Wedding industry experts say that when Chelsea Clinton gets married Saturday at a private estate in upstate New York, the tab could hit $2 million, $3 million or more — a canape or two above the average $24,000 that most American newlyweds will shell out this year.
Most weddings host about 150 guests; the Clinton-Mezvinsky nuptials are expected to have 400 to 500.
Details have been notoriously scarce, but Sally Kilbridge, deputy editor of Brides, said industry insiders have gathered enough intelligence to sketch out roughly what sort of shindig the daughter of President Bill Clinton and Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton will put on when she marries her longtime boyfriend, investment banker Marc Mezvinsky.
Some estimates put the cost at close to $5 million, but Kilbridge said Chelsea Clinton won’t let it get too extreme.
“I’m going to say 2 to 3 million,” Kilbridge said. “Just because I don’t know if they will go that over the top when it comes to every little item of the wedding, and possibly because it’s not really Chelsea Clinton’s style.”
Kilbridge estimated costs for some of the higher-profile items:
• Gown by Vera Wang, whose New York store Chelsea was photographed visiting: $20,000 — not off the rack, obviously.
• Cake, possibly by Sylvia Weinstock: $20,000. Expect intricate, fabulous designs.
• Flowers: $250,000. “It’s going to be glamorous with a capital G,” she said. (And this isn’t even that much, she said: Donald Trump laid out $500,000 for flowers when he married Melania.)
• Catering: $750,000. Add another $30,000 for beverages.
• Tents: $600,000. These, she joked, guarantee it will not rain.
• Portable toilets: $15,000-$20,000. These will not be construction-site facilities. Think air conditioning, attendants, flowers.
• Entertainment: $40,000.
“It’s obviously a large wedding,” said Darcy Miller, editorial director of Martha Stewart Weddings. “But knowing what we do about Chelsea, she seems to be understated, someone who has tried to stay out of the crowds, someone who has tried to have her own life.”
Miller also brought up the logistics and realities to confront.
It’s a destination wedding where everything from guests to flowers to the wine will be shipped in from afar. So, they’ve got to keep the flowers cool, the guests and staff fed, quartered and cool. The stylist needs a room for the night. So does the makeup artist and photographer. Bring enough to tip the wait staff needed to keep 500 A-listers well-served. Valets? Flooring? Lights?
Cha-ching.
For those worried about how the Clintons will finance the celebration, fear not: Chelsea’s parents are, conservatively, worth tens of millions of dollars. The former president raked in $40 million in six years just from speaking engagements — upwards of $10 million alone in 2006. Of course, this assumes they’ll pay for the party.
