40 Most Expensive Celebrity Weddings of All Time

The Most Expensive Celebrity Weddings of All Time

(Image credit: Getty Images)

published 25 September 2020

When you're a celebrity, all bets are off when it comes to your wedding day. Some A-listers don't always live by this rule and prefer to keep things low-key (lookin' at you, Lily Allen, and David Harbour), while others go all out. This usually means destination weddings, six-figure wedding gowns, spending insane amounts of money on security to keep paparazzi at bay, and a bunch of other expensive details. After all, it's a once-in-a-lifetime event...well, for some. Ahead, dive into some of the most expensive weddings of all time, and perhaps find some inspiration for your own special day. (A girl can dream.)

Mariah Carey and Nick Cannon

During their five-year marriage, Mariah Carey and Nick Cannon renewed their vows twice. One of those times involved a magical celebration at Disneyland. The dreamy nuptials happened after the park closed and reportedly cost $180,000. The couple filed for divorce in 2014.

Julianne Hough and Brooks Laich

The Dancing With the Stars dancer married NHL star Brooke Laich in 2017. Hough's custom Marchesa wedding dress cost around $20,000 alone, and the total for the couple's outdoor Idaho wedding is said to have been between $232,000 to $236,000.

Sean Lowe and Catherine Giudici

One of Bachelor nation's favorite couples tied the knot in a made-for-TV ceremony estimated to cost around $250,000. Lucky for them, they didn't have to pay a dime. ABC covered it all!

Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban

One of your favorite Hollywood couples had a lavish $250,000 ceremony in Manly, Australia, filled with hundreds of candles, a Rolls Royce limousine, and a one-shouldered custom Nicolas Ghesquière-designed Balenciaga gown.

Marc Anthony and Dayanara Torres

While the Latin singer and the former Miss Universe first got married in May 2000 at a super-secret Las Vegas ceremony, the vow renewals were a grander affair two years later. The couple and their 200 guests celebrated with a ceremony in Puerto Rico that reportedly cost $500,000. Anthony and Torres divorced in 2004.

Carrie Underwood and Mike Fisher

The Grammy-winning country singer married the Canadian hockey player at a 2010 wedding in Georgia. They rented out their entire venue, the Ritz Carlton Lodge, for the whole weekend. (All 251 rooms!) It's estimated that the wedding cost around $500,000.

David and Victoria Beckham

The most stylish couple ever had an $800,000 bash at Ireland's Luttrellstown Castle on July 4, 1999. More than 200 people attended the event. Elton John was supposed to perform at the reception, but had a heart attack that stopped him from doing so.

Tori Spelling and Charlie Shanian

The 90210 alum got married in 2004 with a 1920s-themed affair that featured 350 guests, a champagne fountain, and food from famous chef Wolfgang Puck. The event's price tag was around $1 million. Unfortunately, Spelling and Shanian divorced after 14 months of marriage.

Khloé Kardashian and Lamar Odom

One of Keeping Up with the Kardashian's greatest moments (or at least most notable) was Khloé's wedding to Lamar in 2009. The $1 million affair featured a custom Vera Wang silk gown, a Beverly Hills mansion, and many celebrity guests. They split in 2013.

Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner

Put together in just three months, Ivanka Trump's $1 million 2009 wedding was at the Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, NJ. The 13-layered cake guests ate at the reception is estimated to have cost $70,000 alone.

Donald and Melania Trump

Like father, like daughter. Trump's third marriage total cost was also $1 million. While the couple didn't spend that much on their cake, Melania's custom-made Dior dress with a 13-foot train cost $100,000.

Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston

If there's any celebrity wedding we wish we were at, it's this one! Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston's 2000 nuptials were the hottest ticket in Hollywood at the time, leading them to spend $100,000 alone on security for the event. At the end of the day, the wedding cost $1 million. They divorced in 2005.

Anne Hathaway and Adam Shulman

When you're the princess of Genovia, you can spend $1 million on a California wedding in Big Sur. (No, really.) Her 2012 "I do's" theme was "rustic," which means in wedding speak that you're spending $100,000 on flowers.

Jessica Simpson and Eric Johnson

Over four lovely days, this couple and their 275 guests celebrated their life-long commitment to each other with a $1.4 million extravaganza. The most expensive item? Dressing all their bridesmaids and groomsmen, which reportedly cost $750,000!

Tiger Woods and Elin Nordegren

Before their headline-making divorce in 2010, Tiger Woods and Elin Nordegren had a $1.5 million sunset ceremony at an exclusive resort in Barbados. The pair rented out the entire hotel (around 200 rooms, NBD) and even had 500 roses imported for the nuptials.

Pierce Brosnan and Keely Shaye Smith

The longtime couple finally tied the knot in 2001 with a $1.5 million ceremony at an Irish castle in Ballintubber Abbey. Over 100 guests attended the event. The couple had a seven-tier cake made for the party and had it modeled after the one served at John F. Kennedy's wedding to Jackie O.

Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta-Jones

Over 350 guests attended Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta-Jones' wedding held at the Plaza Hotel in New York City, which reportedly cost around $1.5 million. The pair casually had performances from Jimmy Buffett and Art Garfunkel during the ceremony, because, duh!

Eddie Murphy and Nicole Mitchell

Another Plaza Hotel wedding that cost $1.5 million. At least for Eddie Murphy and Nicole Mitchell, this couple ended up donating all of their flowers from their ceremony and reception to a hospital in Harlem. Unfortunately, the couple split up in 2006 after 13 years of marriage.

Elton John and David Furnish

When you're Elton John, you can get married at the same place Prince Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles did, and no one bats an eyelash! Elton John and David Furnish's $1.5 million wedding took place at Windsor Guildhall, and over 600 guests attended.

Elizabeth Taylor and Larry Fortensky

Elizabeth Taylor's seventh and final wedding, held at Michael Jackson's huge Californian estate Neverland Ranch, still rang at $1.5 million. Over 100 security guards watched over the event, including a former Israeli army officer. The couple split after five years of marriage in 1996.

Madonna and Guy Ritchie

Madonna casually wore a 1910 diamond tiara, once worn by Princess Grace Kelly of Monaco, for her $1.5 million wedding to famous director Guy Ritchie in 2000. Unfortunately, the couple later divorced after eight years of marriage.

Kate Moss and Jamie Hince

Supermodel Kate Moss married guitarist Jamie Hince in a lavish three-day wedding in 2011. The England wedding rumored to have cost upwards of $1.6 million, and the special day(s) were captured by none other than Princess Diana’s favorite photographer, Mario Testino. The couple split in 2016.

NeNe and Gregg Leakes

The Real Housewives of Atlanta star's second wedding (the couple divorced in 2011 after 14 years of marriage) to husband Gregg Leakes in 2013 was nothing short of specular. Over 400 guests attended the Atlanta nuptials that rang in at $1.8 million. Her ceremony dress alone cost $50,000.

Christina Aguilera and Jordan Bratman

Christina Aguilera and Jordan Bratman's Napa Valley nuptials had 150 guests in attendance, an $80,000 wedding dress, and rung up around $2 million. Their marriage didn't last long, and the couple ended up parting ways in 2011 after six years together.

Elizabeth Hurley and Arun Nayar

Tradition was key for Elizabeth Hurley and Arun Nayar. The couple ended up having two ceremonies: one traditional wedding in an English castle and a Hindu ceremony in Nayar's hometown of Jodhpur, India. Together, the events cost around $2.5 million. The pair were only married for four years and divorced in 2011.

Kim Kardashian and Kanye West

Kim Kardashian's second wedding (her first is also on this list) to rapper Kanye West reportedly cost $2.8 million. That's not including the pre-party they had in Paris at Valentino's mansion, Chateau de Wideville, with their 200 guests.

Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes

If you want to get married in an Italian castle and have your entire wedding party wear Armani, your wedding will most likely cost $3 million. It reportedly took 350 hours to place every single crystal for Katie Holmes' ceremony gown. The couple split in 2006 after six years of marriage.

Paul McCartney and Heather Mills

The second wedding for Paul McCartney and Heather Mills, held at a remote castle in Glaslough, Ireland, cost the couple $3 million. Over 300 friends and family attended the event that strictly catered only vegetarian options to its guests. The couple split in 2008.

Chelsea Clinton and Mark Mezvinsky

Chelsea Clinton's 2010 nuptials took place in front of 400 guests at the Astor Courts estate in New York and reportedly cost $3 million. Since she is the daughter of a former President, security was a high priority for the couple, as they spent $250,000 to keep the event under-wraps from wandering eyes.

Salma Hayek and François-Henri Pinault

This couple first said "I do" at City Hall in Paris on Valentine’s Day 2009, but later celebrated with their celebrity friends at Venice's famous opera house Teatro La Fenice. The event reportedly cost $3.5 million.

Liza Minelli and David Gest

This $3.5 million wedding had an 850-person guest list, Elizabeth Taylor serving as maid of honor, oh, and a 60-piece orchestra. The love didn't last, though, and the pair split after one year of marriage in 2003.

Trista and Ryan Sutter

Seventeen million people watched the made-for-TV-wedding on ABC of The Bachelorette when it aired in 2003. The show reportedly spent $4 million on the televised special. According to Entertainment Weekly, it drew the biggest U.S. audience for a TV wedding since Prince Charles and Princess Diana's wedding in 1981.

Sofia Vergara and Joe Manganiello

Around 400 guests witnessed this couple's $4 million wedding at The Breakers Palm Beach Hotel in Florida. Sofia Vergara's custom-made Zuhair Murad wedding gown took over 1,600 hours to complete. No big deal.

Prince Charles and Princess Diana

Who could forget Princess Diana's 25-foot train–the longest in royal history–made by David and Elizabeth Emanuel for Alexander McQueen? While the cost of the dress is unknown, Prince Charles and Princess Diana's total wedding cost was an estimated $48 million. This royal couple divorced in 1996 after 15 years of marriage.

George and Amal Clooney

George and Amal Clooney's Italian nuptials weren't the cheapest. They spent $3 million on housing alone for all of their guests, which is super nice, but still! In total, the wedding cost around $4.6 million.

Justin Timberlake and Jessica Biel

Bet you didn't know that Jessica Biel took an untraditional route and wore a pink custom Giambattista Valli Haute Couture dress when she walked down the aisle. That decision alone is said to have cost $100,000—just a fraction of their $6.5 million special day.

Michael Jordan and Yvette Prieto

Over 300 people attended the basketball legend's wedding in Jupiter, Florida. Usher and Robin Thicke were just some of the people that performed at the celebration. It's estimated that the event cost around $10 million.

Kim Kardashian and Kris Humphries

After six months of dating, the reality TV star married NBA player Kris Humphries in a $10 million wedding that would later air as a two-part special on Keeping Up With the Kardashians. You know how the story ends: The couple split after 72 days of marriage.

Prince William and Kate Middleton

When you're a member of the royal family, you either go big or go home. This royal wedding cost $34 million, and almost all of it ($33 million) went to security, per Insider.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle

Another royal wedding, and this time it was bigger than the last. Following suit of what seems to be a family tradition, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle spent about $40.1 million alone on security for their wedding. In total, the special day cost around $42.8 million.

Bianca Rodriguez is the Audience Development Manager at Future, covering fashion, beauty, and more for Marie Claire, Who What Wear US and Who What Wear UK. In addition to spearheading SEO content across brands—whether writing about wardrobe must-haves or strategizing how to make eye-catching content—she is also an avid reader with a deep love and knowledge for books of all genres. More often than not, you can find her lounging with a good book on the weekend.