Top Ten Most Expensive Weddings

Everyone is aware weddings are expensive, but to make this list you would have to spend more on your wedding day than most people make in a lifetime. In attempt to make their wedding day the happiest day of their lives, these individuals made sure no details were overlooked. Here are the top ten most expensive weddings of all time:

10

 Chelsea Clinton and Marc Mezvinsky 

Cost: $5 million

Often times being an only child has its perks. For Chelsea Clinton, the only child of former President Bill Clinton one of the perks includes having one of the most lavish weddings in history. On July 31, 2010 Hillary Clinton married long-time family friend Marc Mazvinsky. Some of the wedding costs included $600,000 air-conditioned tents, a Vera Wang wedding gown, the attendance of Oprah, and a $11,000 wedding cake. The majority of the rest of the money went to the security costs for nearly 500 guests.

9

Elizabeth Hurley and Arun Nayar 

Cost: $7 million

When Elizabeth Hurley took her vows with the senior vice president of Tyco, Arun Nayar, the couple partook in a double ceremony which lasted eight days across 2 continents. The ceremony started at Suderly Castle in Gloucestershire and moved to Umaid Bhawan Palace in Jodhpur. The couple spent $300,000 on private jets, $100,000 on accommodations, and $10,000 per night for a bridal suite in India.

8

Delphine Arnault and Alessandro Vallarino Gancia

Cost: $7 million

Delphine Arnault, the daughter of the wealthy French businessman Bernard Arnault wed Italian wine mogul, Alessandro Vallarino Gancia in the fall of 2005. The couple held their ceremony at the Cote d’Azur in France and was decorated with more than 5,000 white roses. Some of the wedding costs can be attributed to the custom wedding dress designed by the famous designer John Galliano.

7

Wayne Rooney and Coleen McLoughlin

Cost: $8 million

Wayne Rooney and Coleen McLoughlin exchanged vows June 12, 2008 in Italy. The wedding celebrations took place over a four day period. The ceremony was held at the beautiful Villa Durazzo, which offers spectacular views of the Italian Rivera. The wedding dress designed by Georgia Chapman’s Marchesa label, accounted for nearly half of the wedding’s expenses at $4,000,000. Perhaps as an effort to cut costs or to satisfy a craving, pizza was served at the reception. In the end, the couple was able to recuperate some of the costs by selling information about the event and a number of pictures from the event to Britain’s OK! magazine.

6

Vikram Chatwal and Priva Sachdey

Cost: $20 million

Vikram Chatwal, son of a New York hotel magnet married Priva Sachdey, a model and professional banker, in February of 2006. The wedding itself took place over the course of ten days in three different cities in India including Mumbai, Udaipur, and Delhi. Known as one of the most luxurious weddings in India’s history, each of the 600 wedding guests were flown to India on private charter jets from more than 26 countries around the world.

[adsense]

5

Andrey MeInichenko and Aleksandra Kokotovic 

Cost: $30 million

If the previous wedding wasn’t expensive enough, try $30 million. Andrey MeInichenko, the Russian billionaire and founder of MDM Bank and Miss Yugoslavia, Aleksandra Kokotovic married in Code d’Azur, France during the fall of 2005. Among the wedding festivities included were live performances by Christina Aguilera and Whitney Houston. Each of the performances cost $3.6 million alone.

4

Prince William and Kate Middleton

Cost: $34 million

Perhaps one of the most highly anticipated weddings in recent history, the marriage between Prince Williams and Kate Middleton took place in Westminster Abbey, London in 2011. The wedding itself was broadcast in more than 118 countries, as well as, on the internet and radio. Some of the wedding costs can be attributed to $8,000,000 spent on flowers, $80,000 for the wedding cake, which featured over 900 sugar flowers, and $70,000 on the wedding dress.

3

Vanisha Mittal and Amit Bhatia

Cost: $60 million

Vanisha Mittal, daughter of the billionaire Lakshmi Mittal married Amit Bhatia, a wealthy investment banker, in 2004. Every guest was invited to the wedding by sending them a silver coated box with a 20-page itinerary of the five day event. With more than 1,000 wedding guests from all around the world the wedding ceremony took place at a 16th century castle in Versailles. Some of the costs included 100 dishes prepared by the top chefs from Calcutta, a performance by Kylie Minogue, and performances by other top Bollywood stars.

2

Prince Charles and Lady Diana

Cost: ~$115 million (adjusted for inflation)

With an estimated global television audience of 750 million viewers, the wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana took place at St. Paul’s cathedral in July of 1981. More than 6,000,000 people lined the streets as the wedding party entered the cathedral. Nearly $600,000 was spent on security alone. On top of that, $100,000 was spent on pre-wedding celebrations, $60,000 on the sapphire wedding ring, and $40,000 on the wedding cake. After all these costs, the couple filed for divorce on August 28, 1996, just one year before her death in a tragic car accident.

1

Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al Maktoum and Princess Salama

Cost: ~$137 million (adjusted for inflation)

Adjusted for inflation, the wedding between the ruler of Dubai, Sheikh Rashid and Princess Salama is the most expensive of all time. At a cost of more than $100,000,000 in 1979, this wedding sets the benchmark for all weddings.  On top of declaring a five day national holiday, Sheikh Rashid had a wedding hall able to accommodate 20,000 guests built from scratch.

 

Featured image: Flickr by Cameron Nordholm