Is there anything more fun than a huge, over-the-top wedding—especially when two famous people are involved? When we say over-the-top, we're not just talking about the cost—though that is a huge component. Sometimes, over-the-top might mean the guest list, elements of the ceremony, or an exceptional location. It's important to note that some of the figures on this list are alleged (and also may not be inclusive of other costs like travel and lodging)—and that these are just the expensive celebrity weddings we happen to know about. With that in mind, let's take a peek at 32 of the most over-the-top celebrity weddings of all time.
Kim Kardashian and Kanye West
A Kardashian wedding is going to be big, and Kim's marriage to Kanye West was no exception. Here, the couple step out in Florence, Italy, ahead of the event itself. Reports vary, but the event itself reportedly cost $2.8 million—and the actual number including travel and other expenses was (allegedly) closer to $12 million. (Kim's prior wedding to Kris Humphries may have cost $10 million, FYI.)
Elizabeth Hurley and Arun Nayar
With their wedding ceremonies being held in the Cotswolds and Jodhpur, in Rajasthan, India, and the full festivities lasting over a week, the wedding between Elizabeth Hurley and Arun Nayar cost a reported one million pounds. The couple would be married for four years.
Gwen Stefani and Gavin Rossdale
Here, pictured at the ceremony walking with her father, Gwen Stefani married Gavin Rossdale in a gorgeous pink dip-dyed dress (Dior, by John Galliano). Like others on this list, they had two ceremonies: one in London and then another in Los Angeles two weeks later. Apparently, they also added in a third for their friends.
Katy Perry and Russell Brand
We don't know a ton of details about Katy Perry and Russell Brand's multi-day wedding celebrations at Ranthambore Tiger Sanctuary in Rajasthan, India (which was held for family and friends), but apparently they rode elephants into the ceremony and had tons of performers and music.
Mariah Carey and Nick Cannon
Mariah Carey and Nick Cannon hadn't been dating long before they got married in 2008 at Carey’s Bahamian estate—six weeks, in fact, with Carey sporting a 17-carat pink-diamond engagement ring. The "over-the-top" aspect comes from the fact that they renewed their vows every single year. Technically, this photo is from their marriage renewal ceremony in 2012, during which they traveled to Paris for a full ceremony. The couple divorced in 2016.
Joe Manganiello and Sophia Vergara
Joe Manganiello and Sophia Vergara married in Palm Beach, Florida, and (according to PEOPLE) "pulled out all the stops." Festivities included a pool party, fancy rehearsal dinner, and a pre-wedding party with Manganiello singing “Sweet Child O’ Mine" to Vergara. Estimated cost of the wedding, per PopSugar: $4 million.
Catherine Zeta-Jones and Michael Douglas
According to ABC News, the wedding between Catherine Zeta-Jones and Michael Douglas reportedly cost between $1.5 and $2 million. There was discussion (and controversy) at the time about the couple selling exclusive rights to the photos for a large sum (which is now somewhat more common practice).
George and Amal Clooney
Like others on this list, George and Amal Clooney had their wedding in Italy (pictured here before the event). Reports vary, with the most popular number being $1.6 million spent (and festivities including an attendee list of over 100, who each had personal Venetian boats for the event) and another $3 million on lodging.
Elizabeth Taylor and Larry Fortensky
By the '80s, Elizabeth Taylor was making headlines for her relationships instead of her movies. She met Larry Fortensky while the two were in recovery at the Betty Ford Center; when the two married at Michael Jackson's Neverland Ranch for a reported $1.5 to $2 million, it was her seventh husband and eighth wedding.
Lance Bass and Michael Turchin
The first gay celebrity couple to be married in a television special (on E! News with the title Lance Loves Michael: The Lance Bass Wedding), Lance Bass and Michael Turchin went all out. It's not clear how much it cost, but (according to PEOPLE) the Park Plaza Hotel festivities included a guest list of 300, food by Buca di Beppo and Robert Earl, and live performers including *NSYNC bandmate JC Chasez.
Tiger Woods and Elin Nordegren
According to ESPN, the wedding between Tiger Woods and Elin Nordegren cost $1.5 million. We didn't get many details, except that the guest list of 120 included Oprah Winfrey, Michael Jordan, and Charles Barkley, and that Hootie and the Blowfish performed amid fireworks.
Chelsea Clinton and Marc Mezvinsky
At the time, it was reported that Chelsea Clinton and Marc Mezvinsky's wedding cost somewhere in the region of $2 to $5 million, which included "$600,000 in tents, and portable toilets that cost $15,000" according to TODAY. That also meant $750,000 for catering and a $11,000 cake!
Salma Hayek and François-Henri Pinault
With a "carnival-themed masked ball" wedding in Venice, Italy, Salma Hayek and François-Henri Pinault really went for it, apparently—the lavish ceremony at La Fenice opera house included a performance by Bono. They had a second ceremony in France, too, and the whole thing allegedly cost $3.5 million.
Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston
When they married in Malibu, Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston managed to keep their nuptials private. Per L'Officiel, "In a silk and satin gown by Lawrence Steele, Aniston walked down the aisle past 200 guests escorted by her father and Days of Our Lives star John Aniston, while Pitt waited in a four-button Hedi Slimane tuxedo holding a pair of diamond and white gold wedding bands which he helped design." Per PEOPLE, wedding planners estimated the whole thing cost $1 million.
Sir Elton John and David Furnish
The wedding between Sir Elton John and David Furnish reportedly cost $1.5 million to $2 million—it was held at their Windsor mansion, and the 600-strong guest list included the Beckhams, Donatella Versace, Claudia Schiffer, and Sharon Stone. They both wore designer suits!
Priyanka Chopra and Nick Jonas
Per Business Insider, Priyanka Chopra and Nick Jonas got married for a sum between $584,000 and $800,000 in 2018. They had three traditional Indian ceremonies and one Christian one, and their venue (Umaid Bhawan Palace in Jodhpur) cost $60,000 a night.
Eddie Murphy and Nicole Mitchell
Here, pictured on the red carpet, Eddie Murphy and Nicole Mitchell got married in 1993 at the New York Plaza Hotel. With 500 guests and a cake costing tens of thousands of dollars, the total amount reportedly came to $1.5 million—which amounts to over $3 million today.
Mariah Carey and Tommy Mottola
Mariah Carey and Tommy Mottola (who met Carey when she was only 18) wed in a ceremony that reportedly cost $500,000. Inspired by Princess Diana and then-Prince Charles (whose wedding is also on this list), Carey's princess dress reportedly cost $25,000.
Ciara and Russell Wilson
When they wed at Peckforton Castle in England, Ciara and footballer Russell Wilson went all out. She wore a Roberto Cavalli dress and he wore an Armani tuxedo; per PEOPLE, the guest list included Kelly Rowland, Jennifer Hudson, and La La Anthony.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle
For a lot of royal weddings, security is the bulk of the cost. And indeed, when Prince Harry and Meghan Markle got married for an estimated $42.8 million(!), the vast majority of the cost (94 percent, per CNBC) was the cost of security, "including snipers, undercover police, and a counter-UAV system."
King Felipe and Queen Letizia
Then-Prince Felipe and his wife Letizia Ortiz Rocasolano married in Madrid, Spain, in 2004. The wedding cost a grand total of $25 million, reportedly, and Letizia's high-collared Manuel Pertegaz gown (which was embroidered with real gold) cost nearly $8 million.
Prince William and Kate Middleton
Prince William and Kate Middleton's wedding cost an estimated $34 million (technically the range was $16 million to $64 million, according to ABC News). A huge chunk of that went to security, but included two receptions costing about $600,000. It was one of the most televised events the British Royal Family has ever seen.
John and Jackie Kennedy
There were more than 800 guests at the Kennedys' wedding, and 1,200 at the reception. Called one of the most notable society weddings of all time, and with a prestigious guest list that included high-powered politicians, it's unclear how much it actually cost—likely a lot.
Celine Dion and Rene Angélil
Now that is a headpiece. Technically, it's a 7-pound tiara with 2,000 Austrian crystals that was sewn to Celine Dion's head before her wedding to Rene Angélil. The reception included an enormous profiterole cake and fake snowflakes. The cost of the wedding was reportedly $500,000—in 1994.
Crown Prince Al-Muhtadee Billah and Crown Princess Sarah of Brunei
The so-called "Asian Wedding of the Decade" between Crown Prince Al-Muhtadee Billah and Crown Princess Sarah of Brunei was a wholly lavish affair that included royal guests, a variety of traditional ceremonies, and a parade after the event—all of which were said to have cost a total of $4 million in 2004.
Liza Minnelli and David Gest
For Liza Minnelli's fourth wedding, to producer David Gest (shown here arriving at the event), they spent a reported $3.5 million. The guest list had 850 people on it—and, according to Brides and reported by Business Insider, Michael Jackson was his best man and Elizabeth Taylor was her maid of honor.
Grace Kelly and Prince Rainier
While Grace Kelly's dress was actually a gift from MGM, her wedding to Prince Rainier reportedly only came to $8,000—but that was in 1956, which translates to over $100,000 now. The bride's family had to pay $2 million in a dowry to her future husband.
David and Victoria Beckham
In 1999, Posh and Beck's wedding cost $800,000, but (adjusted for inflation) that's well over a million dollars today. The bride wore Vera Wang ($100,000) and lodging at the venue—the Luttrellstown Castle in Dublin, Ireland—reportedly cost $7,500 a night.
Michael Jordan and Yvette Prieto
Coming in at a reported $10 million, Michael Jordan and bride Yvette Prieto wedded at the Episcopal Church of Bethesda-by-the-Sea in Florida and had a guest list that included Tiger Woods and Spike Lee, as well as performances from Usher and Robin Thicke.
Beyoncé and Jay-Z
Beyoncé and Jay-Z reportedly married in 2008 at the rapper's 13,500 square-foot penthouse in Tribeca, "decorated with 70,000 dendrobium orchids flown in from Thailand, with roughly 40 of their closest friends and loved ones in attendance." Considering her engagement ring alone is said to be worth $5 million, the wedding was probably pricey.
Katie Holmes and Tom Cruise
In a traditional Scientology ceremony, Katie Holmes and Tom Cruise spent a reported $3 million on their wedding. They got married at Odescalchi Castle in Italy, both wearing Armani, and the meal alone cost around $18,000. A fireworks display and dancing until 3:30 a.m. followed.
Prince Charles and Princess Diana
It cost a reported $42.8 million for then-Prince Charles and Princess Diana to marry, with only about $600,000 of that spent on security (there were literally millions of spectators that day). Details included 27 wedding cakes—the main cake was over 5 feet tall!—and her enormous dress cost over $114,000 at the time. With inflation, the total cost of the wedding in modern times would be well over $140 million!
