The most expensive weddings of the decade revealed – and even Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s has been outdone
THE most expensive weddings of the past decade have been revealed with the likes of Kim Kardashian and George Clooney among the celebs who have pulled out all the stops.
Weddings are always an expensive affair, but for the super-rich money is no object.
As the 2010s come to an end, the top ten most expensive weddings of the decade have been unveiled, with the priciest one costing a whopping £46 million.
A-listers, royals and billionaires make the list, compiled by , who revealed the cost of an average wedding has risen by 100% in the last ten years.
They said: “We have witnessed the rise of the celebrity mega-wedding coupled with social media transforming weddings since 2010.
Most expensive weddings of the last decade
- Vanisha Mittal and Amit Bhatia £46 million
- Harry and Meghan £35.1million
- Kate and Prince William £26 million
- Petra Ecclestone and James Stunt £9.2 million
- Justin Timberlake and Jessica Biel £4.9 million
- George Clooney and Amal Alamuddin £3.5 million
- Chelsea Clinton and Marc Mezvinsky £2.3 million
- Nick Jonas and Priyanka Chopra £2.3 million
- Kim Kardashian and Kayne West £2.1 million
- Sir Elton John and David Furnish £1.1 million
“Screens have been filled with the most eye-wateringly expensive royal and celebrity weddings of all time across social media, with the rise of Instagram and Pinterest replacing blogs and magazines in the last ten years.”
The cost of an average UK wedding in 2019 was £31,974, with the venue hire usually the most expensive purchase, averaging £5,406, according to .
1. Vanisha Mittal and Amit Bhatia £46m
In the top spot is Vanisha Mittal and Amit Bhatia, who topped the list of most expensive weddings with a £46 million price tag for their week-long nuptials.
Vanisha, the daughter of India’s richest man and one of the wealthiest people in the world, wed her banker fiancé Amit in 2004.
More than 1,000 guests attended the wedding, who were sent silver-decorated invitations, and enjoyed a performance by none other than Kylie Minogue, who was paid around £25,000 to perform for half an hour. according to .
The couple had lavish parties at a number of five-star locations, including Palace of Versailles, the Jardin des Tuileries and a firework display in the Eiffel tower gardens.
2. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle £35.1m
Next on the list is a recent wedding, the one of Prince Harry to Meghan Markle.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex tied the knot at St George’s Chapel in Windsor Castle on May 19 2018.
Their wedding cost around £35.1 million, with the royal family footing the bill, although taxpayers paid for security.
Policing the event and the streets was the biggest cost, amounting to roughly £30 million.
The honeymoon, flowers, food and drink are throught to have cost around £1 million.
And it’s thought the 38-year-old paid for her own dress, which was a custom Givnenchy gown, with it estimated to have cost six-figures.
3. Prince William and Kate Middleton £26m
Third on the list is another royal, Prince William, whose marriage to Kate Middleton cost around £26 million.
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge tied the knot on April 29, 2011, at Westminster Abbey, with the day declared a Bank Holiday.
Despite being next in line to the throne, the 37-year-old’s wedding cost less than his brother’s.
Just like Prince Harry, the majority of the budget went on security, with the Cambridge’s costing around £23.7 million to police.
The budget for flowers is thought to have come in at £800,000, with their two cakes costing £61,500 each.
Just like Meghan, Kate paid for her own Alexander McQueen dress, thought to have cost £330,000.
4. Petra Ecclestone and James Stunt £9.2m
The wedding of Petra Ecclestone and James Stunt, in 2011, is fourth on the list with an estimated spend of £9.2 million.
Petra, daughter of Formula One owner Bernie Ecclestone, tied the knot at Odescalchi Castle, in Italy, which reportedly cost £310,000 to hire.
And the billionaire heiress also splashed out a whopping £2.6 million for The Black Eyed Peas, Alicia Keys and David Geutta to perform, reported.
Despite throwing a lavish wedding, the pair divorced last year.
5. Justin Timberlake and Jessica Biel £4.9m
Justin Timberlake and Jessica Biel also got married in Italy, with the popstar and actor tying the knot in Puglia in 2012.
The couple booked the sprawling 63-room 28-villa luxury Borgo Egnazia Resort, accompanied with tight security, costing them around £770,000.
The power couple, who welcomed son Silas in 2015, invited around 100 guests to spend a week with them at the resort, spending around £77,000 on entertaining them, quoted.
Jessica, 37, wore a custom pink Giambattista Valli Haute Couture gown to walk down the aisle, as she was serenaded by Justin, 38.
6. George Clooney and Amal Alamuddin £3.5m
Hearts around the world broke when renowned bachelor George
Clooney finally announced he was getting married.
The lucky girl was high flying human rights lawyer Amal Alamuddin, who became Mrs Clooney in 2014.
The happy couple also chose Italy for their destination wedding, with their extravagant ceremony held in Venice, paying £2.3 million for their guests’ hotel suites.
Amal wore several showstopping outfits, including a scarlet gown by Alexander McQueen for the rehearsal dinner, a wedding dress and reception dress designed by Oscar de la Renta.
And she wore a second dress for a wedding reception in the UK, designed by Donna Karen.
The pair forked out around £230,000 for the table set up, £192,000 for flowers, £44,000 for booze and £23,000 for a five-course dinner, reported.
7. Chelsea Clinton and Marc Mezvinsky £2.3m
Chelsea Clinton wed her long-term boyfriend, Marc Mezvinsky, in New York in 2010,
Chelsea, 39, was walked down the aisle by her father and former president, Bill Clinton.
The daughter of Hillary Clinton wore a dress designed by Vera Wang – who was among the guests – at the bash at the Astor Courts Estate which cost around £154,000 to hire.
Some 400 guests were invited, who tucked into a five-foot tall gluten-free wedding cake – which cost around £7,500 – with catering costing £577,000.
The rehearsal dinner is thought to have cost £192,000, with lighting bizarrely costing £77,000, claimed.
8. Priyanka Chopra and Nick Jonas £2.3m
Meghan Markle’s BFF Priyanka Chopra married Jonas Brothers’ star, Nick Jonas, in a lavish ceremony last year.
The former Miss World, 37, had two events, one a Christian affair where she wore a stunning white gown with a 75-foot train, and a traditional Indian ceremony.
The pair had an even bigger cake than Chelsea, slicing into a whopping 18-foot tall wedding cake.
It’s thought the pre-wedding celebrations alone cost £47,000 alone, with their venue – the Umaid Bhawan Palace – costing £45,500-a-night, reported.
9. Kim Kardashian and Kanye West £2.1m
Kim K and Kanye also got married in Italy, tying the knot in 2014.
The couple flew their guests out for a full-on weekend of celebrations, starting with a hen party in Paris.
The 38-year-old had a rehearsal dinner at the Palace of Versailles for 600 guests, followed by fireworks and a performance by Lana Del Rey.
They then jetted their guests via private jet to Florence for the actual wedding, with Kim wearing a bespoke Givenchy gown – just like Meghan.
Kim’s dress is said to have cost £384,482 with her shoes costing £30,758 alone, and she forked out £49,982 on a ‘glam squad’ to ensure she looked her best.
One of the most memorable parts of Kim’s wedding was her incredible 20ft flower wall, which cost £104,579, quoted.
10. Sir Elton John and David Furnish £1.1m
The couple originally entered into a civil partnership in 2005, but after the UK legalised same-sex marriage in 2014 they decided to throw a second wedding celebration that same year.
The pair documented their big day on Instagram, and invited 600 guests to watch them exchange their vows.
The pair tied the knot with diamond bands worth £185,000, and spent an estimated £100,000 on food, £92,000 on vintage pink champagne and £7,500 on caviar, quoted.
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