Clinton's active again. Don't let him kiss the bride.
Posted on 06/10/2002 9:12:03 PM PDT by HAL9000
GLASLOUGH, Ireland (Reuters) - Last-minute preparations were under way on Tuesday as celebrity guests flew into flew into Ireland for the wedding of ex-Beatle Sir Paul McCartney to former model Heather Mills.Beatles drummer Ringo Starr, guitarist Eric Clapton and former U.S. President Bill Clinton were expected to be among the 300 guests attending the lavish lakeside nuptials at the 17th century Castle Leslie in the Irish border county of Monaghan.
McCartney, 59, and former model Mills, 34, will tie the knot in a ceremony at St. Salvator's church in the grounds of the castle's 1,000-acre estate at around 4 p.m. (11 a.m. EDT), McCartney's spokesman Geoff Baker told Reuters.
Guests will then be treated to unlimited champagne and a vegetarian banquet beside the lake, where giant marquees have been erected along with stages for live music and dancing.
Baker said it was possible that McCartney could take to the stage himself. "You never know. We've got Macca (McCartney), Ringo and guests like Pink Floyd guitarist Dave Gilmour -- who knows what could happen," he said.
However, Baker stressed that despite the presence of high-profile celebrities, the wedding would be, first and foremost, a family affair.
"The theme is definitely relaxed and informal -- this is not a glitzy event in that sense."
McCartney's four children, including leading fashion designer Stella, arrived at the castle on Monday -- scotching tabloid rumors they had rejected their father's new partner after their mother, McCartney's first wife Linda, died of breast cancer in April 1998. Members of Linda's family have flown in from the United States.
The ex-Beatle's brother Mike, who was best man at Paul's marriage to Linda in 1969, will repeat the honor this time around.
The wedding, which has attracted the attention of the world's media -- much to the bemusement of the residents of the sleepy Irish village of Glaslough where Castle Leslie is located -- is being held just a few miles from where McCartney's mother was born.
Torrential rain hampered preparations on Monday and the meteorological office forecast much the same for Tuesday, but McCartney vowed nothing would dampen his spirits.
"We're not going to worry about the weather, we're just going to have a great time," he said as he and his smiling fiancee rewarded long-suffering reporters -- some of them having camped out for several days -- with a chat outside the castle gates on Monday.
Despite the veil of secrecy surrounding the wedding, some official photographs of the event will be released to the media.
The couple turned down a 1.5 million pound ($2.2 million) offer from Britain's "Hello" magazine for exclusive rights to the pictures and have requested instead that publications wishing to use the images make a donation to the anti-land mine charity Adopt a Minefield UK.
But until then, the public is likely to see little of what occurs behind the high stone walls of Castle Leslie. Security guards have been patrolling the perimeter for days and Irish police have cordoned off Glaslough's main street.
Clinton's active again. Don't let him kiss the bride.
"Will you still need me, will you still feed me, when I'm 64?"
"I do."
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.