Money & Matrimony! The 19 Most Expensive Celebrity Weddings
May 10 2019, Updated 1:21 p.m. ET
These 19 nuptials featuring some huge A-list stars who will go down as the most expensive celebrity weddings of all time. Jennifer Lopez famously sang, “My Love Don’t Cost a Thing,” but celebrity weddings — on the other hand — those will get pricey!
MORE: Everything you could possibly need to know about celebrity weddings!
From the Malibu seaside wedding of Jennifer Aniston and Brad Pitt to the relatively recent royal nuptials of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, this look at the most expensive celebrity weddings runs the gamut in terms of style, locale and guest list. But one thing is congruent through all 19 of these highly monied matrimonial events … each one involves millions of dollars.
MORE: 25 Celebrities who managed to get married in secret!
Another fascinating element of these expensive celebrity weddings is that many are still married — like Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta-Jones. Others (read on to find out who!) divorced six dozen days after shelling out $10 million for their fête. Wonder who that was?!
Who: Jennifer Aniston and Brad Pitt
Price tag: $1 million
Date: July 29, 2000
Details: Aniston and Pitt said their million-dollar “I do’s” on a cliff in scenic Malibu in front of 200 friends and family. They rented the house from television producer Marcy Carsey. The couple, to ensure privacy, got the airspace above the locale to be a “no-fly zone,” and the reception was held under a luxurious white tent. Speaking of secrecy, the guests had to sign a non-disclosure agreement. Among the celebrity guests were Courteney Cox, Edward Norton, Salma Hayek and Cameron Diaz.
Extravagance: For starters, the couple spent $100,000 for security to ensure that the “p” word that was so important to the former couple, “privacy.” PopSugar reported that $75,000 was spent on wedding flowers, and a $20,000 fireworks show surprised guests as the sky above the Pacific Ocean was lit up as bright as the couples’ million-dollar smiles. They reportedly could not decide on a band, so they hired four — yes, four — different wedding bands and even a gospel choir! Her dress was designed by Lawrence Steele ($40,000) and she sported Manolo Blahnik high heels. And as every princess should have on her blessed day, she had a pearl-and-Swarovski-crystal crown. Let’s not forget dinner, which included lobster, caviar and of course: Dom Perignon champagne.
Who: Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner
Price tag: $1 million
Date: October 25, 2009
Details: Jared Kushner saved money on the venue fee for his wedding. It was held in New Jersey at a golf course owned by the father of Ivanka Trump — Trump National Golf Course (as RadarOnline.com Online reported). The couple had only been together for three months when they decided to get hitched. When you know, you know. The celebrity guest list included Russell Crowe, Barbara Walters, Regis Philbin, Anna Wintour, Natalie Portman and Rudy Giuliani. Her father, Donald Trump, gave a quick toast that reportedly only consisted of “Be happy and enjoy your life,” as quoted in Town and Country Magazine.
Extravagance: CheatSheet.com reported that Trump’s custom Vera Wang gown cost $50,000. The jewelry and accessories for the bride ran $210,000. The wedding planner, Preston Bailey, charged $100,000. Oh, and that cake … 13 layers of it ran $70,000.
Who: Jessica Simpson and Eric Johnson
Price tag: $1.4 million
Date: July 5, 2014
Details: The four-day, morning-to-evening bash at San Ysidro Ranch was all about celebrating the love of Jessica Simpson and Eric Johnson, and that did not come cheap. After all, this was a 96-hour party! RadarOnline.com Online detailed the rehearsal dinner, a 4th of July barbeque, plus the actual wedding reception. And what’s a four-day wedding party without the requisite Sunday morning brunch?
Extravagance: E! News broke it all down: Four days of catering for 275 guests added up to $300,000, which didn’t include liquor fees. The couple picked up the tab for the rooms for all those attending. The site rental for the ceremony, various parties and the main reception came to $150,000. Those who follow Simpson know she has an affinity for floral décor, and she was not going to go cheap in that department for her wedding … $150,000 covered the flowers for four days. Carolina Herrera designed the wedding gown for Simpson to the tune of $30,000. Jewelry was key as well and that added another $750,000 to the price tag to have the bride-to-be accessorized.
Who: Eddie Murphy and Nicole Mitchell
Price tag: $1.5 million
Date: March 18, 1993
Details: The two married in a ceremony and a reception held at the posh New York City Plaza Hotel that featured 500 family, friends and associates of the legendary comic actor. Among the celeb attendees at the wedding of Eddie Murphy and Nicole Mitchell was Lopez, who was performing during the reception. Other notable guests included Bruce Willis, Demi Moore and Prince.
Extravagance: The multi-tiered cake set the Coming to America star back $25,000. Mitchell (who changed her name to Murphy after the wedding) wore an off-the-shoulder white lace number that came with a 12-foot train, as Forbes reported. Although there was mucho dinero spent on the wedding, the couple did give back. After the event, all the lavish flowers found their way to a hospital in Harlem.
Who: Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta-Jones
Price tag: $1.5 million
Date: November 18, 2000
Details: 350 guests joined Douglas and Zeta-Jones for their nuptials at the Plaza Hotel in New York City. All those in attendance were treated to some divinely delicious food and also a 40-member Welsh choir, celebrating the bride’s heritage, as reported by CBS News. Among the A-listers attending were Goldie Hawn, Jack Nicholson and Meg Ryan.
Extravagance: Her dress dazzled and it better, considering its cost. The Christian Lacroix gown, according to Brides magazine, cost $140,000. Something worth over twice that amount adorned her head — a $300,000 diamond tiara. That $7,000 wedding cake wasn’t too shabby either. Oh, and at the Plaza, wedding prices started at $350 per guest.
Who: Tiger Woods and Elin Nordegren
Price tag: $1.5 million
Date: October 5, 2004
Details: It was a destination wedding for Tiger Woods, the golf phenom, and his Swedish bride. The couple flew in all their guests to the Sandy Lane resort in Barbados. He rented out the entire facility to ensure privacy and intimacy. Among the celebrity guests were Oprah Winfrey, Bill Gates, Michael Jordan and Charles Barkley, according to the Los Angeles Times.
Extravagance: Bride Elin Nordegren wore a custom Vera Wang gown. A “team” of hairdressers was jetted in from London for the bride and her bridesmaids, according to CNN. Woods ordered 500 red roses specifically for the ceremony and reception. The couple then added fireworks to close out the evening and to raise the price tag. Those resort rooms, that Woods had rented out, run from $700 to $8,000 a night.
Who: Madonna and Guy Ritchie
Price tag: $1.5 million
Date: December 22, 2000
Details: For those who want to get married in Scotland, the wedding of Madonna and Guy Ritchie was a dream. The couple rented out every room (51 of them!) at the iconic Skibo Castle, made it a destination wedding and paid for everyone to make the jaunt to celebrate the love of the Ray of Light singer and the Aladdin filmmaker, as chronicled by E! News. Among the celeb guests were Sting and Gwyneth Paltrow.
Extravagance: Madonna wore a custom dress by Stella McCartney, Jimmy Choo shoes, an antique veil and a diamond-riddled tiara that was once owned by Princess Grace of Monaco — all detailed by Britain’s Telegraph.
Who: Christina Aguilera and Jordan Bratman
Price tag: $2 million
Date: November 19, 2005
Details: Christina Aguilera and music producer Jason Bratman tied the knot at a lavish Napa Valley, California winery. The Jewish ceremony featured a gorgeous chuppah with red roses, fuchsia and blush.
Extravagance: Aguilera’s $80,000 custom Christian Lacroix gown was merely the tip of the expensive iceberg. CheatSheet.com said that they also had silk linens on every table where they awaited guests for a reception under a white tent canopy that featured crystals and faux fur littered throughout.
Who: Kim Kardashian and Kanye West
Price tag: $2.8 million
Date: May 24, 2014
Details: Anyone who has been to Florence, Italy probably wished they had gotten married there or hopes to when that magical day arrives. For Kim Kardashian and Kanye West, that dream became a reality on an early summer day in 2014. They hosted 200 friends and family at Forte di Belvedere in the city.
Extravagance: Custom wedding gowns have been a large part of all the most expensive celebrity weddings. But few can match what Kardashian shelled out for her wedding gown to marry West. RadarOnline.com Online discovered that the Givenchy Haute Couture dress cost Kardashian $500,000. Yes, that’s half a million! Andrea Bocelli, who charges $100,000 Euros to perform at events like the West’ wedding, was tapped to perform all night for their guests … so too was John Legend. They spent $110,000 on the caterer. To rent out that entire castle only runs you $400,000, according to E! News. Attendees were treated to a glam squad session — which ran $380 per person. Adding another expense to the tab were that guests were flown to Paris for the kick-off celebration, then everyone was shuttled to Florence.
Who: Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes
Price tag: $3.5 million
Date: November 18, 2006
Details: When Tom Cruise married Katie Holmes, not only were the paparazzi salivating at the impending wedding bells sounding off, but so too were myriad of celebs who wondered they would score an invite to the wedding of the year (and some felt even the decade). Who scored those hard-to-get invites? Us Weekly reported the lucky attendees were Jada Pinkett-Smith and Will Smith, Brooke Shields, Jim Carrey and Jenny McCarthy (who were a couple at the time), John Travolta and Kelly Preston, David Beckham and Victoria Beckham, Marc Anthony and Lopez and someone who was a fellow Scientologist at the time and Leah Remini.
Extravagance: The site cost quite the pretty penny as Cruise and Holmes had a destination wedding. They flew everyone to Italy to stay and celebrate their love in the 15th-century Odescalchi Castle, located just outside Rome, as E! News reported. The airfare alone came to $900,000. Holmes’ Giorgio Armani (who also attended) dress set the couple back $50,000 and those guests guzzled 300 bottles of some seriously fine wine to the tune of $18,000. Lest we forget a local singer who serenaded the couple who goes by the name of Bocelli — who is on this expensive celebrity weddings list a few times! The other headliner who DJ’d was Mark Ronson (the man behind Bruno Mars’ “Uptown Funk”).
Who: Paul McCartney and Heather Mills
Price tag: $3.5 million
Date: June 11, 2002
Details: Talk about combining cultures! Paul McCartney and Heather Mills got hitched in Ireland with a reception that featured an Indian theme. Among the celebs on the guest list were Eric Clapton and former president Bill Clinton.
Extravagance: The castle where they held the ceremony and reception cost $40,000. Everyone who attended was flown in by private jet to the locale that featured $145,000 worth of flowers, as CNN chronicled. McCartney is no stranger to fireworks, as they are a big part of his concerts. So, you know they had to have them at his wedding — which cost the Live and Let Die singer $150,000.
Who: Salma Hayek and François-Henri Pinault
Price tag: $3.5 million
Date: February 14, 2009
Details: Billionaire François-Henri Pinault married his sweetheart, Salma Hayek, in another wildly romantic Italian city, Venice. Among their celebrity friends who attended were Charlize Theron and Penelope Cruz.
Extravagance: Hayek’s custom Balenciaga gown had to cost a pretty penny, revealed in the UK’s Daily Mail. The bride carried a flower bouquet adorned with crystals, as E! found. Celebrity chef José Andrés worked his foodie magic for the guests’ dinner, and U2 leader Bono gave a performance during the reception. The couple then headed to a luxury-laden honeymoon in the Caribbean, as RadarOnline.com Online reported.
Who: Sofia Vergara and Joe Manganiello
Price tag: $4 million
Date: November 22, 2015
Details: It seemed only fitting that the gorgeous and grooms and brides, Joe Manganiello and Sofia Vergara, got married at a site that reflected their attractiveness. That is exactly what they did when they said, “I do,” in front of family and friends at Florida’s The Breakers Palm Beach.
Extravagance: The Modern Family and Magic Mike star shelled out $1 million for flowers, catering came in at $500,000 and a surprise performer got the crowd shaking their collective booty — Pitbull, as Glamour detailed. Sure, this was a multi-million dollar wedding bash, but it was not without its altruistic nature as well. Instead of gifts, guests were asked to donate cash to St. Jude’s! Seriously, what is not to like about this stunning couple?!
Who: Chelsea Clinton and Marc Mezvinsky
Price tag: Neighborhood of $5 million
Date: July 31, 2010
Details: The former first daughter — who grew up right in front of our eyes — Chelsea Clinton, got married in an extremely extravagant ceremony and reception worthy of a princess. She married banker Marc Mezvinsky at the Astor Courts estate in scenic Rhinebeck, New York. Her father, former President Clinton, and her mother, former Senator and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, are known to network with the best of them. So, it should hardly surprise that there were 500 guests on hand to witness this Clinton marry. Among the celebrities who attended were Winfrey, Steven Spielberg and Barbra Streisand, as reported by RadarOnline.com Online. The publication also discovered that Ted Danson and Mary Steenburgen were there — longtime friends of the former First Couple.
Extravagance: E! reported that the catering came with air conditioning, but it will cost you. Considering it was late July in New York state, that was a bill worth paying for the comfort of your guests. The cost only ran $600,000 bucks, while flowers and foliage ran the bill up half a million. Who knew that tables could cost so much to rent? Guess when you have 500 guests, that $109,000 price tag for tables would be expected. Clinton’s wedding dress was a custom Vera Wang and cost $25,000. Then she topped off the entire outfit with $250,000 worth of diamonds. Given that a former president was in attendance, the $200,000 bill for security also was a must. Livingly reported that music ran $40,000 and the wedding planner added $200,000 just to orchestrate a night that was meant to be remembered for eternity.
Who: George Clooney and Amal Clooney
Price tag: $4.6 million
Date: September 27, 2014
Details: The man who few ever thought would marry again, George Clooney, did exactly that in the fall of 2014. Clooney put a ring on the finger of Amal Clooney in the Ocean’s 11 star’s beloved second home of Italy. The Venice wedding was a destination nuptials where the power couple flew in their guests and reserved 95 hotel rooms.
Extravagance: Those lodging costs totaled $3 million alone, as E! reported. Flowers ran a quarter of a million bucks, and Amal’s custom Oscar de la Renta wedding dress cost $380,000. The gang went through 250 bottles of champagne ($50,000) and $80,000 worth of Grey Goose vodka.
Who: Justin Timberlake and Jessica Biel
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Price tag: $6.5 million
Date: October 19, 2012
Details: Justin Timberlake chose to settle down, and it was a momentous occasion ... warranting spending millions on the ceremony and the star-studded reception. Television and movie star Jessica Biel got the wedding of her dreams in Italy. The destination wedding was a surprise to all their guests, including Andy Samberg, Jimmy Fallon and Timberlake’s frequent musical collaborator, Timbaland. According to E! News, everyone boarded planes from their various locales and landed in Frankfurt, where they were given their full itinerary with the full details revealed … it was for a wedding!
Extravagance: The destination wedding found the couple sending 100 of their friends and family to the Borgo Egnazia resort in the city of Fasano, located at the southern tip of the boot. Their duds weren’t cheap either, as chronicled by Business Insider. Biel wore a custom Giambattista Valli gown. Meanwhile, the “Sexy Back” singer wore a tuxedo designed by Tom Ford. When it came to the catering, they pulled out all the stops … offering their guests a four-course meal that included sea bass, steak and lobster. Spinning tunes for the reception, that ran until 5 a.m., was The Roots founder and The Tonight Show bandleader, DJ Questlove.
Who: Michael Jordan and Yvette Prieto
Price tag: $10 million
Date: April 27, 2013
Details: When the greatest basketball player of all time (aka the GOAT) got married … it should come as no surprise that, to quote John Hammond in Jurassic Park, they “spared no expense.” The Palm Beach, Florida-set wedding of Michael Jordan and Cuban-American model Yvette Prieto welcomed 500 guests on a lovely spring day. Us Weekly detailed the celebrities who attended, including MJ’s former Bulls teammate Scottie Pippen, filmmaker Spike Lee and Tiger Woods.
Extravagance: Wedding planner Sharon Sacks is considered one of the best and one of the most expensive. Us Weekly reported that Jordan and Prieto dazzled in their respective outfits, as she particularly looked stunning (according to the magazine) in her custom French silk J’Aton Couture gown with Swarovski crystals. There were thousands of candles, and the entertainment was not D-list by any stretch of the imagination. Usher, Robin Thicke and K’Jon all performed.
Who: Kim Kardashian and Kris Humphries
Price tag: $10 million
Date: August 20, 2011
Details: The first Kim Kardashian wedding to basketballer Kris Humphries was even more extravagant than her later nuptials to West — which is staggering given both Kardashian and West’s luxurious tastes! When it was revealed that her engagement ring alone cost $2 million, as Forbes reported, one had to believe that the sky was the limit when it came to the wedding itself.
Extravagance: Kardashian sported a $2.5 million Lorraine Schwartz headpiece when the second oldest daughter of Kris Jenner walked down the aisle. The invitations cost $10,000, and she had not one, not two … but three custom Vera Wang wedding dresses, as CBS News reported. The couple was only married for 72 days. That comes out to $138,333 per day when you compute the cost of the wedding by days of marriage! But this would not be a Kardashian event if there wasn’t money to be made. Even though the wedding set the couple back $10 million, would you believe they made $8 million on the event when all was said and done? Hollywood Life chronicled how exactly the couple banked $18 million from their big day.
Prince William and Kate Middleston
Price tag: $34 million
Date: April 29, 2011
Details: The wedding the world had been waiting for finally arrived on a blissful spring day. The boy prince had grown up and Prince William was getting his princess, Kate Middleton.
Extravagance: When it comes to the safety and well-being of hundreds of guests, one cannot put a price tag on it. But since this is the future King of England and with countless VIP attendees, shelling out $32 million for security seems about right, according to CBS News. That left around $2 million for the wedding and reception. Middleton’s dress took up a quarter of that budget. It was an Alexander McQueen creative director Sarah Burton original — and cost $434,000, according to RSVPLive. The royal couple had two receptions which totaled $600,000. The floral and foliage décor ran $800,000. The wedding cake had to taste like manna from heaven for what it cost … $80,000.
Who: Prince Harry and Meghan Markle
Price tag: $45 Million
Date: May 19, 2018
Details: The price of a royal wedding has gone up a tad since Prince William and Princess Kate got married. Prince Harry and his American bride, Meghan Markle, tied the knot in front of the world on television and in person in front of hundreds of folks, including Winfrey, the Clooneys, the Beckhams, Serena Williams and Alexis Ohanian, Elton John, James Cordon and Priyanka Chopra.
Extravagance: Markle’s dress was a custom design worked on exclusively by Clare Waight Keller for Givenchy, which Fortune reported cost $135,000. Just like his brother’s wedding, security was the biggest price tag here as CNBC estimated that that element cost the royal family close to $40.2 million. Therefore, when all was said and done, the actual wedding costs were somewhat close to $4 million. The reception welcomed 600 guests, who feasted on a cake that Fortune reported cost $7,000. CNBC also reported that the reception food fees hovered around $680,000, and those flowers totaled $130,000.
