FATHER OF THE BRIDE

Crashing right along with her are the Mothers of the Bride and Groom, followed by the bridesmaids, devoted friends and family members who are all too thrilled to don the shimmery, tight-bodiced floral dresses that they’ll quickly convert to window drapes after the big day.

What about the Father of the Bride? Usually, he’s a write off. Squeezing into a tux, he mixes and mingles and nobody’s upset if his six-pack looks more like a keg.

Not so for the upcoming Chelsea Clinton and Marc Mezvinsky nuptials.

Back in April, Former President Bill Clinton told reporters, “She [Chelsea] doesn’t think I’m in shape. You know, she told me the other day, ‘Dad the only thing you gotta do is walk me down the aisle, and you gotta look good.’ So I said, “Well, what’s your definition?’ And she said, ‘Oh, about 15 pounds.’” (Makes you wonder what she told her mom!)

And it appears he took her request to heart. Looking fit and trim recently, he noted that he was only two pounds from his goal weight and just in time for the big day, which insiders whisper may happen this last weekend of July.

Rumor has it that Clinton chose a fad diet, the Cabbage Soup Diet, to shed the pounds. I hope this isn’t true. Suffice it to say, any crash diet “works” since all you’re doing is undereating calories. But, it’s clearly not sustainable.

And, given the former president’s roller coaster weight history and his prior run-in with heart disease, I’d hope that Chelsea’s wedding would be a perfect motivation to remove his excess belly weight and keep it off with healthy lifestyle habits that he can maintain for the long term. He’s got to look far beyond the wedding and strive to stay healthy enough to enjoy holidays and graduations with grandchildren.