-Partied with 300 guests
-father walked her down the aisle to Trumpet Voluntary but tried to escape through back entrance later
-Altar lit in memory of her mother Elizabeth


By Rachel Quigley


Bridal party: The wedding was a welcome celebration after a very difficult year for the family


Cate Edwards made sure everything at her wedding was just as her late mother would have wanted - and that included banning her father John Edwards' mistress from being a part of the ceremony.

The disgraced presidential candidate's daughter made it clear that Rielle Hunter was not welcome at her October 22 nuptials to college sweetheart Trevor Upham.

She did however say her father's love child Frances Quinn could share in the celebration, but the three-year-old was notably absent.

A source close to the family told the Enquirer: 'John had hoped that his two families could come together for this happy event.


'But the last thing Cate wanted on her wedding day was to see her father's mistress there - and she made it very clear to him that Rielle was not welcome.

'Cate had no objections to Frances Quinn being there as she believes she is just an innocent child caught up in this tragedy, but she still hasn't forgiven Rielle for wrecking her family and destroying her mother.'

Miss Edwards married her surgical oncologist fiancé at a local Methodist church in Chapel Hill, North Carolina - the ceremony taking place beside an altar which had been lit in her mother Elizabeth's memory after she died following a brave battle with breast cancer last December, aged 61.

According to the Enquirer, Elizabeth' favourite flowers, foods and poems were a part of the big day as a way for her mother's spirit to be there as much as possible.

John Edwards walked his daughter down the aisle to the tune of Trumpet Voluntary.

When the minister asked, 'Who gives this woman to be wed?', he answered: 'Her mother and I do.'

Cate - who wore a Monique Lhuillier dress - danced with Trevor to Wagon Wheel, the same song they danced to when they started dating, according to People magazine.

She then danced with her father to The Temptations' My Girl.

The source also told the magazine that Cate wants to have a baby as a tribute to her late mother and also to take the focus off her father's love child.

John Edwards, whose long-running affair hit the headlines while Elizabeth was in the final stages of her battle with cancer, would be forgiven for having felt a tiny bit uncomfortable during the ceremony.

The initial plans were that he would at least walk her down the aisle, but it is not known if he gave his daughter away.

He avoided all the photographers - or attempted to at least - and was seen trying to make a low-key exit via a back door of the venue.

Cate has been a vocal supporter of her father, who faces felony charges of more than $1million in undisclosed payments allegedly paid to to cover up an affair, but it was clear that his scandal was not going to overshadow the wedding celebration.
His case will go to trial in January.

Here comes the bride: Cate looked gorgeous as she walked down the aisle

Gorgeous: Cate's bridesmaids and page boys looked lovely. Her brother and sister were among them

He faces a a 30-year jail sentence after he was indicted by a grand jury on six counts, including conspiracy, four counts of illegal campaign contributions and one count of false statements.

In a public address in June, with Cate by his side, he said he had 'done wrong' but has not broken the law.

The newlyweds looked delighted as they left the church arm in arm, and the wedding party then moved on to the nearby family home, where they hosted a reception on the lawn for 300 guests. they will honeymoon in Tahiti.

Before the wedding Cate, 29, had spoken about her plans for the day, which she discussed at length with her mother before she passed away earlier this year.

'We want this to be really happy and joyous; that's what my mother would want,' she said. 'There are a lot of sort of small ways that she's infused into the day.

Wedding: Cate was married on Saturday - less than a year after her mother died

Back door: While Cate left out of the front of the chapel, John tried to sneak out the back to avoid being seen


The attorney, who has left her job in May to start the Elizabeth Edwards Foundation, is the second-eldest of her parents' four children.

She said that she sees traces of her mother every day in younger sister Emma, 13, and brother Jack, 11.

Her older brother, Wade, tragically died at the age of 16 in a car accident in 1996.

Emma was her maid of honour on Saturday, while Jack was a groomsman.

'They had a tough year, but they're doing well,' Cate added.




source:dailymail