8 of the most expensive weddings in the world

A wedding day is one of the biggest and most anticipated events in one’s life.

While different cultures have different wedding rituals and ceremonies, they all basically have one underlying theme– of uniting two people together as a couple, and celebrating their love for each other.

Some people like to keep their wedding simple, whereas some others like to go the extra mile and make it a truly extravagant and memorable day.

Called the “wedding of the century” by various reports, Madeline Brockway and Jacob LaGrone’s wedding in November 2023 costed a around $59 million. Their lavish wedding was hosted at the Palace of Versailles in Paris, were all guests were escorted to the venue in private jets. Music band Maroon 5 performed at the wedding, wherein both the bride and the groom wore expensive clothes. Madeline Brockway’s family has a car dealership business, whereas Jacob LaGrone (29) is facing accusations of aggravated assault on three police officers, according to reports.

UK’s Prince Charles (now King Charles III) and Lady Diana got married in July 29, 1981, however the lavishness and opulence of it is spoken about even today, decades after their wedding. The Royal wedding took place at St Paul’s Cathedral in London, UK and it costed approximately US$48 million back then. The wedding was witnessed by 3,500 people in person, whereas roughly 750 million people from across the globe viewed it on TV. What is spoken about even today is Princess Diana’s beautiful wedding gown which had 10,000 pearls and a 25-foot long train.

While this is one of the most memorable and expensive royal weddings in the world, the marriage did not last for long. The couple got divorced in 1996, and a year later Diana died in a tragic car accident.

Vanisha Mittal, daughter of one of the richest man in the world- Lakshmi Mittal, got married to Amit Bhatia in an extravagant wedding in 2004. While their engagement ceremony took place at the Palace of Versailles in Paris, their wedding was held at Chateau Veaux le Vicomte, near Paris. Actress Kylie Minogue performed at the wedding, and a firework display was done at the Eiffle Tower too. Though the marriage costed around $66 million, it did not last for long and the couple got divorced in 2013.

India’s richest man, Mukesh Ambani’s daughter Isha Ambani got married to Anand Piramal on December 12, 2018. As per a report by Bloomberg, their wedding costed approximately $15 million. The lavish wedding was attended by the whos who from Bollywood and India’s political circles. On November 19, 2022, the couple was blessed with twins, Krishna and Aadiya.

The future King and Queen of England, Prince William and Kate Middleton’s wedding in 2011 costed around $34 million, which makes it one of the most expensive weddings till date. The couple was dating since 2003, and their wedding was held in 2011 at the Westminster Abbey in London, England. The couple now have the designation of the Prince and Princess of Wales and they have three children together.

Manchester United’s footballer Wayne Rooney and Coleen McLoughlin married in Italy in 2008. 64 guests were chartered in five private jets to their lavish wedding wherein the Irish boyband, Westlife, also performed. The wedding costed $8 million.

Former President of the USA and former Secretary of State of USA, Bill and Hillary Clinton’s daughter Chelsea Clinton married Marc Mezvinsky, an investment banker, in a grand wedding. Their lavish wedding ceremony took place at the Astor Courts in 2010 and it costed $5 million.

Singing Liza Minnelli and concert promoter David Gest got married in a lavish wedding in 2002. Their wedding cost was roughly $4.2 million and their guest list included Elizabeth Taylor, Liam Neeson, and Mia Farrow, among others. Michael Jackson was the best man at their wedding. However, the couple’s marriage didn’t last long and they split a year later.