24/7 Insights
- The world’s most expensive weddings have cost up to $1 billion.
- This list includes the children of billionaires and royalty.
- Many of these weddings included celebrity guests and performers.
- Also: 2 Dividend Legends to Hold Forever
For men and women alike, there is the idea of a dream wedding with everything planned down to the location, dresses, tuxedos, music, and more. The challenge is that weddings can cost a small fortune today, and many people are forced to make a sacrifice or two to keep costs down.
At least, this is the situation for most people who want to keep spending in check. However, a small but elite group of the wealthiest will throw themselves the most lavish and expensive weddings of all time, spending more than most people will ever make in a lifetime.
10. Ankur Jain and Erika Hammond
- Total cost: $3 million
- Attendance: 130 guests
- How they met: Gym
- Wedding location: Event site at the base of the Sphinx
- Still married: Yes
- Children: 0
April 2024 Wedding
The 10th most expensive wedding is also the most recent. Bilt Rewards CEO Ankur Jain married former WWE wrestler Erika Hammond in April 2024 on a specially constructed platform in front of the Great Pyramids of Giza. The guests were treated to a three-day jungle safari experience that cost the couple an estimated $2,000 a night per guest, and the special location also cost quite a penny.
9. Angelababy and Huang Xiaoming
- Total cost: $31 million
- Attendance: 2,000 guests
- How they met: Charity event
- Wedding location: Shanghai Exhibition Center
- Still married: Divorced
- Children: 1
Divorced In 2022
The coming together of two of China’s best-known actors was a major deal in Asia and is one of the most expensive Chinese weddings in history. The bride wore a Christian Dior dress with over 100 roses composed of Chantilly lace. The bridal gown included 170 feet of tulle, which created a 10-foot train. Perhaps the most notable cost was the engagement ring, which is said to have cost over $1.5 million, along with the goodie bag 2,000 guests left with, including a cell phone and other expensive giveaways.
8. Prince William and Kate Middleton
- Total cost: $33 million
- Attendance: 1,900 guests
- How they met: University
- Wedding location: Westminster Abbey in London
- Still married: Yes
- Children: 3
Future King and Queen
With more than 1,900 guests in attendance and 23 million viewers worldwide, the bulk of the overall cost was a $32 million security budget. Still, Kate Middleton’s $434,000 wedding dress and $800,000 worth of flowers and trees that decorated Westminster Abbey in London were not cheap. The couple famously met at St. Andrews University and had a love story for the ages, starting as friends that grew into a romance. Their son, Prince George, will inherit the throne after William’s father, King Charles, dies.
7. Queen Letizia and King Felipe
- Total cost: $35 million
- Attendance: 300 guests
- How they met: Mutual friend’s dinner party
- Wedding location: Madrid’s Almudena Cathedral
- Still married: Yes
- Children: 2
Spanish Royalty
Queen Letizia and King Felipe married in May 2004. She wore an $8 million long-sleeve wedding dress made of Valencia silk. More than 300 guests attended, including Prince Charles, Princess Victoria of Sweden, and Price Albert of Monaco, many of whom arrived in Rolls-Royce vehicles. The event even included speeches from then King Juan Carlos and Prince Felipe, who has since taken over the throne.
6. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle
- Total cost: $45 million
- Attendance: 600 guests
- How they met: Blind date
- Wedding location: St. George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle
- Still married: Yes
- Children: 2
The Prince and the Commoner
Prince Harry’s wedding to American actress Meghan Markle was just as much an affair as his mother’s. Attendees included American and British politicians David and Victoria Beckham, George Clooney, Oprah Winfrey, and dozens of other celebrities. Even Queen Elizabeth II hosted a luncheon before an after-party where Elton John performed.
5. Prince Charles and Princess Diana
- Total cost: $48 million
- Attendance: 3,500 guests
- How they met: Diana’s family estate
- Wedding location: St. Paul’s Cathedral, Buckingham Palace
- Still married: No
- Children: 2
Wedding Fit for Royalty
While over 3,500 guests attended in person, more than 750 million people watched as Prince Charles and Princess Diana married in the wedding of the century. Between Lady Di’s custom gown, security costs, multiple celebrations, and fireworks, the price tag ran up quickly, something British taxpayers still grumble about decades later.
4. Amit Bhatia and Vanisha Mittal
- Total cost: $55 million
- Attendance: 1,000 guests
- How they met: Family/business
- Wedding location: Palace of Versailles
- Still married: Yes (rumors of divorce are unconfirmed)
- Children: 3
Guinness World Record
The one-time Guinness World Record for the most expensive wedding, the marriage of Amit Bhatia and Vanisha Mittal, brought together a London banker and a steel tycoon’s daughter. With over 1,000 guests attending the wedding on the grounds of the Palace of Versailles, 12 private jets helped guests get to and from the six-day event. A 20-page invitation highlighted the 100 dishes being served and the $2 million wine bill.
3. Isha Ambani and Anand Piramal
- Total cost: $100 million
- Attendance: 500 guests
- How they met: Parents have been friends for decades
- Wedding location: Mumbai
- Still married: Yes
- Children: 2 (twins)
Everyday Living
While Isha Ambani and Anand Piramal may have spent a fortune on their wedding, with a $12 million 65-foot wedding dress train, they are among the most down-to-earth people still taking the kids to school. Of course, this comes after a Lake Como engagement party with a performance by Beyonce and John Legend.
2. Anant Ambani and Radhika Merchant
- Total cost: $600 million
- Attendance: 800 guests
- How they met: Mutual friends
- Wedding location: Mumbai
- Still married: Yes
- Children: 0
Son of a Billionaire
When you’re the son of one of the world’s ten wealthiest people, your wedding is expected to be ridiculously expensive. A-list celebrities like Justin Bieber, Katy Perry, Rihanna, and Bollywood stars enjoyed a three-day wedding, a week-long engagement party, and an 800-person Mediterranean cruise. It’s safe to say that no detail whatsoever was spared to help pull off this $600 million wedding.
1. Khadija Uzhakhova and Said Gutseriev
- Total cost: $1 billion
- Attendance: 600 guests
- How they met: Uknown
- Wedding location: Moscow, London
- Still married: Yes
- Children: 0
The Most Lavish Wedding Ever
Suppose you can afford to have Sting, Jennifer Lopez, and Enrique Iglesias perform at your wedding, all while cutting a 9-foot wedding cake, fireworks, custom jeweled box gifts to guests, and ferrying your guests back and forth in Bentleys. In that case, it’s easy to see why the cost can quickly add up. No other wedding has come close to the cost of these two wealthy families joining together.
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