CRITICAL MOMENT

Rhinebeck (New York), July 31 (AP): Chelsea Clinton was poised to marry her longtime boyfriend at an exclusive estate along New York’s Hudson river after weeks of secrecy and buildup that had celebrity watchers flocking to the small village for the nuptials.

The crowd began forming from mid-morning after weeks of intrigue and secrecy about a ceremony with a VIP guest list said to include such luminaries as TV talk show host Oprah Winfrey and filmmaker Steven Spielberg.

The 30-year-old daughter of former President Bill Clinton and secretary of state Hillary Rodham Clinton was expected to wed her boyfriend, investment banker Marc Mezvinsky, at a ceremony with 400 to 500 guests. Details of the wedding were kept fanatically close to the vest, with shopkeepers, innkeepers, vendors and restaurateurs sworn to secrecy.

Roads were blocked off, the skies were closed over the estate and inconvenienced neighbours were soothed with a complimentary bottle of wine.

A woman carries a wedding dress into the Beekman Inn in Rhinebeck. (AFP)

Donna Vena drove 80km to Rhinebeck from her home of Mount Kisco, New York, in the hopes of spotting a celebrity. “Why not?” she asked this morning, a camera slung over her shoulder. “Big story. Maybe see Oprah.”

Nearby, two young women passed out slices of pizza with “I do” written in pepperoni.

Hundreds of people gathered outside the hotel where many of the guests are staying were rewarded last night when the Clintons exited a van arm-in-arm outside the Beekman Arms Hotel.

Shortly before 11pm, the former First Lady, wearing a long green dress, waved to the cheering crowd waiting behind metal barricades and quickly went into the hotel. She left with the former President about a half-hour later.

Earlier yesterday, Bill Clinton made an appearance around lunchtime, popping out of a car and walking a few blocks, greeting people on his way to a restaurant. Looking fit and relaxed in blue jeans and a black knit shirt, he gave easy answers to questions shouted by well-wishers and reporters.