Think your wedding is going a tad over budget? Prices are all relative, especially when you look at these multi-million dollar mega weddings.
Music Executive Jordan Bratman and pop superstar Christina Aguilera tie the knot in California’s Napa Valley in November 2005. He proposed after filling a hotel room in California with rose petals, balloons and a string of gift boxes containing poems he’d written. The last one contained the ring.
The no-expense-spared wedding took place in an enormous tent amidst an idyllic vineyard, with Christina wearing an $80,000 Christian Lacroix gown. The couples split five years later, despite trying to make things work for their son Max.
British actress Elizabeth Hurley, former partner of Hugh Grant and star of Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me, wed Indian textile heir Arun Nayer in March 2007 at Sudeley Castle in England. They proceeded to have a second celebration – this time Hindu – at Umaid Bhawan palace in Jodhpur.
Liz was escorted down the aisle by music icon Elton John, one of her best friends. They actually profited from their big day by selling the wedding photos to Hello! Magazine for around $5 million.
The couple’s marriage ended in June 2011. They were granted a fast-track divorce, which took just 92 seconds, after a judge found that their marriage had “broken down irretrievably.”
Beatle Paul McCartney tied the knot with Heather Mills in June 2002 at a remote castle in Ireland in front of 300 guests. The ceremony was followed by a lavish reception, despite only having vegetarian food available.
The pair split in May 2006 and divorced in February 2008. Although the wedding was pricey, the divorce settlement was larger: $27 Million in a one-time payment in addition to $13 million in assets.
Elizabeth Taylor married construction worker Larry Fortensky at Michael Jackson’s Neverland ranch. The pair met while detoxing at a rehab clinic.
More than 160 guests attended the ceremony, with many famous celebrities in attendance. Taylor wore a $25000 wedding dress that was donated for free by the designer Valentino. It is speculated that Fortensky signed a prenuptial agreement permitting a $1 million payout provided that the marriage last at least five years. The couple separated after 5 years. When Taylor passed, she left Larry $800,000 in her will.
With Michael Jackson as the groomsman, Elizabeth Taylor as the matron of honor and the Jackson Five as the groomsmen, you can understand why this cost so much. Liza had 16 bridesmaids and an extensive guest list that included names such as Liam Neeson, Anthony Hopkins, Mia Farrow, etc.
Minnelli and Gest had only met six months earlier. They separated within 16 months, and were divorced five years later. It was dubbed ‘Hollywood’s dirtiest divorce’.
Chelsea Clinton, daughter of former president Bill and former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, wed investment banker Marc Mezvinsky in July 2010. Chelsea wore a strapless Vera Wang gown.
“We could not have asked for a more perfect day,” said Bill and Hillary Clinton at the time. Chelsea and Marc are still going strong – theirs is the first relationship on this list to have actually lasted. In April 2014, the couple announced that Chelsea was pregnant.
The second successful marriage to make the list, the wedding of Manchester United footballer Wayne Rooney and his long-time girlfriend Coleen took place in June 2008. They had dated for six years before tying the knot. They made their vows at the Abbey of Cervara near Genoa in Italy.
Coleen’s dress cost around $330,000, while the wedding band was Irish boy band Westlife, with a pricetag around $670,000. They also flew their 64 guests from Britain to Italy on five private jets for the celebrations. The wedding cost was offset by the $4.2 million they received by a magazine for pictures. The couple now have two young boys.
The wedding between Prince William and Kate was a fairytale affair. Britain pulled out all the stops with this dream wedding. The two had been the darling of the nation for several years before getting married in April 2011.
The couple wed in Westminster Abbey before being paraded through the streets of London in horse and carriage. Both Kate and her sister Pippa, received much media attention in their designer gowns from UK fashion house Alexander McQueen. The couple are still together.
Vanisha Mittal is the daughter of Indian billionaire Lakshmi Mittal, who owns the world’s largest steelmaking firm. Her wedding to investment banker Amit Bhatia is the most expensive non-state wedding in history, and took place at a chateaux outside of Paris, after an engagement ceremony at Paris’s Palace of Versailles.
And here it is – the most expensive wedding in history. The ceremony took place in St Paul’s Cathedral in front of 3,500 people and was watched by 750 million people around the world. Diana’s dress was covered with 10,000 pearls and had a 25ft train, and she arrived at the cathedral in a glass coach. The event was followed by dinner attended by 120 guests at Buckingham Palace, with royalty from around the world.
The marriage did not last. The couple divorced in August 1996, a year before Princess Diana’s tragic death in car accident in Paris. Charles second marriage, to Camilla Parker Bowles, was a civil ceremony and much more of a modest affair.