Most Lavish Weddings in History

These lavish and expensive weddings are fairy tale stories that come to life, thanks in large part to their boundless wealth. See at how much billionaires, businessmen, and royal families have spent on some of the history’s most lavish and extravagant weddings.

1. Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer

$48 million in 1981 ($110 million when adjusted for inflation)

Queen Elizabeth II’s eldest son and the lovely blonde schoolteacher-turned-global icon married at the St. Paul Cathedral in London on July 29, 1981, with much fanfare. About 750 million TV viewers from around the world tuned in to witness one of the most celebrated weddings in history.

Diana was absolutely regal in her gown made of ivory silk taffeta, decorated with antique lace and thousands of pearls, not to mention its 25-foot-long train. The main wedding cake measured five feet and reportedly took 14 weeks to make. Plus, there were 27 other wedding cakes. It was attended by 3,500 guests, including the members of the British royal family as well as politicians and diplomats.

2. Vanisha Mittal and Amit Bhatia

$60 million in 2004 ($66 million when adjusted for inflation)

Banker/philanthropist Amit Bhatia married heiress Vanisha Mittal in 2004, in one of the world’s most ridiculously expensive weddings ever. Mittal is the lovely daughter of India’s richest man, steel magnate Lakshmi Mittal.

This has got to be a wedding that’s fit for a king and a queen. The five-day celebration was held at three different venues, which included the Palace of Versailles and a 16th-century chateau. Lucky guests received invitations (encased in silver boxes) that consisted of plane tickets and a stay at a five-star Parisian hotel. The sumptuous dinner was prepared by top chefs who had even flown from India.

3. Prince William and Kate Middleton

$34 million

Prince Charles and Princess Diana’s extravagant union in 1981 eventually bore them two sons. Their eldest, Prince William, was about to have his own fairytale wedding, which finally happened on an unusually sunny day in London on April 29, 2011.

What’s remarkable about this wedding is that unlike other famous weddings in the British royalty, the event witnessed a union between a prince and a commoner. The wedding boasted flowers worth $800,000 as well as the $80,000 wedding cake. The guests comprised of the British royal family, the relatives of the bride, their own circle of friends, as well as politicians, diplomats, and celebrities. Truly, this is one of the most star-studded weddings we’ve seen in recent history.

4. Wayne Rooney and Colleen McLoughlin

$8 million

Manchester United footballer Wayne Rooney and working-class gal Colleen McLoughlin married in Portofino, Italy on June 12, 2008. Rooney and McLoughlin had been childhood friends, and they first dated together at the age of 16.

Wayne Rooney is one of the highest-paid footballers ever. Their wedding featured a masquerade ball held at a $120-million yacht. The Stereophonics, Rooney’s favorite band, played at the reception.

5. Chelsea Clinton and Marc Mezvinsky

$5 million

Bill and Hillary Clinton’s only child Chelsea Clinton and investment banker Marc Mezvinsky married in July 2010. It was an interfaith ceremony, as Clinton is a Christian while Mezvinsky was brought up in the Jewish faith.

The couple spent $600,000 on air-conditioned tents, and $11,000 on the wedding cake, as well as spa pampering for their guests. Who footed the bill (pardon the pun) remains anyone’s guess, although it was rumoured that the Clinton Foundation used its funds for the wedding.

The ceremony was even made more memorable by the appearance of the Queen of Talk, Oprah Winfrey.

6. Khadija Uzhakhovs and Said Gutseriev

$1 billion

The billion-dollar wedding of the Russian Billionaire’s son Gutseriev is one that breaks all the luxurious boundaries. With celebrity performers such as Jennifer Lopez, Sting, and Enrique Iglesias, the wedding was celebrated with 600 guests who were gifted with gold jewellery boxes worth 50 million rubles. The bride’s wedding gown was designed by Elie Saab, Paris with a weight of 28 pounds and was worth 18,000 pounds.

7. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle

$45 million

Not to be surprised, Prince Harry’s wedding was way more pricey than any average lavish wedding. The expenses were covered by the Kensington Palace and it is said that most of the wedding budget was allocated to the security department for snipers, undercover police, military technology, and security drones. The food had cost$686,000 and approx. $195,000 on the royal family’s favourite champagne. The double bonded silk wedding dress was designed by the British designer Clare Waight Keller and was worth $135,000.

8. Isha Ambani and Anand Piramal

$100 million

Asia’s richest man’s daughter Isha Ambani closed the year 2018 with perhaps one the most expensive and lavish wedding of the history.  A huge guest list that took up five of the five-star hotels and more than 100 chartered flights, the wedding was not only a family treat but also involved the less privileged by donating food to more than 5000 persons. This talk of the town wedding had Indian film stars, politicians and businessmen as guests. There was a team of food specialist that was called especially from Paris to treat the guests with French Cuisine along with traditional Indian and Gujarati dishes.