The Most Elaborate Celebrity Weddings Of All Time

3 years ago

1. Beyoncé And Jay-Z, 2008 - Orchids Were Flown In From Thailand

Image source PeopleAs Beyoncé is known as Queen Bey, it's fitting that her wedding was fit for a queen with a price tag to match. If you take into consideration the fact that her engagement ring was $5 million then you won't be surprised to hear the actual nuptials were reported to have cost around $7.5 million. This amount was never confirmed by the couple but it was also never denied! $8 Million barely covered the cost of orchids flown in from Thailand for their special day.

2. The Duke And Duchess Of Cambridge, 2011 - Cost £24 Million

Image source Marie ClaireKate Middleton looked no less than stunning as she arrived at Westminster Abbey in her Alexander McQueen wedding dress. The ceremony was filled with everything you would expect of a Royal Wedding and lots of media attention focussed on Kate's sister, Pippa Middleton in her figure-hugging dress. Once married, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge paraded through London in a horse-drawn carriage with no worries about the £24 million cost for their special day.

3. Priyanka Chopra And Nick Jonas, 2018 - A 3 Day Celebration

Image source DNA IndiaWhen boy band heart throb Nick Jonas tied the knot with Priyanka Chopra, celebrations lasted for 3 days. This involved Hindu pre-wedding rituals, a Christian ceremony and a huge Hindu reception at the Ubaid Bhawan Palace in Jodhpur. As if this wasn't enough, there were multiple parties in both America and India for family and friends, with lots of outfit changes and tons of food at the venues. This glamorous couple certainly knew how to party.

4. Prince Charles And Diana, Princess Of Wales, 1981 - 10,000 Pearls Sewn By Hand

Image source Woman and HomeCharles and Diana's wedding, dubbed 'the wedding of the century' was watched on tv by almost 29 million viewers as well as 700 million worldwide! The Princess's dress, designed by the Emanuels, was the star of the show at St. Pau's Cathedral. It had 10,000 pearls hand sewn on to the material and a 25 foot train and cost £151,000, a hefty sum back in 1981. The wedding itself set the Royal Family back £57 million.

5. Elizabeth Hurley And Arun Nayar, 2007 - Indian Ceremony

Image source The Bridal BoxGlamorous Liz Hurley, long time ex of floppy haired Hugh Grant, said 'I do' to entrepreneur Arun Nayar twice because once is not enough. The first ceremony was in Sudeley Castle in Gloucestershire and the second in the same castle in Jodhpur where Nick Jonas married Pryanka Chopra. Their nuptial cost $2.6 million in total, a chunk of that going to Elton John who was flown in to perform at 'the do'.

6. Elizabeth Taylor And Larry Fortensky, 1991 - Married At Neverland Ranch

Image source RedditLiz Taylor, one of the most beautiful women in Hollywood, loved getting married, so much so that she did it 8 times, twice to the same man, fellow actor Richard Burton. Not being put off from failed marriages, she wed construction worker Larry Fortensky with the lavish ceremony totting up to a cool $4 million. It was a case of 'spot the celebrity' as Brooke Shields, Macaulay Culkin and Eddie Murpy were among the well known guests filing in. Michael Jackson, a long time friend of the bride, hosted the event at his Neverland Ranch.

7. Nicole Kidman And Keith Urban, 2006 - Balenciaga Gown

Image source PeopleNicole had well and truly moved on from her failed marriage to Tom Cruise when she tied the knot with country singer, Keith Urban. The pair went all out on their Australian wedding, the bride looing breath taking in her custom-made Nicolas Ghesquière designed Balenciaga gown. She arrived at the ceremony in a limousine and the venue was adorned from head to foot in flowers and romantic decorations.

8. Khloé Kardashian and Lamar Odom. 2009 - A Mere Million

Image source Us WeeklyIf you were a fan of 'Keeping Up With The Kardashians', you will have witnessed the wedding of these two lovebirds. Whereas celebrity weddings can take a year or more to organise, this one was pulled together in a matter of days. It was held at the family Beverly Hills mansion and Khloe was zipped into a Vera Wang dress. Total cost, a mere million, not a drop in the ocean for this clan.

9. Jessica Simpson And Eric Johnson, 2009 - 4 Days Celebrations

Image source GlamourNothing less than a 4 day wedding would be enough for Jessica and Eric. They wanted to do things big and big they did! Lavish receptions at different venues allowed them to party until they dropped. Outfits of the bridesmaids and groomsmen contributed to the hefty bill of $750,000.

10. Salma Hayek and François-Henri Pinault, 2009 - Valentines Day

Image source ElleSalma Hayek married her true love, French businessman Francois-Henri Pinault. The first of their ceremonies was on Valentines Day at Paris City Hall and just to confirm it was all legal, they repeated their vows in Venice, surrounded by 150 guests. The whole event was reported to have cost $3.5 million. There was a celebrity chef involved so that would explain part of the budget.

11. Kim Kardashian And Kanye West, 2014 - Rehearsal Dinner At Palace

Kim and Kanye have more money between them than they know what to do with so a $6 million wedding made a slight dent in their savings account. A rehearsal dinner at the Palace of Versailles and a ceremony at a Florentine fort was on the check list. Kim wore a bespoke Givenchy haute couture dress which blended in nicely with the custom made flower wall. Their guests were flown in by private jet and will have been relieved that they didn't have to fly by Ryan Air!

12. Nicky Hilton And James Rothschild, 2015 - Rich Marries Richer

Image source The MirrorWhen two high society dynasties unite for life, you know they didn't get together for the money. After a pre-wedding party at London’s Spencer House, attended by Naomi Campbell, Chelsea Clinton and Crown Prince Pavlos and Marie-Chantal of Greece, the wedding itself took place at the Kensington Palace Orangery. A typical Jewish wedding, the groom The bride wore a stunning $77,000 Valentino Haute Couture gown, while sister Paris, her maid of honour, also showed the 'wow factor' with a Dennis Basso powder blue dress.

13. Chelsea Clinton And Marc Mezvinsky, 2010 - President Gives Her Away

Image source EonlineFormer President, Bill Clinton gave his daughter Chelsea away to Marc Mezvinsky at an elaborate wedding at the Astor Courts Estate in Rhinebeck New York. He footed the bill of $3 million which consisted of 2 wedding dresses for the bride, of course, half a million on flowers and $200,000 on security.

14. Michael Jordan And Yvette Prieto, 2013 - $10 Million Price Tag

Image source Entertainment TonightAfter 5 years of dating, Michael Jordan and Yvette Prieto married in Palm Beach, Florida with many A-listers present to celebrate with them. The venue was so luxurious that it was even agreeable for the wedding of Donald and Melania Trump. No expense was spared and there was no change from $10 million after the celebrations ended.

15. George Clooney And Amal Alamuddin, 2014 - Monogrammed Wine

Image source PeopleMr good looking, George Clooney, finally settled down with his beautiful, intelligent fiancee, Amal (I'm not jealous). They spent an eye watering $4.6million on their Italian wedding, pulling out all the stops with the best food and wine in the world. Famous faces mingled with monogrammed bottles of wine, reported to have cost hundreds of dollars a bottle.

16. Justin Timberlake And Jessica Biel, 2012 - Cake Flown 5000 Miles

Image source The MirrorThe dream wedding of this gorgeous couple cost $6.5 million which is surprising as there were only 100 guests. It was reported that invitees received expensive goody bags dull of designer stuff. The newlyweds ensured no one was left out by flying a slice of cake 5,000 miles to Justin's ailing grandad.

17. Paul McCartney And Heather Mills, 2002 - Money Can't Buy Me Love

Image source Stephenstone.co.ukThe ex Beatle spent $3 million on his wedding to Heather Mills. They married in a castle and the event was reported to be 'well over the top'. Paul's famous song 'Money can't buy me love' turned out to be true, unfortunately. They divorced but did have a beautiful daughter to come out of it.

18. Mariah Carey And Tommy Mottola, 1993 - 27 Foot Long Train

Image source Bravo TVPermanent diva with the window shattering vocals, Maria Carey, took inspiration from Princess Diana's wedding dress when she married Tommy Mottola. Not to be outdone, her train was longer than Di's, a staggering 27 foot long and cost $25,000. Guests included Barbra Streisand, Bruce Springsteen and Robert De Niro. The whole affair cost half a million but today would be close to a million dollars.

19. Celine Dion And Rene Angelil, 1994 - Crystal Crown

Image source PeopleThe happy couple splashed out $500,000 on the wedding of the year. A 20 foot train and crystal-embelished headpiece, weighing 7 pounds, turned Celine into a princess. Broadcast on Canadian tv, the ceremony took place at Notre Dame Basilica in Montreal.

20. Jennifer Aniston And Brad Pitt, 2000 - 50,000 Flowers

Image source Grazia DailyA million dollar wedding at a Malibu estate, filled with 50,000 flowers, a ton of special candles imported from Thailand and a firework display were all part of the special day. Guests had to sign confidentiality agreements and security made sure the paps. didn't interfere with the nuptials.

21. Eddie Murphy And Nicole Mitchell , 1993 - Donated Flowers To Hospital

Image source QuoraBack in 1993, Eddie Murphy and his great love (at the time) Nicole Mitchell, married at the Plaza Hotel in New York City - you don't get much posher than that! The price tag as just over $1.5 million, give or take $100,000 and the 500 guests were treated to a wealth of good food and fine wines. The specially flown in flowers (they had to be a special shade to match the bride's eyes), were all donated to a local hospital - nice gesture.

22. David Beckham And Victoria Adams, 1999 - Nude Sculpture On Wedding Cake

Image source The MirrorPosh and Becks spent $800,000 on their 'fancy' wedding. It was held at an Irish Castle so, of course, matching thrones were commissioned (and appeared in OK magazine!!) They both wore white for the ceremony and changed into purple for the reception. Their wedding cake was topped with an almost nude sculpture of the couple and they cut int it with a sword. It as rumoured that Victoria even smiled on her wedding day!

23. Elton John And David Furnish, 2014 - Spent $2,500 on EACH Guest

Image source Female FirstI wish I had been invited to the wedding of these two as no expense was spared. The final bill, including service charge, came in at $2 million but at $2,500 per head for each of the 600 guests, it's no surprise. Pink champagne and caviar was the order of the day and luckily they did save some money by holding the reception at their own mansion - good thinking Elton!

24. Michael Douglas And Catherine Zeta-Jones, 2000 - Dad, Sparticus, Was There

Image source PeopleHollywood legend and 'Darling Buds of May' actress, beauty and younger woman, booked the Plaza Hotel in New York City for their wedding of all weddings. Although it cost around $2 million, they got most of it back by selling their photos exclusively to a magazine. Such was the secrecy, private photography was forbidden and guests had to show their hologram invitations on arrival. Michael's dad, the icon that was Kirk Douglas, apparently gave a brilliant speech!

25. Tiger Woods And Elin Nordegren, 2004 - Booked Helicopters For Wedding Guests

Image source The MirrorTiger and Elin opted for a destination wedding, choosing an island in Barbados that was remote enough to warrant helicopter rides to get the guests there. Oprah Winfrey and Michael Jordan were a couple of the many celebs invited and entertainment was supplied by Hootie and the Blowfish.

26. Christine Aguilera And Jordan Bratman, 2005 - Winter Wonderland Wedding

Image source InStyleThe pop star with the huge voice married her music executive beau in a $2 million winter wonderland wedding - sounds right up my street! A huge marquee was decorated with trees and silk tablecloths and there a five-tier wedding cake, so plenty to go around. There was also an afterparty in the wine cave on the estate where the ceremony was held.

27. Katie Holmes And Tom Cruise, 2006 - Married In A 15th Century Castle

Image source ReutersIt was going to cost at least $3 million if the venue was an Italian 15th century castle. The bride wore 2 Armani gowns (was she undecided as to which one to wear?) and Andrea Bocelli performed with a backdrop of firework displays. The Beckhams were invited as was Jennifer Lopez and one of her husbands, Marc Anthony.

28. Madonna And Guy Richie, 2000 - Bride Wore Stella McCartney $80,000 Dress

Image source PinterestMadge and Guy Richie fell in love and celebrated their future life in a caste in the Scottish Highlands. Not sure if guests were served shortbread for afters but Gwyneth Paltrow and Sting appeared to have a great time. The marriage was short lived and the $2.1 million cost of the wedding was a lot less than the divorce settlement.

29. Liza Minnelli And David Gest, 2003 - 4th Wedding For The 'Cabaret' Girl

Image source The MirrorAt a cost of $3.5 million, this was a wedding to remember and I'm sure all 1,500 guests did so. Tony Bennett and Natalie Cole performed and Elton John, Elizabeth Taylor and Michael Jackson tucked in to a sumptuous banquet. It was an expensive mistake - as they divorced barely a year later.

30 Harry And Meghan (The Duke And Duchess Of Sussex), 2018 - Eco Couple

Marketplace.orgWindsor Castle was awash with well wishers, eagerly queuing behind barriers to get a glimpse of the Royal couple (as they were then!) Meghan's Givenchy dress cost £200,000 and £680,000 went on food. Following the afterparty, they drove away in an electric Jaguar, the crowds screaming with delight. The Duchess can't have been too happy about being centre of attention and within a year moved back to the States, along with plain Harry, as he then became. They have kept themselves away from the public eye, apart from a Netflix series, a fly-on-the-wall upcoming documentary and that interview with Oprah!