50 Most Expensive Celebrity Wedding Dresses of All Time

(Image credit: Getty)

published 4 December 2017

In the spirit of obsessing over things we can't afford, we combed through every celebrity wedding for a ranking of the 50 most expensive gowns of all time. See them all, ahead, including the simple, the gorgeous, and the ridiculous.

#50 Jacqueline Kennedy

Although one of the most influential wedding dresses of all time, Jacqueline Kennedy's elaborate gown cost only $500. The original dress was destroyed 10 days prior to the ceremony, forcing designer Ann Lowe to remake the entire ensemble.

#49 Crystal Harris

In 2013, Crystal Harris auctioned off her Romona Keveza Couture gown to raise money and awareness for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. The dress was set at $1,000, but has an estimated worth of $7,500.

#48 Nicole Johnson

In her wedding to Michael Phelps, Johnson wore a $10,000 gown by Julie Vino.

#47 Heather Mills

The $11,000 price tag of Heather Mills's wedding gown was revealed when designers Caroline Davis and Annie Brown accused the model of not giving them their promised publicity.

#46 Ronda Rousey

Ronda Rousey's gorgeous Galia Lahav gown has an estimated worth of approximately $13,000.

#45 Dianna Agron

The Glee actress sported a $20,500 off-the-runway Valentino dress for her alternative wedding.

#44 Julianne Hough

The dancer wore a fairytale-like, custom Marchesa gown worth approximately $20,000.

#43 Nicole Kidman

Nicole Kidman's Balenciaga gown is worth an estimated $20,000. The actress later donated the dress for an Australian art exhibit, saying, "I'll support anything that supports love."

#42 Nicole Richie

Richie walked down the aisle in a $20,000, long-sleeve Marchesa gown.

#41 Chelsea Clinton

The First Daughter settled on a $20,000, strapless Vera Wang gown for her big day.

#40 Audrey Hepburn

While filming Roman Holiday, Hepburn had a wedding dress made by the Fontana sisters for her upcoming marriage to James Hanson. The actress and Hanson split before the wedding, and Hepburn ended up donating the dress to a local Italian girl. In 2009, the dress was auctioned off for $23,000.

#39 Kim Kardashian

It's reported that Kim K. had a selection of three Vera Wang dresses for her 2011 wedding to Kris Humphries, each costing $25,000.

#38 Mariah Carey

For the singer's epic 1993 wedding to Tommy Mottola, Carey wore a $25,000 Vera Wang gown.

#37 Elizabeth Taylor

Elizabeth Taylor wore a $25,000 pale-yellow gown to her eighth and final marriage to Larry Fortensky.

#36 Katharine Hepburn

The wedding gown Hepburn wore to her 1928 wedding to Ludlow Ogden Smith was auctioned off for $27,000 in 2004.

#35 Alexandra Lenas

Sean Parker and Alexandra Lenas's wedding was equal parts outrageous and expensive. Lenas's Elie Saab Haute Couture dress reportedly cost $30,000.

#34 Christina Aguilera

The singer wed Jordan Bratman in a $30,000 Christian Lacroix gown.

#33 Jessica Simpson

Jessica Simpson chose a Carolina Herrera dress for her wedding to Eric Johnson. The dress reportedly cost $30,000.

#32 Princess Diana

One of the most talked about dresses of all time, Princess Diana wore an elaborate silk taffeta gown adorned with lace, hand embroidery, sequins, and 10,000 pearls. While the dress was estimated to be worth $12,000 in 1981, the value is $34,000 today.

#31 Myolie Wu

The Hong Kong singer and actress wore a traditional, two-piece embroidered dress that cost approximately $36,000.

#30 Whitney Houston

Houston's $40,000 high-neck, custom Marc Bouwer dress was auctioned off at Heritage Auctions in 2016.

#29 Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy

Bessette-Kennedy opted for an incredibly simple and chic Narciso Rodriguez gown. She reportedly had two fittings in Paris to ensure the $40,000, silk-crepe gown was perfect.

#28 Liza Minnelli

The 3.5 million wedding of Liza Minnelli and David Gest called for a $45,000 Bob Mackie gown.

#27 Lee Min-jung

South Korean actress Lee Min-jung sported a $45,000 Marchesa lace gown for her wedding.

#26 Ivanka Trump

Trump wore a $50,000 Vera Wang gown inspired by Grace Kelly's iconic dress.

#25 Keira Knightley

In Knightley's first wedding reception, the actress opted for a Chanel dress that was already hanging in her closet (pictured, here). It was later discovered that Knightly had a secret, second ceremony in which she wore a custom Valentino gown with an estimated worth of $50,000.

#24 Katie Holmes

It took 350 hours to cover Holmes's Giorgio Armani dress with Swarovski crystals, which has an estimated worth of $50,000.

#23 Elizabeth Taylor

Taylor sported a $50,000 gown for her first marriage in 1950, which was designed by MGM costume designer Helen Rose. In 2013, the dress was auctioned off for $188,175.

#22 Tori Spelling

Spelling wed Charlie Shanian in a gorgeous Badgley Mischka dress worth $50,000.

#21 Jennifer Aniston

Aniston wore a $50,000 Lawrence Steele gown to her 2000 wedding to Brad Pit.

#20 Pippa Middleton

Middleton married James Matthews in a $52,000 Giles Deacon gown.

#19 Kim Zolciak

The Real Housewives of Atlanta personality wore three dresses during her wedding, the most expensive of which was a $58,000, 32-pound gown by Baracci Beverly Hills.

#18 Keely Shaye Smith

Keely Shaye Smith wore a Grace Kelly inspired gown worth $60,000 to marry Pierce Brosnan.

#17 Grace Kelly

To this day, Kelly's dress remains a major inspiration for soon-to-be brides. The gown, designed by Helen Rose, cost an estimated $60,000. Summed up by Oscar de la Renta: "On her wedding day, Grace Kelly gave new meaning to the word icon."

#16 Elizabeth Taylor

The vibrant, uniquely colored Gina Fratini dress Taylor wore to her second wedding to Richard Burton in 1975 was auctioned off for $62,500.

#15 Nicky Hilton

Nicky Hilton graced the aisle in a $77,000 Valentino gown.

#14 Madonna

Though there's a bit of speculation surrounding the true worth of Madonna's Stella McCartney wedding gown for her marriage to Guy Ritchie, it's estimated to be worth $80,000.

#13 Madonna

The wedding dress that Madonna wore to her 1985 wedding to Sean Penn was auctioned off for $81,250 in 2014.

#12 Melania Trump

Trump's Christian Dior wedding gown is worth $100,000, featuring crystal beadwork that took 500 hours to complete.

#11 Victoria Beckham

Beckham's Vera Wang gown came in at approximately $100,000. The fashion icon says the dress still remains in her closet, where it's on reserve for her daughter Harper.

#10 Jessica Biel

Biel opted for the prettiest, pale-pink Giambattista Valli Haute Couture gown worth $100,000, which she wore down the aisle as Justin Timberlake serenaded her.

#9 Coleen Rooney

Coleen Rooney wed soccer player Wayne Rooney in a $100,400 Marchesa dress.

#8 Catherine Zeta-Jones

Catherine Zeta-Jones said "I do" to long-time husband Michael Douglas wearing a $140,000 Christian Lacroix gown.

#7 Petra Ecclestone

Daughter of Formula One billionaire Bernie Ecclestone, Petra sported a $140,000, Vera Wang gown at her elaborate, $20-million wedding.

#6 Marie-Chantal Miller

The Crown Princess of Greece wore a custom Valentino, pearl-encrusted gown. The dress took a team of 25 people to complete and is worth an estimated $225,000.

#5 Mariah Carey

Though Carey and James Packer never made it down the aisle, it's rumored the singer burnt her $250,000 Valentino gown in a music video.

#4 Amal Alamuddin

Alamuddin looked stunning in a $380,000 custom-made Alexander McQueen by Sarah Burton gown (taking only a small chunk of the couple's $4.6 million wedding budget).

#3 Kate Middleton

For the Royal Wedding we truly can't get over, Middleton opted for a $400,000, Alexander McQueen by Sarah Burton dress.

#2 Kim Kardashian

Leave it to Kim K. to top the Royals with a $500,000 Riccardo Tisci for Givenchy gown (paired with $40,000 Balmain heels, of course).

#1 Victoria Swarovski

Australian singer and crystal heiress Victoria Swarovski takes the cake for the most expensive wedding dress of all time. The gown was embellished with 500,000 crystals, costing an estimated $1 million. Excuse us while we go pick up our jaws.

Ruby was the beauty editor at Cosmopolitan, where she covered beauty across print and digital. Her work has appeared on The Zoe Report, Fashionista, and StyleCaster. Follow her on Instagram.