Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes - $3 million
The marriage of Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes was one that was really difficult to grasp but with a star as big and out there as Mr. Cruise, it’s no surprise he spent millions on their wedding. But if you thought the idea of their marriage was strange enough, wait until you hear about their wedding day! It all happened at the Odescalchi Castle in Italy.
The ceremony, officiated by the Church of Scientology, was not attended by Katie Holmes’ parents and Katie Holmes herself went missing, leaving Cruise standing there for almost a half hour. Those in attendance received Chrome Hearts sunglasses as a gift and all A-list stars were driven in on a limo. And read by the minister at the ceremony was the line: "Girls need clothes and food, tender happiness and frills, a pan, a comb, a cat.
Paul McCartney and Heather Mills - $3 million
Paul McCartney and Heather Mills married on June 11, 2002, in an extravagant ceremony held at Castle Leslie, located Glaslough in County Monaghan, Ireland. For the ceremony, Paul McCartney composed an original song called Heather, which was then included on the 2001 album Driving Rain.
Paul McCartney and Heather Mills’ marriage would not last long as they would get divorced in 2008. However, for a while, things seemed all good. When asked by Larry King, Mills described her life with McCartney as being “Great, really great,” and also added what a great housekeeper he was, saying, “He always cleans up before the cleaner comes. So I said for a while that's crazy, but what's good is if I cook the dinner, he'll clean everything up.”
Liza Minelli and David Gest - $3.5 million
Liza Minelli and David Gest had one of the most insane weddings in Hollywood history. The event had over 850 guests and went down in New York City on March 27, 2002 at the Marble Collegiate Church. They would only stay married for about 5 years before divorcing, with claims of physical abuse by David Gest, but they ultimately opted for a no-fault divorce.
Nevertheless, the wedding itself was a momentous occasion with plenty of stars in attendance. Among the guests at the wedding were Rosie O’Donnell, Kirk Douglas, Donald Trump, Diana Ross, David Hasselhoff, Mia Farrow and Anthony Hopkins just to name some of them. After the wedding, there was a huge party with a 60-piece orchestra and 54 entertainment acts.
Justin Timberlake and Jessica Biel - $6,500,000
Justin Timberlake and Jessica Biel are going strong and it’s a good thing because they spent $6.5 million on their wedding. The happy couple married in Puglia, Italy on October 19, 2012. Around 100 guests were invited to the Borgo Egnazia resort for a private, but over-the-top event. The hotel features 63 rooms and 28 villas, so there were plenty of accommodations for guests.
Timberlake and Biel didn’t feel the need to stick to tradition and in fact, Biel didn’t even wear white that day. Instead, she opted for a custom-made pink Giambattista Valli Haute Couture gown, decorated with pearls. But it wasn’t just the bride! Valli had also outfitted the entire wedding party.
Salma Hayek and François-Henri Pinault - $3,500,000
Salma Hayek is obviously one of the most well-known Mexican actresses in Hollywood but who is François-Henri Pinault? He’s a French businessman, the chairman and CEO of Kering, as well as the president of Groupe Artémis. The wealthy billionaire shares a daughter with the actress that they had before they even got married.
Around a year and a half after their daughter’s birth, they married at a ceremony on Valentine’s Day, 2009. They then renewed their vows in Venice, Italy on April 25, 2009. Their wedding cost $3.5 million and included 400 guests flying in on private jets. The wedding gown worn by Hayek was a custom design worth $500,000. Flowers for the wedding alone were estimated at $1 million and there was at least 41 million spent on food and drink, which included fresh lobster, Kobe beef, and caviar.
Sofia Vergara and Joe Manganiello - $4,000,000
Sofia Vergara and Joe Manganiello knew each other for just six months before getting engaged, having met at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner in 2014. But when you know, you know! They would wed almost a year later, in Palm Beach on November 21, 2015. It was held at The Breakers luxury resort.
Their ceremony took place under a gorgeous floral arch and was attended by around 400 guests. Among the guests were Sofia Vergara’s Modern Family co-stars. Joe Manganiello wore a classic black tuxedo, while Sofia Vergara wore a white Zuhair Murad ball gown. After tying the knot, they had their honeymoon at Parrot Cay Resort.
Trista and Ryan Sutter - $4,000,000
The wedding of Trista and Ryan Sutter was the first wedding on the reality series The Bachelorette. As the first couple from that show to marry, the fairytale wedding was a three-part televised event. The couple married on December 6, 2003, in Rancho Mirage, California. Planning for the event had been televised as well with celebrity event planner Mindy Weiss on the case.
The ceremony was mostly traditional and included pink accents and chair coverings in a similar shade. The cost to stage the event was $4 million but that doesn’t even include the $1 million paid to the couple. Around 17.1 million people viewed the televised event, making it a ratings win for ABC. And unlike many reality show couples, the relationship didn’t end so quickly. In fact, they are still married to this day.
George and Amal Clooney - $4,600,000
George Clooney was often seen as a playboy, jumping from one girlfriend to the next, so it came as a surprise when he was finally ready to settle down. The $4.6 million wedding of George and Amal Clooney started with one expense, a 7-carat diamond ring, which then led to a traditional ceremony that took place on September 27, 2014, in Venice, Italy. Among the guests who attended were Emily Blunt and Joh Krasinski, Bono, and Matt Damon – just to name a few.
The wedding atmosphere they were going for was romantic and elegant, and that’s exactly what they got. The dresses for the event were designed by Oscar de la Renta. The five-course meal for the reception consisted, among other things, of polenta with wild mushrooms, lobster risotto, and a four-tier art deco cake. Around 250 bottles of champagne were opened, and 100 cases of Casamigos tequila bottles. And on top of that, a picnic-style buffet kept the guests well-fed.
Kim Kardashian and Kanye West - $2.8 million
Once Kim Kardashian and Kanye West were a happy couple, we guess, which is why they decided to spend $2.8 million on their ceremony. The wedding took place at the Forte di Belvedere in Florence, Italy, on May 24, 2014. Around 200 guests were invited to the event, which consisted of the couple’s family and friends – most of the celebrities, of course.
The lavish wedding included the performance of one Andrea Bocelli, who was hired for the event, catering costs up to $110,000, and $400,000 to rent the venue itself. And none of the $2.8 million total includes the private jets, hotels nor the expensive Paris dinners before the wedding. Then, on top of all that, $2.8 million was allegedly spent on a surprise live performance from Lana Del Rey who sang “Summertime Sadness,” as a gift from Kanye to Kim – although that amount has never been confirmed.
Michael Jordan and Yvette Prieto - $10,000,000
The wedding of Michael Jordan and Yvette Prieto was certainly no royal wedding but was lavish nonetheless. The $10 million weddings took place on April 27, 2013, at The Church of Bethesda-By-The Sea in Palm Beach, Florida. Meanwhile, the reception took place at the Bear’s Club in Jupiter. The tent used was the largest of any wedding in history and, apparently, even larger than Jordan’s own home.
The star-studded wedding featured many of Jordan’s friends and acquaintances such as former teammate Scottie Pippen, Patrick Ewing of the New York Knicks, Tiger Woods, Usher and Spike Lee. The reception featured thousands of candles, numerous flowers and a seven-layer cake. Yvette’s engagement ring alone was worth $1 million.
Kim Kardashian and Kris Humphries - $10,000,000
The wedding of Kim Kardashian and Kris Humphries was another $10 million wedding that resulted in a doomed marriage that lasted only 72 days. A waste of money? Sure, but the publicity was certainly priceless. The couple had married at Montecito estate where there were 450 guests in attendance, many of them celebrities such as Ryan Seacrest, Demi Lovato, Eva Longoria, Lindsey Lohan and Serena Williams.
The wedding would be televised in a two-day, four-hour wedding special titled Kim’s Fairytale Wedding, A Kardashian Event as part of the reality series Keeping Up with the Kardashians. The wedding featured a mix of tradition and over-the-top ceremony. Kardashian wore a custom-designed strapless Vera Wang ball gown. Plenty of glitz and glam to go around.
Prince William and Kate Middleton - $34,000,000
The wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton was the most significant wedding since that of Princess Diana and Prince Charles since it is William who is the second in the line of succession after Prince Charles. As such, there was quite a lot of hype surrounding the wedding, although not as much as the Lady Diana wedding. The wedding took place at Westminster Abbey in London.
There were a whopping 72 million live streams on YouTube alone. In the UK, television audiences peaked at 26.3 million, but a total of 36.7 million watched at least part of the coverage. The global audience was estimated to be about 162 million. The guest list for the wedding itself included 1,900 people but none of them were guests that had been invited to the wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana. The cost of the wedding was absorbed by the royal family and the Middleton family. Part of that cost included Catherine’s wedding ring made of Welsh gold.
Prince Harry and Megan Markle - $42,800,000
The wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle was another royal event to behold. This event took place on May 19, 2018, in St. George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle. Meghan Markle, an actress, blogger, and advocate, married the Prince in a traditional ceremony, but this time, it was more inclusive of African American culture compared to past royal weddings. However, unlike his brother William’s wedding, Harry’s wedding would not be declared a bank holiday.
The royal family had announced that they would pay for the wedding. The costs for the cake, florist, and catering services were said to be around £286,000, or the equivalent of $374,000 in US dollars. The wedding dress for the event was designed by Clare Waight Keller of the fashion house Givenchy. The dress was a double-bonded silk cady with triple silk organza, as well as a boat neckline and long sleeves. The veil was 16 feet in length and embroidered with 55 flowers that represent the 53 countries of the commonwealth as well as Nottingham Cottage and the state of California where Markle hails from.
Prince Charles and Princess Diana - $48,000,000
The wedding of Prince Charles and Princess Diana was one of the biggest celebrity weddings of the 20th century. It took place on July 29, 1981 at St. Paul’s Cathedral in London. The ceremony was a traditional Church of England service, but of course, the attendees of the wedding were not the average attendees you might find at your friend’s wedding. Members of other royal families, heads of state, and family members of the bride and groom were all in attendance among the 3,500 guests.
Often referred to by the press as a “fairytale” wedding, millions of people would tune in to watch the televised event. It had a global audience of 750 million people. Those not in attendance nor glued to their couches were celebrating in the streets. Then not to forget the 2 million people lined up in the surrounding area to catch a glimpse of Lady Diana. On top of all this, there was plenty of security stationed to stave off any potential threats from the Irish Republican Army. Yes, fairytale indeed.