As I read from the one sentance to the next I thought you were describing your wife..... Then I saw the wheelset reference. Had me laughing for a moment there....

Fenders are a flat out neccessity on any commuter bike unless you commute in a desert where it rains like once a year. So I'd have to suggest you keep pushing for the commuter special that has the room in the frame and forks for fenders and something like 25 to 32 mm tires.

It's not just a comfort thing with the fenders. The odd time I've ridden in the wet with no fenders the spray off the front wheel both that flew out in front of the forks and then blew back to me or that bounced off the frame tended to get a lot of muck into my face and eyes.

I really like my 25mm tires but I have a route that is usualy very clean and quite smooth. If it was rougher like cobbles or roads with lots of cracks and potholes or paths with lots of tree routes pushing up the paving then I would then suggest the 28 to 32 option.

Either way I also recomend a tire with a kevlar belt such as Panaracer makes in the Messanger lineup. I only get about 1/5 or less of the number of flats on my kevlar belt tires as I get with regular tires.