Trump, Melania Knauss to Wed Today
Sat Jan 22,10:44 AM ET
By JILL BARTON, Associated Press Writer
PALM BEACH, Fla. - About 400 of Donald Trump's closest friends
began arriving at this island playground of the rich and famous on
the eve of his Saturday wedding. All are invited by the real estate
mogul/reality TV star to take advantage of free golf at the Trump
International course and to enjoy spa services at Mar-a-Lago,
Trump's estate.
Trump and bride-to-be Melania Knauss have tried to keep many
details about the wedding quiet, saying they want their guests to
be surprised. But one surprise has already been spoiled: The town
council nixed the couple's request for a fireworks display at the
reception.
Council members unanimously rejected the last-minute bid for the
fireworks because the nine-minute show was planned on the grounds
of Mar-A-Lago, instead of from a barge on the Intracoastal
Waterway. Members also were dismayed that a special meeting on the
matter was convened so hastily.
"If this were John Smith or Mary Jones, I don't believe this
council would be called into session with barely 24 hours notice,"
Councilman Bill Brooks said.
The wedding between Trump, 58, and Knauss, 34, comes just two days
after the premiere of the third season of "The Apprentice." Trump
said he fielded offers to move the TV cameras from his boardroom to
his ballroom, but decided against it.
"The last marriage that was televised was Prince Charles and Lady
Di, and that didn't work out too well," he said this week.
Trump and his stafg insist they are trying to keep the wedding
under wraps. But some details have been purposely leaked.
Knauss stepped out in public in her wedding gown, a voluminous
strapless haute couture number by Christian Dior, on the cover of
Vogue magazine this week. The dress has 300 feet of white satin, a
13-foot train and took 550 hours to embroider.
"This is one wedding where no one can outshine the bride so there
is no fear of what guests should and shouldn't wear," said Sami
Alpark, the owner of a Worth Avenue boutique that's outfitting 40
women for the event. "All of our customers want to go all out
wearing one-of-a-kind pieces. They want the glamour, the glitz, the
over-the-top pieces."
He said the gowns he's selling range from $5,000 to $26,000; many
are beaded and look as though they could be on the red carpet at
the Academy Awards.
"The competition is on for the most spectacular, the most
fabulous," Alpark said.
Knauss reportedly wanted a dress that would stand out against
Mar-a-Lago's ornate Louis XIV style ballroom and fit in with her
theme: white, gold and diamonds.
The 18,00-square foot ballroom features 17 custom crystal
chandeliers, 24-karat gold-leaf moldings and a marble floor. Trump
opened the venue on his 18-acre estate overlooking the Atlantic
Ocean and the Intracoastal Waterway at a New Year's Eve gala
featuring singer Vanessa Williams.
"Everything will be very simple and very elegant in keeping with
Melania's wishes and the look of the grand ballroom," said
Mar-a-Lago catering and special events director Pat Saylor.
The wedding will be the third for Trump, and the first for Knauss,
who opted to have a ceremony off the estate at the Episcopal Church
of Bethesda-by-the-Sea.
A few onlookers and a horde of media already had gathered outside
the church Friday afternoon, when Trump and Knauss were expected to
arrive for a rehearsal.
"I just love his show and thought it would be cool if we could see
him and Melania of course," said 13-year-old Melody Nelson who
was holding a disposable camera in hopes of snapping the couple's
picture. "It's, like, the biggest wedding I've ever heard
of."
Adapted from - Entertainment - AP Gossip/Celebrity
http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20050122/ap_en_ce/trump_wedding_5
