The Weekend of Celebrity Weddings

In the quiet little town of Rhinebeck, N.Y., Chelsea Clinton, the only daughter of former President Bill Clinton and Secretary of State Hilary Clinton, married her longtime boyfriend Marc Mezvinksy. The event was full of glitz and spectacles wherever one would look, something that was expected out of the multi-million dollar wedding.

The couple was wed at sunset at the Astor Courts estate, a sprawling place facing the Hudson River. Chelsea wore a strapless wedding dress made especially for her by Vera Wang. Burberry's Christopher Bailey designed the tuxedo worn by the groom, Marc Mezvinsky.

The entire wedding was kept a secret to whoever was not in the "inner circle," including the citizens of Rhinebeck. Despite much speculation, nobody was sure of what was going to happen until the wedding itself. Most of the 400 guests were family and friends; unlike other high profile weddings, there were not as many high-profile guests.

Planning had gone on since December, with much control residing with the Clinton family. Security was extremely tight, as the wedding's vendors and planners were strictly confidential and there was a no-fly zone over the estate during the event.

Singer Alicia Keys also got married to rap producer Swizz Beatz this weekend in a private home on the French island Corsica. They tied the knot in front of guests including Queen Latifah and Bono.

Alicia wore an ivory silk white gown that was made by Vera Wang, and crystal encrusted flat sandals. Her now-husband, Swizz Beatz, or Kaseem Dean, had Tom Ford make his tuxedo.

Last, but certainly not least, rapper Clifford "T.I" Harris also married Tameka "Tiny" Cottle this weekend. They hosted their wedding in Miami, in front of about 400 guests, including Kandi Buruss and Usher.

Interestingly, the two had three events for their marriage. They first had a secluded marriage in a Miami courthouse. They then had a ceremony and party Saturday on Miami's Star Island. Finally, they had another ceremony on Sunday in Las Vegas.

Cottle wore a Valentino dress, while T.I. had a Prada-made tuxedo.

According to CNN, "Tiny" said, "We living, we're happy, we're in love. I mean, it's no doubt in my mind that he doesn't love every piece of me and vice versa" of T.I., whom she has been dating since 2001.

While it may seem as though celebrity marriages usually don't work out that often, this may be due to the media's portrayal of these events. It's certainly much more newsworthy to report a divorce than a couple that's still going strong, after all. Two great examples of celebrity marriages that are still strong (to the public's best knowledge) are those between Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith (14 years), and Denzel Washington and Pauletta Pearson ( 27 years).

Obviously, one can't just take parallels between these new marriages and other marriages in the past. The success of a marriage depends on the couple alone, and I'm sure that, if they continue to cherish one another as they did on their marriage day, all three of these marriages will be long and successful.

Sources

Celeb weekend wedding wrapup - AJC

Rapper T.I. and Tameka Cottle get married, and married - and married again - L.A. Times

T.I. and Tiny married in Miami - CNN Blogs

Clinton wedding was picture perfect - boston.com

Chelsea Clinton's 'warm, personal, intimate' wedding gets 20/10 - Sydney Morning Herald

Alicia Keys and Swizz Beatz marry in Corsica - Mirror.co.uk

Alicia Keys has island wedding - ContactMusic