The Over-the-Top Celeb Weddings You’ll Never Forget

There’s nothing quite like a celebrity wedding to pique the interest of adoring fans across the world. The average cost of a wedding ceremony for non-celebrities is over $30,000, a cost that most people consider a major, life-changing expense. However, that $30K wouldn’t even cover the cost of an A-lister’s wedding dress. 

From specially-designed golden thrones to renting out entire hotels in India, these celebrities spared no expense when it came to celebrating their love. In some cases, weddings became a lavish, multi-day affair, while, in others, the celebs in question opted to wed at home and have family and friends come to them. Either way, their nuptials still cost more than most of us could ever afford. 

Year: 2014
Location: Venice
Est. Cost: $1.6 million*

For years, George Clooney was the world’s most eligible bachelor. The star had numerous high-profile romances, along with a short-lived marriage in the late ‘80s to actress Talia Balsam. But, when human rights lawyer Amal Alamuddin walked into his life, it was love at first sight, and Clooney was off the market. The pair cemented their union in a star-studded ceremony in Venice in 2014. 

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The nuptials reportedly lasted for three days, and guests like Brad Pitt and Matt Damon were picked up and escorted in private water taxis to a luxury five-star resort. Clooney even shipped in 100 boxes of his own brand of tequila, Casamigos, for the event. 

Year: 1956
Location: Monaco
Est. Cost: $22.43 million, adjusting for inflation*

When Grace Kelly gave up her glittering showbiz career to marry Prince Rainier of Monaco, the world was transfixed. The popular screen starlet seemed to be living the ultimate fairytale. Her wedding took place at Monaco’s Saint Nicholas Cathedral, where it was televised live to over 30 million rapt viewers. 

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Kelly’s wedding dress alone cost around $68,000 in today’s money. The bridesmaid dresses were custom-designed by Joe Allen Hong at Neiman Marcus, but the expenses didn’t end there, and the entire total for the wedding, adjusting for inflation, was $22.43 million. 700 guests from across the world attended, making Kelly and Rainier’s nuptials one of the costliest weddings of all time. 

Year: 1981
Location: St Paul’s Cathedral, London
Est. Cost: $156 million, adjusting for inflation*

The world was enamored with the young teacher that piqued the interest of Britain’s then-Prince Charles (now King Charles III). The build-up to the wedding was so highly-publicized that dressmakers had to make a fake wedding dress to throw the press off the scent of the real one. 

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Dubbed the “wedding of the century,” Charles and Diana’s nuptials saw over 750 million people across the world tune in. Diana’s wedding dress cost $11,000 ($43,000 in today’s money), as it had over 10,000 pearls sewn into it. 120 guests accompanied the newlyweds to their wedding breakfast held at Buckingham Palace, and the total cost of the nuptials, adjusting for inflation, was around $156 million.

Year: 1994
Location: Notre Dame Basilica, Montreal
Est. Cost: $500,000*

When Celine Dion married her long-time manager in 1994, many of her fans were taken aback. There was a huge age gap between the two, as they first met when Dion was 12 and Angelil was 38. Their romantic relationship blossomed when Dion was 20, following her win at the Eurovision Song Contest. 

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The pair said “I do” at the Notre Dame Basilica in Montreal in 1994, with over 500 guests in attendance. The ceremony was so elaborate, it cost over $500,000. Some of that expense went to Dion’s wedding gown, as she wore a dress with a 20-foot train and a specially designed, seven-pound headpiece covered in jewels. 

Year: 2000
Location: Malibu, California
Est. Cost: $1 million*

It was the union that fans had hoped for ever since Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston began dating in the late ‘90s. When their wedding finally rolled around, the couple did it in style. They hired a Malibu estate from TV exec Marcy Carsey, and the estate provided stunning views across the ocean. To keep paparazzi at bay, Brad and Jen spent $100,000 on security. 

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A relatively modest guest list of 200 enjoyed a zen garden theme, with over 50,000 flowers that cost $75,000. Designer Lawrence Steele crafted Jen’s glass-beaded floor-length white dress, which she paired with Manolo Blahnik shoes and a pearl-and-Swarovski-crystal crown. 

Year: 2006
Location: Castello Orsini-Odescalchi, Italy 
Est. Cost: $3.5 million*

According to actress Katie Holmes, when she was little, she would tell her mom that she was going to marry Tom Cruise someday. If only she had known that the dream would become a reality. In 2006, the A-listers tied the knot at a beautiful Italian castle. The entire wedding party was decked out in Armani and the pair didn’t scrimp on the entertainment. 

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Andrea Bocelli sang to the guests, including Will Smith, John Travolta, David and Victoria Beckham, Jennifer Lopez, and Jim Carrey, at the reception, and those were just some of the stars in attendance. The celebration was topped off with a five-tier wedding cake, fireworks, and a performance by Mark Ronson.

Year: 2013
Location: Episcopal Church of Bethesda-by-the-Sea, Palm Beach
Est. Cost: $10 million*

Michael Jordan and his model bride Yvette Prieto hired exclusive wedding planner Sharon Sacks to help get their decadent wedding off the ground. After an official ceremony at a Florida church, they moved the party to Bear’s Club in Jupiter. 

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Over 300 people danced the night away in a huge tent set up for the celebration. Stars like Tiger Woods, Robin Thicke, and Usher were there to appreciate the custom made crystal candelabras, white peonies, and tulips, while K’Jon sang “On the Ocean” for the couple’s first dance. One guest remarked that the reception, “looked like the most luscious garden” imaginable.

Year: 2002
Location: Glaslough, Ireland
Est. Cost: $3.6 million*

Beatles legend Paul McCartney and model Heather Mills would come to regret their pricey union in more ways than one, as the former later called the wedding “the mistake of the decade.” It was all sunshine and roses when they wed in a private Irish castle in 2002, though. 

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Mills designed her own dress and walked down the aisle to McCartney’s song “Heather”, which he penned for his Driving Rain album. The entire menu was vegetarian, with many high-profile guests showing up to see the much-anticipated event. For example, Ringo Starr was spotted in attendance to support his former bandmate. 

Year: 2014
Location: Florence, Italy
Est. Cost: $12 million*

Kim Kardashian isn’t exactly known for her penny-pinching. Even prior to her enormous wedding to rapper Kanye West in 2014, the reality star was never afraid to splash some cash. Kimye came together to throw the party of the year when they got married in a 16th-century Italian venue.

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The setting alone cost them $410,000, but that was just a drop in the ocean, compared to the rest of the nuptials. A seven-foot wedding cake, a $500,000 dress, and a plethora of private jets all contributed to the final $12 million price tag. Kim also shelled out for a make-up team for her guests to use, a cost that was estimated at $65,000. 

Year: 1954
Location: Burgenstock, Switzerland
Est. Cost: $3.4 million, adjusting for inflation*

Audrey Hepburn married American actor Mel Ferrer in 1954, but the pair’s wedding was a closely-guarded secret. Details of the intimate affair only emerged some time after the fact, so it’s difficult to judge just how much money the actress dropped on her nuptials. Some estimates placed the cost at $300,000, which would be $3.4 million in today’s money.

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A letter from Hepburn to one of her friends read, “We will have the car take you up to our mountain peak, Friday, for a gathering in our chalet of our nearest and dearest. Saturday will be the wedding.” Judging by that statement, the couple paid quite a bit in travel expenses for their guests, and they likely exclusively hired the venue to keep it a private affair. 

Year: 1965
Location: Ritz-Carlton Hotel, Montreal
Est. Cost: $9.69 million, adjusting for inflation*

When news of their illicit affair broke in the ‘60s, Taylor and Burton were slapped on the wrist by prospective movie studios for creating such a massive scandal. The pair met on the set of Cleopatra, and Burton courted Taylor by sending her expensive jewels. Their taste for luxury was cemented when they wed at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Montreal. 

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This was the first of two marriages, as the couple would later split before reuniting and saying “I do” for the second time in the ‘70s. Taylor’s wedding jewelry alone cost thousands of dollars, and, later, Burton famously bought Taylor the Krupp Diamond for $307,000. 

Year: 1954
Location: City Hall, San Francisco
Est. Cost: $113,500, adjusting for inflation*

Marilyn Monroe and Joe DiMaggio may have been one of the most famous couples of their time, but their wedding was comparatively low-key. The couple went to City Hall in San Francisco to make things official, and, when they left, they were met by a storm of paparazzi taking their picture. 

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There was no elaborate wedding, nor was there even a white dress. In fact, the majority of costs went to security to help the couple get in and out of the venue safely. Monroe had hoped to keep the nuptials secret, but she mistakenly confided in a friend at her film studio, who let it out to the media. 

Year: 2017 
Location: Highclere, England
Est. Cost: $1.31 million*

Reality star Katie Price reportedly spent well over $1 million on her 2005 nuptials to Peter Andre. Price, never known to shy away from spending money, ensured her wedding was a semi-royal affair that the paparazzi clamored for details about.

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The ill-fated nuptials took place at Highclere Castle during the fall, and Price wore a beautiful, pink, fairytale-like gown that cost her around $59,000. Later, in June of 2023, Katie would go on to auction off her dress, claiming she didn’t need it anymore and it was just laying around.

Year: 1971
Location: Saint-Tropez, France
Est. Cost: $15.07 million, adjusting for inflation*

Back in the ‘70s, rock n’ roll was largely regarded as being a rude gesture to the world of high-society. It was said to emulate the dirtier, grungier side of life…until Mick Jagger wed Bianca in 1971. The frontman’s wedding to the brunette beauty was anything but grunge. For example, Jagger chartered a plane to bring 75 of his friends to the event in Saint-Tropez, despite only giving them a day’s notice. 

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An all-star band, which included the decade’s top names played songs throughout the reception, giving star guests like Brigette Bardot and Julie Christie something to dance to. Despite the costs, the wedding was hazardously last minute and according to all reports, a chaotic (yet fun) mess.