1. Diana and Charles
Cost: $110 million (after adjusting for inflation)Year: 1981
Thirty years ago, Lady Diana and Prince Charles set hearts aflutter when they walked down the aisle in what was probably the fairytale wedding of the century. Regardless of unfortunate end of this royal love story, there is no question that Charles and Diana’s was the first truly global wedding. With a total bill of $48 million, this was also the most expensive weddings ever. When adjusted for inflation, the bill comes to a staggering $110 million, well above the 19 other expensive weddings on our list. But it wasn’t just the expense. Here you had the British Queen’s oldest son marrying an incredibly pretty young pre-school teacher. Hints of Diana’s status as an international icon were already in evidence. The royal wedding drew two million spectators and a global television audience of 750 million. All this, in addition to the royal guests. Diana’s unforgettable wedding dress with a 25-foot train continues to draw admiration even today. Experts estimate that it is probably one of the most expensive wedding dresses ever made. And finally, there was the five-foot-high wedding cake along with 27 other wedding cakes. Pastry chefs labored for 14 weeks over this royal order. They also created a duplicate, just in case.
2. Vanisha Mittal and Amit Bhatia
Cost: $60 millionYear: 2005
The great big Indian wedding took center stage when Vanisha Mittal, daughter of billionaire steel tycoon Lakshmi Mittal, decided to tie the knot. Born into a business family, Vanisha chose to marry another businessman. The groom, Amit Bhatia, was a London-born i-banker and owner of Swordfish Investments. The Mittal wedding was something to see, for the steel magnate spared no expense at his daughter’s wedding. The high-end touches were noticed from the very beginning. Invitations to this expensive wedding arrived in silver boxes. The Mittals arranged for plane tickets and accommodation at a five-star hotel in Paris. The venue, the historic Palace of Versailles in Paris, was a reminder that the royals of our century are business magnates like Mittal. The festivities at this most expensive wedding carried on for five days and included a performance by Kylie Minogue. Guests drank Mouton Rothschild and carried back designer gift bags of jewelry. The total bill came was $60 million in 2005.
3. Prince William and Kate Middleton
Cost: $34 millionYear: 2011
Prince William could not oust his parents from occupying the throne of the most expensive wedding. However, the prince and his ladylove managed to steal the third spot. Prince William and Kate Middleton, now Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, racked up a bill of $34 million. The expense may have been jarring in an uncertain economic environment, but a large proportion of the wedding budget was set aside for security. Kate’s Grace Kelly-inspired wedding dress by Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueen cost £250,000 (about $388,088), while the total flower bills came to $800,000. The cake alone cost $80,000. It was well worth the expense, for the third most expensive wedding was watched by hundreds of millions of television viewers.
4. Wayne Rooney and Coleen McLoughlin
Cost: $8 millionYear: 2008
Wayne Rooney is no ordinary soccer star. The Manchester United player is one of the highest paid footballers ever. So when he decided to exchange wedding vows with his long-time girlfriend Coleen McLoughlin, it was a lavish affair. The couple had been dating since secondary school before deciding to marry in 2008. A 17th-century villa hosted the wedding ceremony, while the reception took place at a medieval abbey near Portofino. But there was plenty of room for fun at this expensive wedding. The happy couple chartered a flight and flew 65 British guests to Genoa for a masquerade ball onboard a $120 million luxury yacht.
5. Chelsea Clinton and Marc Mezvinsky
Cost: $5 millionYear: 2010
The daughter of Bill and Hillary Clinton prefers to shun the limelight. But all eyes were on her (and the $5 million worth of bills) when Chelsea Clinton decided to get married to childhood friend and investment banker Marc Mezvinsky. The couple did not tighten on their purse strings while planning this expensive wedding. Extravagance was the order of the day, especially with high-profile attendees like Oprah Winfrey. Much of the $5 million went into paying for air-conditioned tents. At $600,000, they these were expensive wedding venues. The cake cost $11,000 and Chelsea’s Vera Wang wedding dress must have cost a pretty penny. Plus, the couple had to shell out on security and luxury treatment for 500 guests.
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