Prince Charles and Princess Diana – $70 million
When it comes to weddings, the sky is the limit. Just ask the British royal family – they’re the experts in expensive ceremonies. Diana and Charles’ ceremony took place in Westminster Abbey. There were 3,500 guests at the reception and around 750 million people watching worldwide on television.
The 1981 royal wedding of the Prince and Princess of Wales cost an estimated $70 million, which equates to over $160 million in today’s currency. Diana wore a dress worth over $10,000, which was designed by Elizabeth and David Emanual and came with a 25-foot train.
Vanisha Mittal and Amit Bhatia – $66 million
A celebration of extravagance. The 2004 wedding of Vanisha Mittal – the daughter of billionaire Lakshmi Mittal – and Amit Bhatia was the perfect display of utter opulence. After a whirlwind romance, Vanisha and Amit Bhatia got married in a lavish ceremony at the Palace of Versailles in France.
Australian singer Kylie Minogue was hired to perform, and fireworks were launched from the Eiffel Tower. A lavish ceremony at the Palace of Versailles preceded the wedding. The marriage ended shortly after, but not before reminding everyone how big money can result in a massive and memorable wedding and reception.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle – $63 million
The royal wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle was a sight to behold. With close friends, family and celebrities filling the seats, all eyes were on the spectacle taking place in front of them. But what really stood out about the royal wedding was how expensive it was.
The wedding allegedly cost nearly $63 million. This number was mostly attributed to security for the guests, but there were plenty of other factors that contributed to its cost, including the $265,000 price tag on the wedding dress, which was designed for Meghan by Givenchy.
Prince William and Kate Middleton – $49 million
The cost of the Royal Wedding between Prince William and Kate Middleton in 2011 was pretty staggering. The costs for such an elaborate affair can really add up. With a guest list of 1,900 people, there was no way the ceremony would be anything but a spectacle.
It was estimated that Kate’s wedding dress designed by Alexander McQueen cost over $500,000, and there was also considerable additional expense for all the security needed at a royal wedding. The ceremony was watched live by over 35 million people worldwide, and countless more afterwards.
Michael Jordan and Yvette Prieto – $14.6 million
There’s no doubt that Michael Jordan is one of the greatest basketball players of all time, and his fame has transcended sports. When he married Cuban model Yvette Prieto back in 2013, the ceremony drew A-listers from the sporting world and beyond, and reportedly cost the pair $14.6 million.
Celebrity guests at the event included golfer Tiger Woods and film director Spike Lee, and the entertainment was provided by musicians Usher and Robin Thicke, among others. The couple have been married for a decade and now have two children together – twins born in 2014.
Kim Kardashian and Kris Humphries – $10 million
The grandiose union of socialite Kim Kardashian and basketball player Kris Humphries was about as close to the ideal fantasy wedding as anyone could get. It had all the glitz and glamour of a Hollywood movie premiere, with celebrities dressed to the nines and more flowers than you could imagine.
The event is reported to have cost about $10 million, but all of this was apparently paid for on the budget of the reality show Keeping Up With the Kardashians. The couple divorced by 2013, and Kim (who has since married and divorced Kanye West) has since opened up about feeling pressured into the marriage to provide content for the show.
Wayne Rooney and Coleen McLoughlin – $8 million
When Wayne Rooney, one of the world’s top soccer players, married British TV personality Coleen McLoughlin in August 2008, the couple spent $8 million on the ceremony. Even for celebrities, that’s a lot of money to spend on a wedding day – especially considering they only had 65 guests.
The couple held their ceremony at the Abbey of Cervara near Genoa in Italy, and guests were flown from Manchester on five private jets. The couple were reportedly paid a staggering $3 million by OK! magazine for exclusive photos of their nuptials, which should have covered a good portion of their debts for the event.
George Clooney and Amal Alamuddin – $6.7 million
Rumor has it that the 2014 wedding of actor and filmmaker George Clooney and lawyer Amal Alamuddin cost a sizeable $6.7 million, but it seems that a bulk of the budget went towards accommodation for the celebrity guests – guests that included Anna Wintour, Matt Damon and Cindy Crawford.
The couple booked 95 rooms at the iconic Cipriani Hotel in Venice, and it’s rumoured that 600 bottles of Casamigos Tequila (a brand partially owned by Clooney himself) were consumed at the wedding. As for the reception, this was held at the Aman Canal Grande luxury resort in Italy.
Justin Timberlake and Jessica Biel – $6.5 million
The Italian wedding of singer and actor Justin Timberlake and actress Jessica Biel was a star-studded affair. The bride donned a bespoke $100,000 Giambattista Valli wedding gown, complete with petal pink fabric and an intricately beaded bodice, and the groom wore a custom Tom Ford suit.
Along with the beautiful bride and groom, one hundred guests attended the extravagant ceremony at the Borgo Egnazia luxury hotel in Puglia, Italy, including Jimmy Fallon, Timbaland and Andy Samberg. The couple have now been married for over a decade and have two children together.
Chelsea Clinton and Marc Mezvinsky – $5 million
Chelsea Clinton’s wedding with Marc Mezvinsky was an affair of epic proportions, with a high price tag to match. The daughter of former President Bill Clinton married investor Mezvinsky in 2010 in a ceremony attended by 400 of their family and friends in Rhinebeck, New York.
The Astor Courts, where the ceremony took place, provided a serene and romantic view of the Hudson River – and, at $5 million, the total cost for the event was certainly a sight to behold. Celebrity guests ranged from actor Ted Danson to designer Vera Wang.
Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes – $4.4 million
Superstar actor Tom Cruise made headlines when he married Katie Holmes in Italy in 2006 (his third actress wife, after Mimi Rogers and Nicole Kidman). The ceremony took place at the 15th-century Odescalchi Castle in Bracciano in Central Italy and reportedly cost $4.4 million. Holmes wore two Armani dresses throughout the night.
The guest list shows that the event was dominated by celebrities and the Hollywood elite, including Brooke Shields, John Travolta, and Jennifer Lopez. Holmes filed for divorce in 2012 after six years of marriage, and the couple share a daughter, Suri Cruise (Tom’s only biological child, though he also previously adopted two children with Kidman).
Sofia Vergara and Joe Manganiello – $4.3 million
When Colombian-born actress Sofia Vergara married actor Joe Manganiello in 2015, the final bill came to a whopping $4.3 million. It was Vergara’s second marriage and Manganiello’s first. They tied the knot in Palm Beach, Florida, and reportedly had over 300 guests. That’s a lot of mouths to feed!
The ceremony was held at the Breakers Palm Beach resort in Florida and featured a massive five-tier cake for the 350-plus guest list. Vergara wore a gown designed by Zuhair Murad. In 2023, the couple sadly announced they were separating after seven years of marriage.
Liza Minnelli and David Gest – $4.2 million
When it comes to lavish celebrity weddings, Liza Minnelli and David Gest’s marriage is the granddaddy of them all. In 2002, the couple held a ceremony in New York City that was so extravagant that it cost over $4 million, and countless fellow celebrities attended the extravagant ceremony.
Michael Jackson served as a best man, and Joan Collins, Gloria Gaynor, Mia Farrow, John Travolta and Liam Neeson were some of the stars in attendance. A year after the ceremony, Liza filed for divorce. Gest later sued the star for $1o million, accusing her of being abusive throughout their relationship.
Kim Kardashian and Kanye West – $4.1 million
We live in a world where celebrity couples are hugely influential. When Kim Kardashian and Kanye West got married, it was set to be a huge deal. They were already a power couple because of her reality show career and social media presence, and his prolific music career. It’s not surprising that their 2014 wedding was the wedding of the year.
The pair wed in Florence, Italy at the Forte di Belvedere, and the wedding reportedly cost as much as $4.1 million. After six years of marriage and four children, the couple separated in 2021 in light of West’s increasingly erratic behavior, and Kardashian filed for divorce soon after.
Elizabeth Taylor and Larry Fortensky – $4 million
It’s not every day that a Hollywood icon like Elizabeth Taylor and a working-class construction worker like Larry Fortensky end up together, but after they met in a California rehab facility for their drug issues, the two fell in love. This was Taylor’s seventh wedding and Fortensky’s third.
Their whirlwind romance was announced to the world in 1990, and they had a $4 million wedding ceremony at Michael Jackson’s Neverland Ranch in 1991. Jackson escorted Taylor down the aisle. Given Taylor’s turbulent history, few were surprised when the couple filed for divorce after five years of marriage.
Trista and Ryan Sutter – $4 million
Trista Rehn and Ryan Sutter’s wedding was a big event in 2003. The couple had just won the first season of ABC reality TV show The Bachelorette, and their televised nuptials were all the buzz. It was estimated to have cost around $4 million dollars, which is a pretty hefty price tag for a TV wedding.
It drew the biggest U.S. audience for a TV wedding since Prince Charles and Princess Diana’s in 1981. It was a milestone moment for reality television – and, perhaps surprisingly for a couple whose relationship began on reality television, the Sutters are still together 20 years later.
Paul McCartney and Heather Mills – $3.6 million
Many people know of the infamous $3.6 million wedding of Paul McCartney and Heather Mills. The lavish ceremony took place at an Irish castle in 2002, four years after the death of McCartney’s first wife Linda. But the couple went on to have a stormy relationship, and they split in 2006 after four years of marriage.
The couple had a 300-guest reception at a luxury hotel in Dublin. There was a vegetarian menu, which was considered eccentric for such an extravagant affair. Mills wore an Eavis & Brown dress, and the nuptials were attended by celebrities including Michael Jackson and McCartney’s fellow surviving Beatle, Ringo Starr. McCartney has since wed Nancy Shevell, though Mills reportedly vowed never to marry again.
Salma Hayek and François-Henri Pinault – $3.5 million
Francois-Henri Pinault and Salma Hayek are one of many couples who have made the Valentine’s Day holiday their wedding date. The billionaire businessman and famed actress tied the knot in 2009 in a ceremony in Paris, France, at the city hall. This was a private affair for family and close friends.
About two months later, the couple held a more formal wedding ceremony at Teatro La Fenice, an opera house in Venice, Italy. This lavish event had 150 guests and cost $3.5 million. An impressive guest list of celebrities was in attendance at the reception party, including Woody Harrelson, Ashley Judd, Bono and Penelope Cruz.
Madonna and Guy Ritchie – $2.8 million
The wedding between pop star Madonna and director Guy Ritchie that took place in Scotland in 2000 was massive, but it’s even more so when you consider how much money that kind of celebration costs today. At the time, the wedding cost around $2.8 million, but with inflation factored in, the price tag would be much higher.
The American pop superstar and actress was married to the British film director for eight years, before Madonna filed for divorce in 2008. It was Madonna’s second marriage after her notoriously volatile relationship with actor Sean Penn, and she had not remarried. Madonna was Ritchie’s first wife, and he’s since wed model and actress Jacqui Ainsley.
Elizabeth Hurley and Arun Nayar – $2.6 million
The British actress and her Indian businessman fiance, Arun Nayar, love to celebrate. After their first wedding in the UK in 2007, the couple decided to hold a second ceremony in India where Nayar is from. The main focus of the week-long festivities was on the Hindu wedding, which took place in Jodhpur, India, although they also had a small “family” ceremony at a private home in England.
The couple flew in Sir Elton John to perform at the wedding, and the entire ceremony cost around $2.5 million. Hurley filed for divorce in 2011, after four years of marriage, and was engaged to cricketer Shane Warne a few months later.
Sir Elton John and David Furnish – $2.2 million
It’s no surprise that Sir Elton John and David Furnish’s wedding was a lavish affair. With more than 600 guests in attendance, including the Beckhams and Donatella Versace, the event would have been a sight to see. The rock icon and the former advertising executive and filmmaker had been a couple since 1993, and tied the knot nine months after Britain legalized same-sex marriage.
Hire costs were kept to a minimum as the event was held at the couple’s mansion in Windsor. However, their love for caviar and champagne gave the ceremony an estimated cost of $2.5 million. John and Furnish had previously held a civil partnership but got married as soon as same-sex marriage was legalized in the United Kingdom.
Christina Aguilera and Jordan Bratman – $2.2 million
Brides tend to have a lot of expenses to cover when they’re planning their big day. But, even by Hollywood standards, singer Christina Aguilera’s 2005 wedding to music producer Jordan Bratman was very lavish. The ceremony cost $2.2 million, which is a lot even by Hollywood standards.
The event was held in a tent in the middle of a vineyard, and the bride wore a custom gown by Christian Lacroix. Sadly, this fairy tale didn’t have a happy ever after ending. Aguilera filed for divorce in 2010 after five years of marriage and is currently engaged to singer Matthew Rutler.
Catherine Zeta-Jones and Michael Douglas – $2.1 million
With over 350 guests, including Brad Pitt, Jennifer Aniston and Whoopi Goldberg, the 2000 wedding of Catherine Zeta-Jones and Michael Douglas was one of the most star-studded weddings of the year. At the time of their wedding, Zeta-Jones was just 31 years old while her husband was 56.
The wedding cost well over $2 million and took place in a ballroom at the Plaza Hotel which featured sweeping views of Central Park. The couple split briefly in 2013 but, to the surprise of some tabloid commentators, they reconciled soon after and are still together. They have two children.
Jessica Simpson and Eric Johnson – $2 million
The wedding of Jessica Simpson and Eric Johnson is an event that is going to be talked about for a long time to come. The couple tied the knot in 2014 in dramatic fashion, and over four days, which isn’t too bad considering the price tag of $2 million.
The union of the singer, actress and reality TV star and the NFL player was a Hollywood-worthy affair, with flowers, lavish accommodation at San Ysidro Ranch, and a custom Carolina Herrera gown. The couple have three kids and are still together almost a decade later.
NeNe and Gregg Leakes – $1.8 million
The second marriage of NeNe and Gregg Leakes was truly a fairy tale affair – and with a price tag of $1.8 million, it’s no wonder! The stars of reality show Real Housewives of Atlanta had previously been married from 1997 to 2011, but renewed their vows in 2013.
The wedding ceremony took place at the InterContinental Hotel in Atlanta in front of 400 guests, and NeNe wore an extravagant Baracci gown which is reported to have cost $50,000. Tragically, their union was cut short, as Gregg passed away from colon cancer in 2021.
Kate Moss and Jamie Hince – $1.6 million
When you’ve got a celebrity-studded guest list, prices are going to go up. Especially if you’re Kate Moss and you’re marrying a guitarist in the band The Kills. The supermodel wed Jamie Hince on July 2, 2011, and the wedding cost an estimated $1.6 million.
While it might be hard to fathom spending that amount on one event, it’s not as uncommon as you might think for celebrities to have extensive weddings and celebrations. Unfortunately, the couple split in 2016, and Moss is now in a relationship with German aristocrat Count Nikolai von Bismarck.
Tiger Woods and Elin Nordegren – $1. 5 million
When celebrities tie the knot, we’re often amazed by how expensively it can go. Take model Elin Nordegren and golf superstar Tiger Woods’ $1.5 million wedding, for example. Let’s just say the ceremony was pretty over-the-top, even with a guest list of only 100 or so people.
The couple rented out the entire Ritz-Carlton Hotel (200 rooms) in Barbados for their sunset ceremony on October 5th 2004. They even had 500 roses imported for the ceremony. The couple was married for almost six years before they split in 2010 after Nordegren discovered Woods had been cheating on her with multiple women.
Pierce Brosnan and Keely Shaye Smith – $1.5 million
When it comes to the movies, Pierce Brosnan is known as the suave secret agent James Bond. In real life, he is a loving husband to his wife Keely Shaye Smith and they have been together for almost 30 years, having tied the knot at the height of Brosnan’s 007 fame.
The couple got married in 2001 in the Irish castle of Ballintubber Abbey in a $1.5 million ceremony, at which Keely wore a $60,000 white lace gown designed by Richard Taylor. The marriage was Brosnan’s second (his first wife Cassandra Harris died in 1991) and Smith’s first, and the couple is still together.
Eddie Murphy and Nicole Mitchell – $1.5 million
Actor and stand-up comedian Eddie Murphy and model Nicole Mitchell began dating in 1988, and in March of 1993 they made it official, tying the knot at the Plaza Hotel in New York City in a lavish ceremony which is reported to have cost $1.5 million.
The bride wore a French lace gown, with a 12-foot-long train and off-the-shoulder sleeves. The wedding was an affair fit for royalty with 500 guests and a $25,000 tiered wedding cake. In 2005, Nicole filed for divorce after 12 years of marriage. Murphy has since been in a long-term relationship with Paige Butcher.
Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston – $1.4 million
While celebrities are undoubtedly rich, that doesn’t mean they don’t want to save some money when it comes time to tie the knot. However, when big screen superstar Brad Pitt and Friends actress Jennifer Aniston tied the knot in Malibu, California, in 2000, the stars spared no expense for the event.
The couple had a $1.4 million wedding, which included fireworks, live gospel singers, and countless celebrity guests, including Salma Hayek and Cameron Diaz. It was both Pitt and Aniston’s first marriage; the couple divorced after five years, and both went on to marry other people although these marriages (Pitt and Angelina Jolie, Aniston and Justin Theroux) also ended in divorce.
Priyanka Chopra and Nick Jonas – $1.2 million
The celebrity-obsessed news cycle has been ablaze with coverage of the nuptials of Priyanka Chopra and Nick Jonas—and for good reason. The two had a multi-day celebration in the actress’s home country of India – including both a Christian and traditional Hindu ceremony – and spent over $1 million on their 225 guests.
Guests from around the world flew in for the traditional Indian celebrations, with the bride wearing several different gowns, including a Ralph Lauren gown adorned with crystals which took 1,826 hours to by made by a team of 15 artisans. The Indian actress and the American singer and actor are still together.
Peter Andre and Katie Price – $1.2 million
Glamour model and reality star Katie Price is perhaps one of the most decisive public figures in the United Kingdom. When the news broke that the British-Australian reality star and singer Peter Andre were getting married, it was no surprise that it would be covered in great detail by the press.
The event cost $1.2 million dollars but was paid for by British tabloid OK magazine, which meant that Price spent most of her wedding day posing for photographs rather than enjoying the festivities. Price wore a pink gown and arrived at the venue in a Cinderella-style carriage. They divorced in 2009.
David and Victoria Beckham – $1.1 million
History is filled with remarkable love stories, but few have been documented as publicly as that of David and Victoria Beckham. The relationship of the Spice Girl and the soccer superstar has been the obsession of the tabloids for years, and their wedding in 1999 brought them even more fame.
The ceremony took place in Luttrellstown Castle in Ireland in 1999. The ceremony was reportedly $1.1 million dollars and had 250 guests. However, this figure would be much higher today, due to inflation. The couple is still married today, and they share three children.
Tori Spelling and Charlie Shanian – $1 million
With a whopping 350 guests, a 1920s theme, a champagne fountain, and famous chef Wolfgang Puck as the catering provider, the wedding of Beverly Hills 90210 actress and reality TV star Tori Spellingto actor Charlie Shanian in 2004 was definitely a glitzy affair.
The cost of the event was rumored to be around $1 million. Unfortunately, the marriage didn’t last, as Spelling filed for divorce a year later. She went on to marry actor Dean McDermott in 2006, although in summer 2023 it was reported this couple were also separating.
Donald Trump and Melania Knauss – $1 million
Donald Trump, the real estate mogul, reality TV star and later President of the United States, married his third wife, model Melania Knauss, in 2005 at the Bethesda by the Sea Episcopalian Church in Palm Beach, Florida. It was Trump’s third down the aisle, following his marriages with Ivanna Trump and Marla Marples, both of which ended in divorce.
The ceremony was estimated to cost $1 million and had 400 guests including Rudy Giuliani, Barbara Walters and Regis Philbin. The bride wore a $200,000 gown designed by Christian Dior. Melania gave birth to their son Barron a year later, in 2006. Officially the couple are still married, although it is widely reported their union is not a happy one.
Khloe Kardashian and Lamar Odom – $1 million
Lamar Odom and Khloé Kardashian’s nuptials were a whirlwind of emotions. From the proposal to the ceremony, it was a very short time for the two to get married. The basketball player popped the question to the reality TV star after only three weeks of dating, and they were walking down the aisle nine days later.
As you can imagine, that type of ceremony comes with a hefty price tag: $1 million to be exact! A huge portion of that money went toward Khloé’s custom Vera Wang dress. After a tumultuous seven-year relationship – including a two-season reality show – Kardashian filed for divorce in 2013.
Anne Hathaway and Adam Shulman – $1 million
When it comes to a wedding, the saying goes that you can’t put a price on love, but with 180 guests and an overall cost of $1 million, it’s probably safe to say that actress Anne Hathaway and actor-producer Adam Shulman went a little overboard at their 2012 ceremony.
And as if the $100,000 spent on flowers is any indication, this was no low-key affair. Academy Award winner Hathaway wore a custom Valentino dress with an off-the-shoulder neckline. The couple is still together, and they now have two children – born in 2016 and 2019.
Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie – $650,000
Brad and Angelina’s wedding may have been a smaller affair than his first, taking place at their chateau in France, but that doesn’t mean they didn’t spend a small fortune on it. Jolie made headlines for her unconventional wedding dress – a custom Versace gown with her children’s drawings sewn into the train.
The rings alone cost $250,000. They also spent $100,000 on the private jet for their guests and $4,000 on catering for the event. The cost for the whole ceremony has been estimated at around $650,000. Jolie filed for divorce in 2016 – only two years after their wedding.
Mariah Carey and Tommy Mattola – $500,000
When your wedding day is your day to be a princess, it makes sense to look to royalty for inspiration. That’s exactly what pop singer Mariah Carey did by basing her 1993 wedding to record company executive Tommy Mottola on Princess Diana’s 1981 royal affair.
Mariah made sure her wedding dress wasn’t an afterthought – it was a dress that people would remember. She chose a $25,000 Vera Wang gown. The couple was married for five years before splitting in 1998. Carey has gone on to describe her first husband as controlling, and physically and emotionally abusive.
Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban – $250,000
Though Oscar-winning actress Nicole Kidman had been married before to Hollywood superstar Tom Cruise, that didn’t stop her from spending the equivalent of a quarter of a million dollars on her wedding to country music star Keith Urban. They had been dating for one year before their nuptials.
Back in 2006, the couple tied the knot in Kidman’s native Australia, with an estimated $250,000 budgeted for the event. As if that wasn’t enough extravagance for one day, each guest received a custom Tiffany clock as a wedding favor. That’s a bit more than a piece of cake!
