Celebrity Weddings

The 7 Most Expensive Celebrity Weddings

The flowers, the dress, luxury wedding invitations, a beautiful setting, the rings, an indulgent cake€¦. Weddings are never cheap. But what would you buy if you had an unlimited budget?

Not surprisingly, the top two entries are both weddings of the British Royals. But what may surprise you is how much difference there is in the cost between the two. Take a look at the top seven most expensive mainstream celebrity weddings below:

7. Elizabeth Hurley and Arun Nayar (March 2007)
Indian businessman Arun Nayar and model and actress Liz Hurley had two lavish ceremonies totalling approximately 1.6 million – one based in Umaid Bhawan Palace in Jodhpur, India and the other at the scenic Sudeley Castle in Gloucestershire. Celebrations lasted for over a week as a result€¦ and compared to the other weddings in this list, it seems like they got a lot for their money!

6. Salma Hayek and Francois-Henri Pinault (April 2009)
Mexican actress Salma Hayek enjoyed a 2 million wedding ceremony with French billionaire Francois-Henri Pinault in Venice, which included songs performed by Bono and a carnival themed ball.

5. Paul McCartney and Heather Mills (June 2002)
An Irish Castle and a scenic yacht ride contributed towards Paul and Heather spending a massive 2.75 million on their wedding in the summer of 2002 – sadly, it was less than their divorce six years later.

4. Liza Minnelli and David Guest (March 2002)
With famous guests ranging from Michael Jackson to Elizabeth Taylor and a sixty piece orchestra, Liza and David’s wedding was a huge showbiz event with over a thousand attendees. Despite costing roughly 2.7 million, the couple broke up a year later and divorced in 2007, proving that money doesn’t buy you happiness.

3. Wayne Rooney and Coleen McLaughlin (June 2008)
The famous footballer married childhood sweetheart Coleen in Genoa. Celebrations were conducted in a style and included a masked ball on a yacht and a luxury seventeenth-century villa, at a total cost of around 5 million.

2. Prince William and Kate Middleton (April 2011)
Just missing the top spot is William and Kate’s Royal Wedding in the spring of 2011. With the cake alone costing 50,000, far beyond most couple’s entire wedding budget, this occasion was filmed live and watched by millions of people all over the world. The total cost of the wedding is alleged between 21.5 and 22.3 million.

1. Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer (July 1981)
The most expensive wedding on record is Charles and Diana’s. Set in St. Paul’s Cathedral, it cost around 75.5 million and included a five foot high cake costing over 26,000.

What would you choose for a lavish, no expenses spared dream wedding?