Trump marries

PALM BEACH, Fla. — In a private ceremony that sparked a public spectacle, billionaire Donald Trump got married here Saturday before hosting a gala reception at his seaside estate that was bedecked with enough gold, diamonds and celebrity to rival the starry night.

The public was not invited to the evening nuptials, but hundreds showed up anyway, lining the roadway in front of Bethesda-by-the-Sea Episcopal Church in hopes of spotting expected guests that included Sen. Hillary Clinton, Oprah Winfrey, Billy Joel, Katie Couric and New York Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter.

“I had to be star-struck for one night,” exclaimed Rob Anderson, 34, who drove over the causeway from West Palm Beach. “And I’m surprised we’d get so close.”

Wearing a glittering Christian Dior dress that reportedly cost $200,000, European model Melania Knauss became the third wife of the flamboyant real estate mogul who loves to stamp his name on the buildings, casinos and golf courses he owns. The ceremony, held in an ornate stone church bedecked with white gardenias, lasted less than 30 minutes.

As the bride and groom left the church, waving to spectators from the back of a long black limousine, singer Billy Joel walked over to scores of news reporters camped out across the street and reported, “It was a beautiful ceremony.” He mentioned that a unity candle lit during the exchange of vows was the same one used in Melania’s baptism.

The new Mrs. Trump is 34, while The Donald is 58.

In choosing to wed in Palm Beach at the height of the winter social season, Trump took advantage of the balmy weather and the $35 million ballroom he added to his historic Mediterranean-style estate, Mar-a-Lago, where some 400 guests were to dine on filet mignon with green peppercorn sauce, sip Crystal champagne and dance to the music of a 36-piece orchestra.

But in what has long been an understated retreat for America’s wealthy elite, the glitzy extravagance of an event some called “the wedding of the century” also sounded a theme as brash as Trump himself. The Town Council may have denied the New York developer a last-minute request for a fireworks permit, but Trump made his own commotion.

Star-gazers showed up early, some more than nine hours before the wedding’s scheduled 7 p.m. start. “I wanted to see the biggest event of the year and I figured I’m closer to Palm Beach than Hollywood,” said school teacher Maureen Fernandez, 46, explaining why she spent the sunny afternoon in a lawn chair on South County Road.

The first of scores of limousines pulled up to the church just before 6 p.m., and as on-lookers cheered, camera flashes lit up the gathering dusk. But the first arrivals to step to the curb turned out to be an elderly couple no one recognized. “It’s nobody,” cried a voice from the disappointed throng.

Minutes later, however, Mark Burnett, creator of Trump’s hit NBC television show “The Apprentice,” turned up, and soon the cavalcade of notables was underway. Among the famous faces: Tony Bennett, Vic Damone, Matt Laurer, Shaquille O’Neal, Kelly Ripa, Mark Consuelos, Heidi Klum, Rudolph Guiliani, Don King, Frank and Kathie Lee Gifford, Star Jones Reynolds, Russell Simmons, Gayle King, Chris Matthews, Kathy and Rick Hilton, Stone Phillips, Simon Cowell, Les Moonves and Julie Chen and, in a white Volvo station wagon, Barbara Walters.

The appearance of so many luminaries at a single event was like Oscar night, and a rarity here. On hand to record the action were television network camera crews, reporters from “Access Hollywood” and “Entertainment Tonight” and a gaggle of paparazzi. All were confined to an open grassy church lot across the street from the church entrance.

Overhead, news helicopters buzzed the coastline, and a small plane passed by towing a banner that read, “Melania, you’re hired.” Dozens of vintage Ferraris, driven by owners meeting next door to the church at the posh Breakers hotel, cruised by.

After weeks of publicity leading up to the nuptials, the hoopla built slowly through the day. By mid-afternoon some side streets had been closed, and parking anywhere near Mar-a-Lago, built in the 1930s for cereal heiress Marjorie Merriweather Post, was impossible.

But gawkers, many leaning out of cars with video cameras rolling, continued to parade past the church. “This is not normal,” said Palm Beach Police Sgt. Dan Szarszewski. “The worst thing about this is the traffic.”

Until the celebrities appeared, life in Palm Beach seemed almost normal for a Saturday. The beaches were dotted with sunbathers, in-line skaters and dog-walkers dodged each other on the sidewalks, and business was reported brisk in the tony shops on Worth Avenue and Royal Poinciana Way. A clothier called Rapunzel’s Closet showcased a pair of $40 tank tops. One was inscribed “Mrs. Trump” and the other “You’re fired,” a reference to “The Apprentice” punch line.

But by 5 p.m., would-be spectators reported they could not find a parking space within two miles of the church.

Yet for some, the walk was worth it. “What else do we have to do in this town except eat, go to the movies and shop?” asked West Palm Beach resident Lois Ann Chooljian.

Until the celebrities appeared, life in Palm Beach seemed almost normal for a Saturday. The beaches were dotted with sunbathers, in-line skaters and dog-walkers dodged each other on the sidewalks, and business was reported brisk in the tony shops on Worth Avenue and Royal Poinciana Way. A clothier called Rapunzel’s Closet showcased a pair of $40 tank tops. One was inscribed “Mrs. Trump” and the other “You’re fired,” a reference to “The Apprentice” punch line.

But by 5 p.m., would-be spectators reported they could not find a parking space within two miles of the church.

Yet for some, the walk was worth it. “What else do we have to do in this town except eat, go to the movies and shop?” asked West Palm Beach resident Lois Ann Chooljian.