guests, reporters and rubber-neckers.
"I think this will put us on the map in an entirely different way," said Ira Gutner, owner of Samuel's coffee shop, which featured a sign congratulating the Methodist bride and Jewish groom with "Mazel Tov, Chelsea and Marc."
It's all but certain that the couple will wed Saturday evening at Astor Courts, a secluded estate along the Hudson River built as a playground for John Jacob Astor IV more than a century ago.