Chelsea Clinton's Wedding Is Our Royal Wedding - And We Needed It!

If there has ever been a time when we needed some fantasy and distraction from all the depressing news out there, it's now!

And what could be better than the extravagant and luxurious (but tasteful) wedding of a young woman we've all watched grow up?

Even though we haven't had true royalty in America since we ejected the Brits more than two centuries ago, it doesn't mean that we don't have a taste for pageantry and intrigue - and we've satiated our desires with Chelsea Clinton's picture perfect wedding.

At 30, the bride is an accomplished, well-liked woman, whose fairytale nuptials included a $25,000 custom-made Vera Wang wedding gown. The country's top wedding couturier also designed Chelsea's bridesmaid and flower girl dresses, while designer Oscar de la Renta -- who has complained that he has never dressed First Lady Michelle Obama -- outfitted Chelsea's mom, Hillary Clinton, the Secretary of State in a stunning floaty fuschia gown.

Chelsea may not be as tall and glamorous as Princess Diana and she may not have married a certified royal prince, but she is slim, trim, attractive and looked stunning in her breathtaking princess-like wedding gown. In fact, with her hair pulled loosely back, radiantly fresh face and long, romantic veil, she looked highly Grace Kelly-like as in Grace Kelly who married Prince Rainier of Monaco.

And even though the former First Daughter will not be living in a palace, she is already royalty of sorts. Her father, President Bill Clinton and mother Hillary are a charismatic political "royal" couple with far more clout than any true king or queen holds today. Plus, Chelsea grew up in the palatial White House and is marrying a wealthy white knight named Marc Mezvinsky, an investment banker with an impressive $4 million Fifth Ave apartment.

Not to mention, the wedding guest list had a contingent of both Hollywood and Washington DC royalty -- actors Ted Danson and Mary Steenburgen, Former Secretary Of State Madeleine Albright, ABC's Barbara Walters, Diane Sawyer and her husband Hollywood director Mike Nichols, Bill Clinton advisor Vernon Jordan and all attending.

Why wouldn't we be fascinated to read every last detail about this grand affair, which included a floral budget of $500,000 for white gardenias, calla lillies and white roses, $600,000 for tents, $15,000 for porcelain toilets in toilet trailers classy enough for a Presidential tush, a $12,000 11-tier gluten-free chocolate cake, a hand-painted aisle runner, a $125,000 vegan, vegetarian and organic beef and salmon wedding feast and a DJ for dancing until 4 am!

The wedding held at John Astor's Astor Court Estate in Rhinebeck, NY, may not have been St. Paul's Cathedral, but it was equally stunning, especially with the panorama views of the historic Hudson River. The Clintons widened the gravel road leading up to the estate to accommodate the long parade of arriving limousines and chartered buses. How fitting that the wedding did take place in the heart of the former Senator from New York's seat of power. Guests also received a bottle of wine from nearby Clinton Vineyards (no relation) along with other local products in woven gift bags -- in a gesture of patronage to the local economy. They were also comfortably housed in local hotels and bed and breakfasts, courtesy of the Clintons.

Now that's the royal treatment!

Yes, we've had many expensive and extravagant Hollywood weddings -- most recently Carrie Underwood's -- but somehow, we're far more fascinated by Chelsea's. After all, we've "known" her since she was a gawky teenager and both of her parents have spent years in our living rooms. She's also such a welcome contrast to the parade of young female trainwrecks and oversexed teen girls that Hollywood parents are producing -- that would be Lindsay, Britney, Miley and Taylor Momsen!

We may not have been invited, and she and her parents may have done their darndest to keep the nuptials private, BUT, like a national royal wedding, we somehow still feel included.

And thankfully with class -- unlike many Hollywood celebrities -- the wedding photos were NOT sold to appear on the cover of a major magazine.

Instead, Chelsea released six beautiful photos of herself and Marc, as well as her parents Bill and Hill, widely to the press so we can all put them in our personal albums.

They are, after all, still OUR first family!

Read more from Bonnie on hollywoodlife.com.

Related: Hillary Clinton: Daughter's Wedding is Nerve-Racking