Why Barack Obama Didn't Get An Invite To Chelsea Clinton's Wedding
Did the Clinton family snub Barack Obama?
In the summer of 2010, Bill and Hillary Clinton threw quite the shindig for their one and only daughter, Chelsea Clinton, on her wedding day to her husband, Marc Mezvinsky. "It's going to be very understated, elegant, but befitting a royal wedding for the U.S.," wedding planner Claudia Hanlin predicted on the "Today" show ahead of the festivities. And with a royal wedding came a royal guest list including the likes of actors Ted Danson and Mary Steenburgen, producer and screenwriter Steven Bing, and even former United States Secretary of State Madeleine Albright.
Interestingly enough, however, then-President Obama was missing in action at the Secretary of State's daughter's lavish nuptials. As it turns out, he was never even invited. But why didn't the POTUS — of all people — make the cut? The answer may or may not surprise you.
The Clintons wanted the wedding to be about Chelsea and her soon-to-be hubby
In the months, weeks, and days leading up to Chelsea Clinton's wedding, the media was clamoring to know as much as possible about the star-studded affair. But the women of ABC's "The View" got the juiciest scoop of all when then-President Barack Obama appeared on the July 28, 2010, episode. When asked whether he would be in attendance, Obama noted that having two presidents at a wedding wasn't exactly ideal. "All the secret service, everybody's getting magged as they're going in, and all the gifts are getting unwrapped and ripped apart," he joked.
But when pressed further as to whether he was invited, Obama admitted he was not. "I was not invited to the wedding," then-President Barack Obama divulged. "I think Hillary and Bill, properly, want to keep this thing for Chelsea and her soon-to-be husband," he carefully added, dashing any notion that he felt slighted. He was also quick to forewarn "The View" hosts not to expect an invitation to his own daughters' weddings either. "One of the things that Michelle and I are so adamant about is making sure that Malia and Sasha have as normal a life as possible, and I know Bill and Hillary, who are terrific parents had that same attitude when it came to Chelsea," he explained.
And it appears the president was right on the money...
All guests had to have a personal connection with the bride or groom
As it turns out, the Clintons had a special rule when constructing the guest list for their daughter's wedding: all guests should have a personal relationship with the bride or groom. "My lips are sealed," mother-of-the-bride Hillary Clinton told NBC's Andrea Mitchell when asked about the wedding (via New York Post). "I am under very strict orders not to talk about it, and I think for the right reasons, because it is her [wedding], and it is a family wedding. The people coming are her friends and people who have been meaningful in her life, as it should be," she maintained.
And in the end, it appears they made the right call. Following the wedding, the bride's parents released a statement that read, "Today, we watched with great pride and overwhelming emotion as Chelsea and Marc wed in a beautiful ceremony at Astor Courts, surrounded by family and their close friends. We could not have asked for a more perfect day to celebrate the beginning of their life together, and we are so happy to welcome Marc into our family. On behalf of the newlyweds, we want to give special thanks to the people of Rhinebeck for welcoming us and to everyone for their well-wishes on this special day." A special day, indeed.