$3m on Clinton wedding

RHINEBECK, New York – Weddingexperts say Chelsea Clinton’s gala this weekend could cost between $2 million to $3 million.That compares to the roughly $24 000 most American newlyweds spendon their special day.Details have been notoriously difficult to pry loose, but industry insiders have gathered enough intelligence to estimate some of the costs of tomorrow’s wedding.Clinton, 30, the daughter of former President Bill Clinton and Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, is marrying investment banker Marc Mezvinsky.The venue has never been made public, but it’s all but certain that the couple will wed tomorrow evening at Astor Courts, a secluded estate along the Hudson River built as a Beaux Arts style playgroundfor John Jacob Astor IV more than a century ago.The most expensive item for the wedding? Catering, estimated at $750 000 by Brides magazine deputy editor Sally Kilbridge. Toilets could run about $15 000 to $20 000.Security in Rhinebeck, about 90 miles north of New York City, is expected to be tight. The Federal Aviation Administration says local airspace will be restricted from 3 p.m. tomorrow to 3:30 a.m. Sunday.FAA spokesman Jim Peters said yesterday that decisions to restrict air space are made in consultation with other federal agencies. He could not confirm whether the Secret Service requested this one.The FAA website said the restriction would be in place for “VIP (Very Important Person) Movement” but did not elaborate.The Clintons have been silent on plans for the wedding, but President Barack Obama says he did not make the guest list for the wedding.Obama said he was not invited because the Clintons wanted the event to be about their daughter and her future husband.Obama said that was probably for the best, joking that it would be tough enough to have one president at the wedding. (AP)