“For better and for worse,” the saying goes. It’s easy to make such an important commitment when your ceremony is witnessed by thousands of people and every decoration is weighed down by precious gems and diamonds. Whether it’s because they want their wedding to be directly proportional to the love they have for each other or because they wish to make their wealth known, some couples opt for truly extravagant ceremonies. Without further ado, these are the 10 Most Expensive Weddings In History.
1. Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and Princess Salama
Estimated Cost: $100 million
The joyous couple intertwined their destinies in 1981, during what was soon going to become the most glamorously expensive wedding in history. Sheik Mohammed spared around $100 million for all the arrangements, which included a whole stadium with a 20,000 seats capacity. Moreover, given that the party lasted seven whole days, he probably needed a very generous supply of drinks and food. Once newly married, the groom and bride then traveled throughout a multitude of towns of the Emirates, offering food and other various gifts to the people of the country.
2. Vanisha Mittal and Amit Bhatia
Estimated Cost: $60 million
When Vanisha and Amit married in 2004, they managed to have France at their feet. The ceremony was hosted within the walls of the Versailles Palace, with over one thousand guests from all over the world attending the six-days-long party. Everything about this wedding was luxurious. Invitations were delivered in silver boxes, containing plane tickets and room reservations for five star hotels. Bomboniers were filled with precious gems. The definite highlight of the reception, however, had to be a performance given by Kylie Minogue herself, which concluded with a firework spectacle above the Eiffel Tower.
3. Lady Diana and Prince Charles
Estimated Cost: $48 million
You can’t expect anything less from a proper royal wedding. Lady Diana and Prince Charles married in 1981, hosting what was considered to be the “wedding of the century.” They exchanged vows under the roof of London’s St. Paul Cathedral, before the eyes of 3,500 guests. The union was highly anticipated worldwide, as proven by the 750 million people that viewed the ceremony from their homes.
4. Prince William and Kate Middleton
Estimated Cost: $34 million
The biggest event of the last decade, Prince William’s and Kate Middleton’s wedding has been massively anticipated and talked about. Over two billion people watched as Britain’s future king exchanged vows with the beloved Kate Middleton. The ceremony itself was held inside the famous Westminster Abbey, with roughly 1,900 people attending. The royal couple had three guest lists, however: one for the ceremony, one for the luncheon hosted at Buckingham Palace, and one for a private dinner under the roof of the Prince of Wales.
5. Kim Kardashian and Kris Humphries
Estimated Cost: $10 million
On a list where the first places are topped by royal couples, it comes off as a bit strange to see a television celebrity among them. Kim Kardashian and Kris Humphries had one of the most extravagant weddings of recent years, estimated at no less than $10 million. If you’re wondering where did the Kardashians get all the money from: they didn’t. Most of the expenses were covered by the channel E! in exchange for rights to broadcast the ceremony, which brought a record breaking 10 million viewers in front of their television sets.
6. Wayne Rooney and Coleen McLoughlin
Estimated Cost: $8 million
Football player Wayne Rooney took Coleen McLoughlin as his beloved wife in 2008, the two having been together since high school. The paradox about this wedding is that, despite its enormous expenses, the ceremony was attended by only eight guests, excluding several magazine photographs that snapped the moment for $2.5 million.
7. Chelsea Clinton and Marc Mezvinsky
Estimated Cost: $5 million
The two united their destinies in 2010, during a ceremony that’s worthy of a previous First Daughter. Around 400 guests attended Chelsea Clinton’s and Marc Mezvinsky’s wedding, most of which were congressmen and congresswomen. The location wasn’t a historical site or a castle, but instead it was Rhinebeck, a small town in New York with a lot of significance for the bride and groom.
8. Liza Minnelli and David Gest
Estimated Cost: $3.5 million
No one expected anything short of glamorous from the flamboyant celeb. Liza Minnelli and David Gest’s 2002 wedding brought together 850 guests under the roof of the Regent Hotel in New York. Many celebrities were among the people who attended the ceremony, but perhaps the most notable presence was Michael Jackson, the one that escorted the starlet to the aisle as best man.
9. Paul McCartney and Heather Mills
Estimated Cost: $3 million
Despite the costs invested in the wedding, McCartney and Mills repeatedly rejected all tabloids, which offered millions of dollars all for the privilege of recording the event. The two wed in an Irish castle, which was rented for $40,000 and they hosted a beautiful, Indian themed reception. Paul himself hit the stage at the wedding, alongside Ringo and George, when they performed the song “Heather,” a special dedication written by Paul for his wife.
10. Elizabeth Taylor and Larry Fortensky
Estimated Cost: $2.5 million
The beloved actress married Fortensky in 1991, their wedding ceremony being hosted on the grounds of Michael Jackson’s Neverland Ranch. Jackson himself was part of the celebration, having taken upon himself the role of Taylor’s father. He wasn’t the only familiar face among the guests, though, since other big names such as Eddie Murphy, Nancy Reagan, and Liza Minnelli bore witness to the union of the two.
Obviously, it’s no one’s place to judge these couples’ reasons for preferring to intertwine their destinies in a glamorous setting. Perhaps some people really do prefer to throw unbelievably lavish ceremonies purely for the sake of making their wealthy status known. But it could also be nothing more than a desire to try and transfigure the intensity of their feelings into impressive weddings. Who knows, right? Regardless of the reasons, these 10 Most Expensive Weddings In History definitely make you wonder how much you’d be willing to spend on your own.
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