The average cost of a wedding for 150 guests is going to run you between $30,000 and $40,000 in total depending on what details you pick out for the day and the State you live in. According to The Ascent, 32% of couples pay for their wedding with a credit card.
$40,000 is a lot of money for the average couple to spend on one single day, especially when you are financing it with a credit card. That is a monthly bill I don’t want to look at. I’ve had many conversations with family and friends around wedding planning and budgeting, and how difficult it can be to balance your dream wedding with a realistic and affordable budget.
It is, however, still lovely to daydream about luxury weddings that simply have no budgetary limits. Just imagine, if you could have anything for your dream wedding what would it be? For me, I’m thinking a 7-course menu, a dessert bar that never ends, fancy signature cocktails, and a line-up of 80’s pop singers singing the greatest private concert that has ever been planned.
For fun, let’s take a look at the 10 most expensive weddings of all time.
[photo source: USA Today]
10. Michael Jordan and Yvette Prieto
Starting off with a bang, an $8 million bang!
- Total cost: $8 Million
- Wedding guests: 500
- Unique factor: Instead of accepting wedding gifts, the couple asked all guests to donate to a charity of their choice.
Arguably the most famous basketball play ever, Micheal Jordan married model Yvette Prieto after meeting in a Miami nightclub.
The ceremony was held at the Bethesda-by-the-Sea Episcopal Church, with the following reception being held at the Bear's Club, a golf course community in Jupiter, Florida, Which is very near their residence.
The A-list guest list had Tiger Woods and Spike Lee in attendance. Plus, Jordan and his bride enjoyed live performances from Usher, K'Jon, and Robin Thicke.
[photo source: Guest of a Guest]
9. Liza Minnelli and David Gest
- Total cost: $10 Million
- Wedding guests: 850
- Unique factor: After spending $10 million to get married, they ended up getting divorced only 16 months later.
When Michael Jackson introduces two people at his 30th-anniversary celebration, a unique union it creates. Liza Minelli, the Broadway songstress, who performed at the anniversary celebration, met the music producer David Gest.
The pair engaged vows at the NYC's Marble Collegiate Church, alongside a bridal party of 36 people, including Michael Jackson as the best man.
With an estimated $40,000 budget going exclusively toward the 6-foot tall,12-tiered wedding cake. The biggest expense of the night was the musical performance, they had 54 different acts including Tony Bennett, Donny Osmond, and Stevie Wonder all took the stage.
8. Lolita Osmanova and Gaspar Avdolyan
- Total cost: $10 Million
- Wedding guests: not disclosed
- Unique factor: The 10-tier wedding cake was worth an estimated $500,000
Lolita is the daughter of a Russian energy oligarch and Gaspar is the son of a telecom millionaire tied the know at the Dolby Theater in Los Angeles, where the Oscars are held.
The wedding played off the old Hollywood theme, everything was red and gold and filled with glittering lights. They had a seafood buffet over blocks of ice. Think of all the crab legs you could have eaten. $500,000 was spent just on flowers. My favorite detail, the dessert buffet had a train
Musical performances performed by Jason Derulo and Laday Gaga racked up a $2 million expense.
7. Aleksey Shapovalov and Ksenia Tsaritsina
- Total cost: $10 Million
- Wedding guests: not disclosed
- Unique factor: The 70-carat engagement ring was almost as expensive as the entire wedding festivities, estimated to be worth $7 million.
Russian oligarch Aleksey Shapovalov said "I do" to model Ksenia Tsaritsina after five years and two kids together.
The opulent affair took place at the prestigious Barvikha Luxury Village hotel in Rublekva, Moscow. Ksenia had multiple outfit changes throughout the ceremony and celebration she also wore two different wedding gowns each were fit for a queen.
They cut an 8-tiered suspended wedding cake, that looked as if it were floating. Everywhere you looked there was fresh flowers floor to ceiling and chandeliers.
[photo source: Page Six]
6. Kim Kardashian and Kanye West
- Total cost: $12 Million
- Wedding guests: 200
- Unique factor: Kim’s only brother, Rob Kardashian did not attend the wedding.
Love her or hate her, Kim Kardashian knows how to throw a celebration that steals the spotlight and runs up the bill.
In her 3rd wedding to rapper Kanye West, they kept the ceremony fairly small at only 200 guests. Engagement parties and bachelorette parties were celebrated in France with the ceremony and reception taking place in Italy, the couple hired private jets to transport all guests back and forth.
Among other expenses was the wedding venue rental cost was $240,000 before any flowers or food. The venue was the Forte di Belvedere in Florence, Italy, which was once home to the Medici family and their troops. Both Kim and Kanye wore Givenchy, the wedding dress cost $178,000. Musical performances by Lana Del Rey, Andrea Bocelli, and John Legend had to have eaten up a lot of the wedding budget.
[photo source: Forbes]
5. Angela Yeung Wing and Huang Xiaoming
- Total cost: $31 Million
- Wedding guests: 2,000
- Unique factor: Angela’s wedding band is worth $1.5 million
Angela Wing is a model, actress, and singer in Hong Kong; more commonly known for her stage name AngelaBaby, married actor Huang.
The ceremony and reception consisted of a wedding venue entirely covered in fresh roses, a 10-foot tall wedding cake with a working gold carousel in between the layers, and a custom Dior wedding gown that took 5 months to make.
Each guest left the ceremony with a bag full of lavish gifts, including a new cell phone.
4. Prince William Mountbatten-Windsor and Catherine Middleton
The eldest son of Princess Diana and Prince Charles, the second in line to the English throne, married his long-time college sweetheart, Kate, the first commoner to marry into the British working royal family.
- Total cost: $34 Million
- Wedding guests: 1,900
- Unique factor: The security alone is estimated to be around $32 million and was covered by the British taxpayers, while the other details of the day were paid for by their families.
You knew they'd be on this list. The Royal Wedding, a modern fairy tale, was the most anticipated wedding of this century. Gorgeous dresses and royals sighted left and right, it was difficult to know where to direct your gaze. Thankfully there are enough images circulating so that you can relive the moment anytime you want. What did it cost? Oh, just $34 million. $800,000 spent on flowers, $400,000 for the custom Alexander McQueen wedding gown, which most likely had its own dedicated team of security, and two receptions,
[photo source: Royal.uk]
3. Prince Harry Mountbatten-Windsor and Meghan Markle
- Total cost: $45 Million
- Wedding guests: 600 guests inside the church hall, and 2,640 members of the public were invited to watch from the castle grounds.
- Unique factor: Meghan’s dress includes something new (veil and gown), something old (fabric from Princess Diana’s dress), something borrowed (the Queen Mary Bandeau tiara), and something blue (yarn from the blue dress she wore on their first date)
The youngest son of Princess Diana and Prince Charles, the sixth in line to the British throne, shocked the world when he introduced his American, divorced, working actress girlfriend. But it was clear with every public appearance, that they were madly in love with one another. They had a whirlwind romance, starting with a blind date in July of 2016. About a year and a half later, after much speculation, the Royal Family announced their engagement in November 2017 and that they would be getting married in May of 2018.
The couple was married at St. Georges Chapel, on Windsor Castel grounds instead of the Westminster Abby in the city where Will and Kate were married.
The Wedding Reception, hosted by The Queen, took place in St George’s Hall, Windsor Castle. The evening reception was held by The Prince of Wales at Frogmore House.
With more than $40 million alone going once again to security for the day, the rest was spent on a $440,000 Givenchy Gown, $70,000 lemon and elderflower wedding cake, and some $30,000 on hot tea for guests.
[photo source: Forbes]
2. Vanisha Mittal and Amit Bhatia
- Total cost: $55 Million
- Wedding guests: 1,000
- Unique factor: This wedding is listed as the most expensive wedding in the Guinness World Book Of Records, it’s also the most expensive wedding on our list for a non-celebrity.
When you are the only daughter of the richest man in India and heir to a steel and mining company worth billions of dollars an overly extravagant wedding is the only possible option.
This $55 million union took place over six days in France including an engagement ceremony at the Palace of Versailles, said to be the only private function ever to be held at the palace. Dinner was prepared by chefs flown in from India and was held at the Jardin des Tuileries, followed by a ceremony at the 17th century Chateau Vaux le Vicomte which ended with a performance from Kylie Minogue and a firework display.
[photo source: Hellow Magazine]
1. Prince Charles and Lady Diana
- Total cost: $110 Million
- Wedding guests: 3,750
- Unique factor: Lady Diana left her wedding gown to her sons William and Harry in her will.
When Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer were married, the wedding cost around $48 million with $600,000 alone being spent on security for the day. If you were to adjust the wedding price for inflation, it would cost $110 million dollars today. Making it the most expensive wedding ever.
Even though we have been able to witness more recent royal weddings who have also made it on the list, Prince Charles and Lady Diana also rank as the Royal wedding with the most televised views. 28 million people tuned in to watch the couple say their “I do’s”. It was a modern-day fairy tale that the entire world was completely fascinated by.
There were 27 wedding cakes made for the enormous guest list. They even prepared two exact main wedding cakes in case the first cake was ruined in a car crash on the way to the reception. No one can forget Diana's wedding dress which featured a 25-foot train of antique lace. The most impressive part? Lady Diana had to be sewn into her gown on the day of the wedding.
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