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22 of the most extravagant celebrity weddings
Talia Lakritz
- Celebrities with expendable incomes spend enormous amounts of money on large weddings.
- Royal weddings also cost millions to stage due to security.
- Prince Charles and Princess Diana's wedding would cost $110 million dollars in today's money.
In recent years, the average cost of a wedding in the US has skyrocketed to $38,000, which is more than some people make in a whole year.
With a celebrity wedding budget in the millions, the possibilities are endless.
Here are the 22 most extravagant (read: expensive) celebrity weddings.
Nick Jonas and Priyanka Chopra's wedding cost somewhere between $584,000 and $800,000 in 2018.
Nick Jonas and Priyanka Chopra held multiple wedding celebrations in 2018, including three traditional Indian ceremonies and a traditional Christian wedding.
The pre-wedding celebrations themselves cost an estimated $61,000. Their actual wedding venue, the Umaid Bhawan Palace in Jodhpur, has a price tag of $60,000 a night, according to the Times of India.
E! News estimates that the entire wedding cost around $800,000. Other estimates from Brides and Refinery29 put it at around $584,000.
Brad Pitt married Jennifer Aniston at a $1 million ceremony in 2000.
The couple may have tried to keep the intimate details of their ceremony under wraps, but the stunning Malibu wedding — fit with a gospel choir, four bands, fireworks, and a reported 50,000 flowers — was estimated to cost $1 million, according to People.
They later split in 2005.
Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner spent at least $1 million on their 500-person dream wedding in 2009.
Ivanka Trump married her real estate developer boyfriend in a custom Vera Wang dress inspired by Grace Kelly's iconic wedding gown, according to the New York Times.
That alone cost $50,000, but other costs included a 13-layer Sylvia Weinstock cake, event planning by Preston Bailey, and Ivanka Trump signature earrings, a necklace, and a hairpiece, all studded with diamonds, according to Brides Magazine.
The exact total cost of their wedding is unknown, but estimates put it at least $1 million.
Like father like daughter. Donald Trump and Melania also spent $1 million on their 2005 nuptials.
For his third wedding, Trump went all out. They had a 200-pound Grand Marnier cake covered with 3,000 icing roses made by Mar-a-Lago's Cedric Barbaret, who told The Hollywood Reporter that it took two months to design.
That set them back $50,000, but the real costs came from her Dior gown, which had a 13-foot train and was embroidered with 1,500 rhinestones and pearls ($100,000). The catering by Jean-Georges Vongerichten for their 400 guests was a cool $110,000, according to E! Online.
Total cost? $1 million, according to the Mirror.
David and Victoria Beckham's $800,000 wedding in 1999 would exceed a million dollars today.
David and Victoria Beckham's wedding cost $800,000 in 1999 according to the BBC, but it would have exceeded a million dollars in the present day.
The power couple wed at Luttrellstown Castle in Dublin in front of 250 guests. The castle's wedding package starts at $135 per person, bringing the estimated venue costs to at least $33,750. An overnight stay at the castle also costs $7,500 per night.
Posh Spice lived up to her name — her Vera Wang gown with a 20-foot train reportedly cost $100,000.
They celebrated their 21st wedding anniversary in July.
Sir Elton John and David Furnish tied the knot in 2014 at a $1.5 million event.
The star-studded ceremony had 600 guests, including the Beckham family, Donatella Versace, Claudia Schiffer, and Sharon Stone. They partied all night in heated tents at the couple's Windsor mansion. They saved on their venue, but the night's food and drinks (caviar and pink champagne) cost a staggering $130,000. The two also donned designer suits.
Elton gave followers an inside look into their lavish ceremony and reception by posting Instagram after Instagram after Instagram all night long.
Forbes estimates that the duo spent anywhere between $1.5 million to $2 million for their big day.
Eddie Murphy and Nicole Mitchell got married in 1993 in New York City in a wedding that cost $1.5 million.
Actor and comedian Eddie Murphy married model Nicole Mitchell at the Plaza Hotel in New York City. E! News estimates that their nuptials cost $1.5 million back in 1993.
They may have spent an enormous amount of money on a lavish wedding, but they also used it as an opportunity to give back. After they exchanged vows, People reports that they donated all of the flowers from their ceremony and reception to a hospital in Harlem.
The couple divorced in 2006.
Catherine Zeta Jones and Michael Douglas tied the knot at a $1.5 million dollar wedding in 2000.
The couple will celebrate their 21st wedding anniversary this year and will surely spend some time reminiscing about the Plaza Hotel, the bride's $140,000 Christina Lacroix gown, and her $300,000 diamond tiara. ABC News estimated that the wedding cost between $1.5 and $2 million total.
Maybe they'll even share a bite of their $7,000 10-tier wedding cake.
Elizabeth Taylor spared no expense for her eighth wedding to Larry Fortensky in 1991 - to the tune of $1.5 million.
Elizabeth Taylor's eighth and final wedding was held at Michael Jackson's Neverland ranch in Santa Ynez Valley, California. Jackson reportedly footed much of the $1.5 million bill, according to People.
The bride wore a $25,000 yellow dress to marry construction worker Larry Fortensky, who was 20 years younger than her.
Taylor sold her wedding photos to People magazine for $1 million and used the money to start The Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation, according to the New York Daily News.
They divorced five years later in 1996.
Christina Aguilera married Jordan Bratman at her $2 million winter wonderland-themed wedding in 2005.
Wedding planner Michael Gapinskihe decorated the reception tent at an estate in Napa Valley from top to bottom with expensive details like white hydrangeas, roses, birch trees, amaryllis, and custom chandeliers made of branches, according to InStyle. They served comfort food like roasted chicken and family-style mac and cheese to their 150 guests, and had DJ AM spin all night long.
People estimates the total cost of the wedding to have been $2 million.
The couple divorced in 2011, ending their 8-year relationship.
Madonna and Guy Ritchie shelled out $2.1 million for their big day in 2000.
The couple split in 2008, but the wedding will live on in the history books. The pop queen spent a reported $80,000 on her Stella McCartney gown and shelled out even more money to book a whole Scottish castle for their ceremony and reception.
The ceremony was estimated to cost the couple £1.5 million, or $2.1 million, according to the Mirror.
Kim said "I do" for a third time to Kanye West in a stunning $2.8 million wedding in 2014.
Kimye married at the Forte di Belvedere, a venue that costs at least €300,000 to rent — or over $368,000 at today's conversion rates — in Florence, Italy. After a week long celebration among friends and family in Paris, the couple said their vows off-screen after a performance from Andrea Bocelli.
Kim wore a $500,000 Givenchy Haute Couture gown and spent another $136,000 on flowers, and over $110,000 on food to make her fairy tale wedding dreams come true, according to People.
E! Online estimates their wedding cost $2.8 million, not including their time in Paris.
Beatle Paul McCartney spent $3 million when he wed model Heather Mills in 2002.
The couple went their separate ways in 2008, but not before renting out a remote Irish castle and treating their 300 guests to Indian food, Billboard reports. In total, their wedding cost an estimated $2.3 million, according to Reuters.
It's no wonder he said his third vows to Nancy Shevell in a low-key ceremony with just 30 witnesses.
Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes said their vows for a reported $3 million in 2006.
The couple held a traditional Scientology ceremony, with Katie in a $50,000 ivory wedding gown fitted with Valenciennes lace by Giorgio Armani and Tom in a custom navy suit by Armani as well.
The ceremony and reception were held at Italy's Odescalchi Castle, where guests feasted on risotto, sea bass, and artichokes while downing nearly 300 bottles of red Barbesco wine and champagne which probably totaled somewhere near $18,000. The night ended with an over-the-top firework display, but guests danced long after the finale — even the bride and groom stayed out until 3:30 a.m. during their estimated $3 million wedding, according to E! News.
Their happily ever after didn't last long as the couple split five years later.
Despite it being her fourth wedding, Liza Minelli pulled out all the stops for her nuptials with David Gest in 2002 spending $3.5 million.
With Michael Jackson as the best man and Elizabeth Taylor as the maid of honor, according to Brides Magazine, this wedding was always the one to beat. The couple invited 850 guests to watch her walk down the aisle in her ivory Bob Mackie gown and dramatically kiss her new husband after saying "I do."
The couple cut their six-foot tall cake to the tune of a 60-piece orchestra, according to the Daily Mail.
Despite dropping $3.5 million, they split only 16 months later.
George Clooney decided to settle down in 2014 when he married barrister Amal Alamuddin at a $4.6 million celebration.
George rocked a Giorgio Armani tux while Amal stunned in a custom Oscar de la Renta wedding gown with French lace, hand-embroidery, pearls, and diamanté accents. The couple and their near 100 guests partied it up for three days in Venice as they all stayed in Cipriani hotel suites ($3 million).
They officially tied the knot with a traditional ceremony and reception to follow where they paid $300,000 for tables and set-up, $250,000 for Munaretto flowers, $30,000 for a 5-course reception dinner, and $160,000 for the top shelf champagne, vodka, and tequila they provided, according to E! News.
Total cost: an estimated $4.6 million.
In 2010, Chelsea Clinton and Marc Mezvinsky celebrated their marriage with a multi-million dollar wedding.
Seeing as her dad is a former president and her mother was acting as secretary of state, the wedding was a no-fly zone and they had to shell out hundreds of thousands on security.
Though the budget was a rumored $3 million, wedding planners speculated that the event could have cost somewhere between $3 and $5 million.
Justin Timberlake and Jessica Biel got married in 2012 at a private Italian ceremony for $6.5 million.
Jessica wore a Giambattista Valli Haute Couture gown down the aisle as Justin sang while wearing a tux by his favorite, Tom Ford. The couple invited 100 guests to the Borgo Egnazia resort in Puglia for a week-long celebration, which no doubt helped their bill rise. The rumored $6.5 million celebration also included planned activities leading up to the wedding and fireworks.
Michael Jordan's second wedding in 2013, this time with Yvette Prieto, cost a shocking $10 million.
Basketball's famous MJ said "I do" to his girlfriend of five years surrounded by guests like Usher, Robin Thicke, and K'Jon, each of whom performed.
She wore a J'Aton Couture gown adorned with Swarovski crystals.
A source told Us Weekly the wedding cost a whopping $10 million.
Prince William and Kate Middleton tied the knot for $34 million in 2011.
It was suspected that security alone cost the couple $33 million dollars, according to ABC News. Their two receptions cost about $800,000. They also splurged on a traditional white buttercream wedding cake and chocolate cookie groom's cake which cost in total $80,000.
Luckily, they got to say "I do" in Westminster Abbey for free and their reception venue, Buckingham Palace, didn't cost them a dime.
Read more: The most iconic photo from every year of Prince William and Kate Middleton's relationship
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's royal wedding cost an estimated $45.8 million in 2018.
Like Prince William and Kate Middleton's royal wedding, the biggest expense was security — an estimated $43 million for snipers, undercover police, military technology, and security drones. Other splurges included $686,000 for lunch and dinner receptions, plus a lemon elderflower cake by pastry chef Claire Ptak valued at $71,600.
Prince Charles and Princess Diana married in 1981. Their "wedding of the century" would cost $110 million dollars today.
Due to inflation, this royal wedding would have cost about $110 million dollars today.
Like Kate and William, they also spent a majority on security for the celebrations, but a good chunk of it also went to her dress, which was fitted with a 25-foot train and covered in 10,000 pearls, and the 225-pound, 5-foot-tall cake.
Read more: 16 things you probably didn't know about Princess Diana
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