Never mind that the details about Chelsea Clinton's wedding are being guarded like state secrets. The postcard-pretty town of Rhinebeck is ready for its close-up.

The former first daughter and her parents have not even confirmed that her wedding is being held in Rhinebeck. Still, signs congratulating her hang in shop windows, residents are talking to TV crews and officials are bracing for crowds.

Clinton, 30, will wed investmentbanker Marc Mezvinsky on Saturday, and this little Hudson Valley town of upscale boutiques and pricey homes north of New York City is expecting an influx of A-List guests, reporters and rubber-neckers.

"I think this will put uson the map in an entirely different way," said Ira Gutner, owner of Samuel's coffee shop, which featured a sign in the window congratulating the Methodist bride and Jewish groom with "Mazel Tov, Chelsea and Marc."

"People will say, 'Oh, let's go to Rhinebeck, Chelsea Clinton got married there.' ... We'll forever be known for this," he said.

It's all but certain that the couple will wed Saturday evening at Astor Courts, a secluded estate along the Hudson River built as a Beaux Arts styleplayground for John Jacob Astor IV more than a century ago. The estate features the sort of commanding view that once inspired Hudson River School painters, as well as 50 acres of buffer space to shield the party from prying eyes.

The spot is a bit more than an hour north of Bill and Hillary Rodham Clinton's home in suburban Chappaqua and about 90 miles north of New York City.

(Read by Lee Hannon. Lee Hannon is a journalist at the China Daily Web site.)

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(Agencies)