There were three weddings-of-the-year in Palm Beach in 2008 – all with mixed results.

First came the Jan. 5 nuptials of Alexandra Fisher and Joshua Bailer at The Breakers.

They never made it to the $100,000 chuppah. Pre-nupt talks broke down minutes before the ceremony, and they broke up.

But since father-of-the-bride Jeff Fisher, a well-known philanthropist, already paid for the party, he instructed the miffed guests to party on.

The family of the groom-to-be had fun, too. In an adjacent ballroom.

Champagne flowed until past midnight.

In April, it was jet-setter Ivana Trump’s turn to dip her toes, again, into marital bliss. She was hitched to a much younger Italian actor named Rossano Rubicondi at ex-hubby Donald Trump’s private club, Mar-a-Lago. It was a C-lister’s heaven, with he likes of actress Brigitte Nielsen, chronicler of the rich-and-famous Robin Leach and O.J. Simpson murder trial star attorney Robert Shapiro among the well-wishers.

Ivana filed for separation four months later. Her hubby No. 4 has been linked to a hottie on the Italian reality program he’s on. And Ivana has been spotted with a new escort, a poetry-writing competitive swimmer.

Then on NYE, multi-millionaire Democratic party moneyman George Cloutier dropped a cool $800,000 on his wedding to ex-nurse Tiffany Spadafora.

Among the 375 guests at The Breakers: Former Louisiana U.S. Senator John Breaux; Florida U.S. Sen. Jim Nelson; fallen ex-U.S. Cong. Mark Foley; and New Jersey Governor John Corzine.

The Cloutiers held joint bachelor/bachelorette parties at the mammary Mecca Rachel’s. Which may have spurred George, to squeeze in an unscripted “I love you forever” in the exchange of vows.

Elsewhere, Boca residents and sports legends Chris Evert and Greg Norman tied the knot in the Bahamas in June. And Grease star Olivia Newton-John married Tequesta antique-treasure hunter John Easterling in Jupiter.

Meanwhile the people’s governor, Gov. Charlie Crist, was hitched Dec. 12 to New York socialite Carole Rome. Even if Rome’s a multi-millionaire, the couple kept in mind the current economic situation by going a tad south of fancy for the St. Petersburg revelry.

On the divorce front, meanwhile, no story matched the fall of ex-U.S. Rep. Tim Mahoney.

Mahoney, 53, admitted to multiple affairs less than a month before a reelection predicted to be easy. His wife of 23 years, Terry, seemed to stand by her man but then filed for the divorce.

So did the voters. They picked his opponent, West Palm Beach attorney Tom Rooney.

Mahoney eventually filed papers asking for reconciliation. But Terry says he spent Christmas in their Canadian lovenest with paramour Kim Roden, a Martin County official.

The year 2008 was rough other local politicos. Palm Beach County Commish Mary McCarty’s home in Delray was raided by FBI agents in an ongoing corruption probe. And former West Palm Beach Mayor Nancy Graham was charged with three misdemeanors in connection with a conflict-of-interest scandal in San Diego, where she led downtown redevelopment.

Speaking of rough. With TV stations slashing budgets, anchors suffered. After nearly 20 years in the market’s stratosphere, WPTV-Channel 5’s Laurel Sauer was shown the door. And after nearly 10 years, WPBF-Channel 25’s Lisa Hayward couldn’t get her contract renewed. Traffic reporter Paul Cavenaugh was sent packing from WPEC-Channel 12 and radio’s WFTL-AM 850 days after the chopper he rode in crashed.

There were a few interesting lawsuits. Olympic hero and Miami Heat star Dwyane Wade was sued by WPB restaurant developer Mark Rodberg for allegedly reneging on promises to promote what was to be a chain of eateries, D. Wade’s. Music TV legend Don Kirshner is at odds with the investors in a chain of diners named Don Kirshner’s Rock Diner. And fancy-home architect Randall Stofft is still fighting a lawsuit filed against him by Canadian songbird Celine Dion. She claims Stofft wouldn’t design her new Jupiter Island home to her specs.

Visiting politicians caused a stir in this presidential election year. Barack Obama spent a campaign night on Singer Island in October, but Riviera Beach Mayor Tom Masters found out a day later – and accused just about everyone of keeping him out-of-the-loop.

When former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani was whooped in the Republican presidential primaries, he retreated to his condo in Palm Beach.

And Pres. George W. Bush had to change venue for a fundraiser in Palm Beach Gardens when he heard his host, John Boswell, was under the scrutiny of the I.R.S. The September shindig was moved to the Jupiter lodge of food distributor Byron Russell.

The economy, and an alleged rip-off artist named Bernie Madoff, played havoc on the better heeled.

Consignment stores in Palm Beach are reporting record business as victims of Madoff’s $50 billion-investment scheme unload clothes and art.

The real estate downturn, however, didn’t prevent some from buying.

Rocker Bruce Springsteen got two properties in Wellington’s horse country for a total $7.7 million. Already the proud owner of four adjacent lots on Jupiter Island, golfer Tiger Woods started building a 22,000-square-foot home for his momma across the Intracoastal, near Jupiter. And NBA legend Michael Jordan is working on the plans for his two empty lots at the Bears Club in Jupiter.

On the police front, businessman Thanos Papalexis provided an end-of-year shocker when he was nabbed by U.S. Marshals. Authorities in England asked that the British national be picked up so he could be tried in London – for a homicide, no less.

WRMF-FM 97.9 morning jock Danny Czekalinski dodged a legal and professional bullet when he wasn’t prosecuted for allegedly assaulting a galpal. And the widow of CNBC pundit Seth Tobias was cleared of the suspicion she may have killed him in their Jupiter pool in September 2007. The death was ruled accidental, and Phyllis Tobias returned to the social scene after months under the radar.

As for me, I’ll probably be the last to wish you all a happy, rich and fun 2009!