World’s Most Expensive Royal Weddings –17 Pictures

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1.Vanisha Mittal & Amit Bhatia.

($78 million)

The Indians, however, outshined the Arabs on November 18^th, 2004 when Vanisha Mittal & Amit Bhatia wed in what is recorded as the most expensive wedding in history. 1,000 guests from around the world attended after each had received a 20-page silver card to the event which included all the lavish details the entire venue that lasted for 5 days. The party took place at the finest chateau and garden in France, the 17^th century, Vaux le Vicomte. The bride, Vanisha Mittal, daughter to the steel tycoon Lakshmi Mittal and Amit Bhatia, the investment banker wed in sheer riches. A performance by Kylie Minogue the pop singer was the high-lighted attraction to the event. 100 different dishes were prepared by a top Calcutta Chef and the wine cost $1.5 million. The costs of everything else we’ll leave to your imagination!

Weddings are a happy time for all, especially for the guests who were able to attend the top ten most expensive weddings in history. Of these wedding events, the real two questions are who is still together and who will be next to top the list?

 

2.Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum and Princess Salama

$100 million, 1981 (today’s dollars)

The Arabs really know how to have a wedding party and especially the ruler of Dubai who married Princess Salama in 1981. The wedding earned a place in the Forbes list of “Billionaire Weddings”. A stadium was built just for the occasion to entertain 20,000 guests for 7 days of luxury.

 

3.Kate and William’s wedding

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William-Kate Wedding to cost $70 million

en reportedly trying to keep their budget tight, cost estimates of the wedding hover at between $50million to $80million.

Modest by royal standards? Maybe.

But given Britain’s current economic situation, a $70million long bill, for a wedding that will be attended by almost 2000 guests, still seems pretty stupendous. Putting this total cost in perspective, Chelsea Clinton’s wedding in June last year cost only around $5million, which was reported by a lot of topbusiness magazines.

So what’s the split-up of the immediate costs related to this very wow-inspiring majestic marriage cost? How much of this are taxpayers going to pay for? And, which businesses are going to benefit the most from this shebang?

Security

Cost: Approximately $33 million

Constituting the largest portion of the total expense that will be incurred over the wedding, the security provisions made for this royal affair over-shadow even the $12million security put in place when the G20 protests took place in 2009 in London.

London police will accompany the bridal procession, and armed military personnel will escort the couple from the church service. Since this is a national holiday, officers will be paid double time.

According to Scotland Yard Deputy Commissioner, Sir Paul Stephenson, 5,000 police officers will be on patrol on the day of the wedding, alongwith about 200 mounted police and 35 sniffer dogs. And of course, with the day being a bank holiday, officers will be paid double time for being on duty.

This huge chunk of the wedding cost will be paid for by Britain’s taxpayers. And sure, Scotland Yard is going to be on their toes trying to secure every corner of London for the event, but they’re going to be that much richer for it also!

Floral Display

Cost: Around $800,000

London-based designer Shane Connolly has been chosen by the royal couple for the floral displays for their April 29th wedding. Mr. Connolly is responsible for directing a team of florists, including those atWestminster Abbey and Buckingham Palace, as well as florists chosen individually by William and Kate, to create the floral displays at the venues related to the wedding events.

According to the royal wedding’s official website, “The floral displays in Westminster Abbey feature a variety of seasonal growing and cut British flowers and trees sourced from Royal Estates and other growers around the country. The flowers and plants include blossoms, azaleas, rhododendron, euphorbias, beech, wisteria and lilac.”

The website gives further details, saying “The floral displays in the Abbey will include eight 20 feet-high trees: six English Field Maple and two Hornbeam. All the trees will be growing in planters, which have also been designed by Mr. Connolly and which were made by craftsmen at Highgrove, The Prince of Wales’s Residence in Gloucestershire.”

Kate Middleton’s Wedding Dress

Cost: between $300,000 to $450,000

A bridal gown becomes an heirloom in the most ordinary of families. So how could one not expect an over-the-top bridal dress for the lady who’s getting hitched to the Royal Prince?

With Kate Middleton’s wedding dress cost estimated at between $300,000 to $450,000, as opposed to the average U.S wedding dress cost of about $1,000, while the actual dress she will wear will be revealed only on the day of the wedding, it has been rumoured that Sophie Cranston of the Libélulalabel will be designing the dress. There have also been reports that more than one dress will be designed and kept ready for the wedding, in case any details get leaked.

All costs related to the outfits Kate will wear on her wedding day, including her 6-figure wedding dress, will be paid for by the Middletons.

Cake

Cost: Approximately $78,000

Leicestershire-based cake designer Fiona Cairns, whose food articles have been published in a lot offood & beverages magazines, will create a multi-layered traditional fruit cake, decorated with cream and white icing, and following a strong British floral theme using elements of the Joseph Lambeth technique, for the royal wedding.

The prince and his betrothed chose Fiona for their special occasion because of her 25-year long experience, creative style and beautifully-crafted handmade cakes using traditional British ingredients.

Additionally, the couple has also asked McVitie’s Cake Company to create a chocolate biscuit cake – made from a Royal Family recipe, one of Prince Williams’ favourites – for the Buckingham Palace reception.

Other Costs

While the above components comprise some of the most significant chunks of the total expenses associated with the royal wedding, other components like accommodation for guests, music, food, etc., will run up pretty long bills too.

Reportedly, the Queen and Prince Charles will pay for the $600,000 luncheon reception and dinner reception, while taxpayers will shell out $63,000 for cleaning the streets of Westminster the day before the wedding.

Music played at the royal wedding will be recorded, and for the first time in history, be immediately released digitally by Decca Records.

The Choir of Westminster Abbey, The Chapel Royal Choir, The London Chamber Orchestra and The Fanfare Team from the Central Band of the Royal Air Force constitute the groups of musicians already confirmed to perform at the ceremony.

The Royal Wedding and Britain’s Economy

29^th April, the day when Kate and William get married, will be declared a national holiday. And, according to estimates by the Confederation of British Industry, shutting down the British economy for 24 hours for the royal wedding will cost the country $6billion, constituting the biggest cost of the event.

With U.K facing a fiscal deficit of $256-billion this year, this extra $6billion is a very dear loss for the nation.

What’s worse, the wedding falls smack bang in the middle of a string of other holidays, leaving only three working days between April 22 and May 2. As a result, many businesses are likely to stay shut through the entire 10-day period, a string of lost productivity that could remove $47-billion from economic output, according to an estimate by accounting firm RSM Tenon.

 

 

4.Lady Diana and Prince Charles on their wedding in 1981

$70 million, 1981 (today’s dollars)

The bill was $48 million in 1981, or $110 million when adjusted for inflation.

The bride was a stunning blonde pre-school teacher, who immediately became a global icon.

The groom was the oldest son of Queen Elizabeth II.

The wedding at St Paul’s Cathedral was attended by dozens of royals; two million spectators; and a global TV audience of 750 million. Diana wore a puff ball meringue wedding dress with a 25-foot train of ivory taffeta and antique lace. The 27 wedding cakes and five-foot-tall main cake supposedly took 14 weeks to prepare, with a duplicate cake made in case of accidents.

 

 

5.Miss Yugoslavia Aleksandra Kokotovic and Andrey Melnichenko

($30 million)

Topping a $20 million dollar wedding isn’t easy but for Miss Yugoslavia Aleksandra Kokotovic and Andrey Melnichenko, it wasn’t hard with a $30 million dollar extravaganza that made history in world famous weddings. Andrey Melnichenko, the Russian billionaire and founder of MDM Bank and the Serbian model, Miss Yugoslavia Aleksandra Kokotovic married in Cote D’ Azur, France on September 3^rd,  2005. There were performances by Christina Aguilera and Whitney Houston for a full house of guests of the rich and famous. The singers alone cost $3.6 million each to perform.

 

 

 

6.Vikram Chatwal and Priva Sachdey

($20 million)

Let’s make it an even 20 after 15, that is, $20 mil, and then everything will be up to par for the wedding of Vikram Chatwal, son of a New York hotel magnet and a jet-setting hotelier and actor and for his model/actress/investment banker bride, Priya Sachdey (who ever said a man couldn’t have it all). The wedding took place on February 18^th, 2006 and is known as one of the most luxurious weddings ever in all of India. Bill Clinton was on the guest list along with many other well-known, high-powered people. The wedding took place over 10 days and was spread across 3 cities in India (Mumbai, Udaipur, and Delhi). There were 600 guests from 26 countries who were all retrieved for the event on chartered jets.

5.Wayne Rooney & Coleen McLoughlin

($15 million)

Okay if that previous wedding bill wasn’t enough to impress you, try doubling that with a few little extras and you’ve got the wedding of Wayne Rooney and Coleen McLaughlin at $15 million. Colleen McLoughlin, a television presenter/product endorser plus a Manchester United/England football star resulted not only in an expensive wedding but an interesting one at that. The 4 day wedding ceremony took place in Villa Durazzo in Portofino Italy on June 12, 2008. With stunning views of the Italian Rivera on a yacht with 64 guests flown in on five different private jets, the ambiance was beautiful. After spending almost $4 million dollars on a dress designed by Georgia Chapman’s Marchesa label, guests had to wonder if the budget had run out after being served pizza for the reception. In the end, they were able to cut costs of $5 million by allowing Britain’s OK! Magazine to publish exclusive information and pictures about the event, that is, after the pizza was served

 

 

6.Delphine Arnault and Alessandro Vallarino Gancia

($7 million)

Who said a bride isn’t worth it, especially when she’s the daughter of the wealthy French businessman, Bernard Arnault? A father coined the ‘pope of fashion’ in France too means of course, a fancy dress, in fact, one so fancy that it was fashioned by the famous designer, John Galliano. It certainly was a price you’d not find on the racks at David’s Bridal either. Add to a wealthy bride a wealthy groom with a family with a wine dynasty business and you’ve got a splendid party, with of course, plenty of fine wines. They couple wed in 2005 at the Cote d’ Azur in France. The venue was decorated with 5,000 white roses. Harper’s Bazaar called it the “Wedding of the Year”.

 

7.Elizabeth Hurley & Arun Nayar

($7 million)

Wed on June 29, 2006, Elizabeth Hurley and Arun Nayar, an Indian businessman married in a 15^th century castle in Sudeley Castle in Gloucestershire in Britain. The festivities lasted for 8 days across the 2 continents of Europe and Asia. The proceedings began at Sudeley and then the wedding party traveled to Umaid Bhawan Palace in Jodhpur, India. The palace suite cost $10,000 a night.

 

 

8.Chelsea Clinton and Marc Mezvinsky

$5 million

The bill was around $5 million in 2010.

The bride was the daughter of President Bill Clinton

The groom was an investment banker (Goldman Sachs and then G3) and childhood friend

The wedding costs included $600,000 air-conditioned tents, a $11,000 cake, Vera Wang wedding gown, and the attendance of Oprah. The rest went to deluxe pampering and security costs for 500 guests.

 

9.Liza Minnelli and David Gest

($3.5 million)

Held at the Manhattan’s Collegiate Church in 2002, with a sum total of 850 wedding guests, the wedding was a monumental event with guests including Natalie Cole singing “Unforgettable”, a 60-piece orchestra also kept the guests entertained along with Tony Bennett. The wedding included a $40,000 6-foot, 12-tier cake, a staff of 500 and a bill of over $700,000 in flowers.

 

 

10.Paul McCartney and Heather Mills

($3 million)

Fireworks, grand feasting and dancers dressed in Indian costume performed for Paul McCartney and Heather Mill’s wedding in 2001. The $3 million dollar wedding ceremony took place in County, Monaghan, Ireland. The ceremony was held in St. Salvador’s Church and the reception took place at Castle Leslie with 300 guests. Heather Mills wore a dress she herself fashioned and carried roses named after her husband. Following their affair they honeymooned at a private island in Seychelles. They spent their first evening on a $20 million yacht for $19,000 a night.

 

 

11.Elizabeth Taylor and Larry Fortensky

$2.5 million

The bill was $2.5 million in 1991, or $4 million when adjusted for inflation.

The bride was an iconic movie star

The groom was a construction worker

The wedding was a notorious event featuring Michael Jackson as father of the bride at his Neverland Ranch. Liza Minnelli, Eddie Murphy, and Nancy Reagan (!) were in attendance. The marriage lasted an impressive five years.

 

12.Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes

($2 million)

They’re still together, almost 6 years later, Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes and they come in at number 10 on the top ten list of grandest weddings of all time. After Tom proposed to Katie on the top of the Eiffel Tower, 19 months before the wedding date, they were married in Italy at the 15^th century castle, Odescalchi Castle in Rome on November 18^th, 2006. Giorgio Armani designed all the apparel for the bridal party and Andrea Boccelli gave a musical performance.  The wedding was attended by 150 guests. The couple honeymooned in Maldives following the elaborate wedding event.

 

 

13.Trista Rehn to Ryan Sutter

$4 million, 2003

Talk about having a large audience for your wedding–Rehn and Sutter, who met on the ABC show The Bachelorette, were married in front of 17 million viewers, with the $3.7 million price tag paid for by the network.

 

 

14.Salma Hayek to François-Henri Pinault

$3.5 million, 2009

In the famous Venice opera house Teatro La Fenice, Hayek and Pinault were wed in the presence of entertainment royalty, including Bono, Penélope Cruz and Woody Harrelson, who helped lead the attendees in singing the non-operatic "Over the Rainbow."

 

 

15.Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden to Daniel Wrestling

$2.6 million, 2010

The princess married her fitness trainer, despite protestations from her father, King Carl XVI Gustaf. That didn’t keep a bevy of European royalty from attending the most elaborate royal wedding in Europe since that of Prince Charles and Lady Di.

 

16.Kim Kardashian & Kris Humphries

costed $10 million.

Fairy tales don’t last forever, no matter how blinged out they are. In August 2010, reality star Kim wed her NBA player beau in an elaborate celebration that reportedly costed $10 million. The nuptials were so anticipated that E! bought the exclusive rights to record the ceremony, spinning the evening into a four-hour TV special that depicted every detail of the lavish affair, from Kim’s 20.5-caret wedding ring (valued at $2 million) to her pre-ceremony breakdown. The couple’s 450 A-list guests, among them Ryan Seacrest, Carmelo Anthony and Lindsay Lohan, descended on a decked-out California estate, where Kim and Kris exchanged vows as waves crashed upon the rocky coastline at sunset. We all know how this one ends, but most of us couldn’t predict just how quickly: the couple called it quits a mere 72 days later.

 

17.Grace Kelly & Prince Rainier of Monaco

When Grace Kelly was young, she reportedly once told her sister, “One day I’m going to be a princess.” And she was right. The wedding between the movie star and the ruler of Monaco was called “The Wedding of the Century” and set the standard for royal weddings. It started off with a 12-carat diamond Cartier engagement ring that Kelly paired with a now-iconic wedding dress for the occasion. The gown, which is said to have inspired Kate Middleton’s, included 25 yards of taffeta, 100 yards of silk net and thousands of pearls; it took 36 seamstresses six weeks to make. The couple’s religious ceremony took place on April 19, 1956 at Saint Nicholas Cathedral in front of 600 guests — including the likes of Cary Grant, Aristotle Onassis and Ava Gardner — and an estimated 30 million television viewers. After the ceremony the newlyweds drove through the streets of Monte Carlo in a cream and black Rolls Royce — a wedding gift from the people of Monaco. Seven hundred guests joined the prince and his new princess for a special luncheon reception at the Palace’s Court of Honour, where the couple cut their colossal six-tier wedding cake with Prince Rainier’s sword.