As one of the most celebrated events in our lives, it comes as no surprise that weddings can be costly. But unless you’re an A-lister, a member of the royal family, or an oil mogul, you probably won’t be spending millions of dollars on your wedding day. For the most part, a normal, average Australian wedding costs anywhere from $10,000 for a simple elopement to $50,000 for a venue with food, drinks and all the trimmings.

But then there are the weddings that cost millions and even billions! While we know that money isn’t the most important thing, who can resist fantasizing about a wedding with $145,000 worth of flowers!? At Botanica Weddings we certainly can’t so we’ve done a little research to find out exactly how much the rich and famous really willing to spend on their big, lavish days. In no particular order, you’ll find the results below, enjoy the fantasy and if you’re looking for something a little more ‘cost effective’ don’t hesitate to get in touch with us here.

Kim Kardashian and Kris Humphries

In 2011, Kim and Kris spent millions in an over the top ceremony that every single magazine and entertainment company wanted to cover. The entire celebration cost around $10 million, but it’s reported that the couple didn’t end up paying for much of the bill since E! Entertainment aired their wedding in exchange for footing the bill. The pair also banked around $18 million when they sold the rights to their wedding photos. Sadly, they ended up having one of the shortest celebrity marriages ever, it lasted only 72 days and came to an end in a flurry of bad press.

Christina Aguilera and Jordan Bratman

Christina and Jordan’s wedding back in 2005 cost the pair $2.2 million. They had 150 guests there on the day including Sharon Stone the star of one of their favourite movies. The grand celebration was hosted at the Napa Valley’s Staglin Family Vineyard. It was decorated beautifully with a winter theme tent that was adorned with white roses, silver, and crystals. Of course Christina sparkled in a Spanish-style Christian Lacroix gown that on its own cost around $80,000. Squeal!

Elizabeth Hurley and Arun Nayar

In comparison, this superstar couple spent $2.6 million on their wedding. They had a double ceremony, which lasted for eight days at the gorgeous Sudeley Castle in Gloucestershire. After that, they moved everyone to Umaid Bhawan Palace in Jodhpur. Hiring several private jets cost them a total of $300,000 and over $100,000 was spent on accommodation alone. Part of that was a sumptuous $10,000 Indian Bridal Suite, which any bride would be thrilled to wake up in.

Paul McCartney and Heather Mills

This famous pair spent slightly more, a hefty $3.6 million on their Indian-themed wedding but unlike Hurley and Nayar they left out the private jets choosing instead to hold the ceremony on the grounds of Ireland’s St Salvador Church in Monaghan, Ireland. The after party was held close by in a beautiful castle that cost them $40,000 to rent. Heather wore a lavish ivory lace gown, which she designed herself. For entertainment, their lush wedding featured Indian dancers, a ten-piece band playing Celtic Bangra and a vegetarian feast in line with the couples’ ethical stance. In total an astounding $145,000 was spent on flowers and over $150,000 on fireworks. Talk about going out with a bang!

Chelsea Clinton and Marc Mezinsky

The stately bill for this presidential wedding was around $5 million and we wouldn’t expect any less from the daughter of a former US president! Some of the costs included a $600,000 air-conditioned tent, a $12,000 cake and a stunning wedding dress from Vera Wang. Funnily enough, Vera even attended the wedding to ensure that her gown looked absolutely perfect on the day. There were 500 guests at the wedding and of course, one of them was Oprah.

Liza Minnelli and David Gest

At the time this couple’s was the biggest celebrity wedding ever to be seen with the pair spending $4.2 million on the big day. Highlights included bestman Michael Jackson who walked Liza Minnelli down the aisle, she also had Elizabeth Taylor as the maid of honour. There was a 60-man orchestra as well as more special guests like Stevie Wonder, Tony Bennett and Natalie Cole. It’s rumoured that the pair spent $700,000 on flowers and over $40,000 on the wedding cake, which for 2002 was truly something.

Petra Ecclestone and James Stunt

Petra Ecclestone married James Stunt in a medieval Italian town, which was literally closed down for their big day. The pair married in Odescalchi Castle which they hired for an eye-watering $512,000. In total, they forked out around $20,000,000 for the three-day event. Petra’s dress was designed again by Vera Wang and cost her upwards of $80,000. Guests enjoyed performances by the Black Eyed Peas as well as David Guetta while they were served vintage Louis Roederer Cristal Champagne. Acrobats kept everyone entertained and the evening ended with $165,000 worth of fireworks.

Khadija Uzhakhova and Said Gutseriev

When the son of a Russian billionaire married his Russian sweetheart in 2016, the term ‘outrageous’ was redefined. It was, of course, a family funded wedding and no shortage was spared. This makes sense as the groom, Said is set to one day inherit a cool 6.2 billion from his father, Mikhail Gutseriev, an oil baron and songwriter. The wedding itself was truly lavish with Sting, J.Lo and even Enrique Iglesias performing. The venue was literally covered in flowers and the cake was as big as a truck! Khadija carried a bejewelled clutch and wore an Elie Saab gown as she stood with her husband to watch millions of dollars of fireworks explode in celebration of their love. The total price tag came in at over a billion dollars. Check out photographs here!

Wayne Rooney and Coleen McLoughlin

In a fairytale to end all fairytales, this 2008 wedding of a working-class girl and a footballer cost a whopping $8,000,000! They had been dating since she was 16 and the wedding was suitably lavish to celebrate their time together. They hired a private plane for 65 people to fly to Genoa where they attended a masked ball on a $120 million yacht! The ceremony was split up into two stages; the first part was held in a 330-year-old Abbey beneath a Louis XVI chandelier. Then, it continued in the Riviera resort of Santa Margherita Ligure in an ornate 17th century Villa.

Angela Yeung and Huang Xiaoming

Angela Yeung is a Chinese actress, singer, and model best known by her stage name, “Angelababy”. She was married to actor Huang Xiaoming in an out-of-this-world ceremony that cost a staggering $31 million and was a treat for the 200 guests who were present. Although Angela Yeung has been dubbed the “Kim Kardashian” of China, she spent three times what the American entrepreneur did on her big day. Some features at the wedding included a holographic castle and a ten-foot cake shaped like a carousel which took an entire month to make! Guests were more than pleased to leave with amazing goody bags which including lavish gifts like mobile phones, cosmetics, jewellery and perfume. Interestingly it’s still not confirmed that these gifts were actually from the couple. Much of the wedding was sponsored by various brands hoping for exposure and with the couple’s millions of avid social media fans we’re sure they got it!

Prince William and Kate Middleton

Prince William’s and Kate Middleton’s$34 million Royal wedding was the most stately and widely viewed celebration of love in the last decade. The lovely couple got married in 2011 at London’s historic Westminster Abby. The ceremony was highly televised and there were approximately 2 billion people around the world watching with amazement. There were a total of three guest lists; the first list had 1,900 people who were invited to the ceremony, the second list had approximately 600 people invited to the luncheon at Buckingham’s Palace, and the third list consisted of 300 to attend a super private dinner hosted by the Prince of Wales.

Vanisha MattAl and Amit Bhatia

When the daughter of a billionaire steel-magnate Lakshmi Mittal married a London born banker, the results were bound to be incredible and they certainly didn’t disappoint. The pair spent $66 million on their wedding back in 2005. The luxurious event featured invitations mailed in silver boxes, which, to the guests’ delight, included plane tickets and rooms at a five-star Paris hotel. The entire celebration lasted five days and was hosted at a Vaux-le-Vicomte, an opulent 16th Century Chateau. Lucky guests got to enjoy a performance from Kylie Minogue as well as designer gift bags filled with jewels and other luxury items.

Sheikh MohammEd bin Zayed Al Nahyan and Princess Salama

It may be an oldy, but its still a goody! When Sheik Mohammed and Princess Salama were married in 1981 they had one of the most opulent and expensive weddings ever. The $110 million celebration lasted seven days. A special stadium accommodating 20,000 people was built especially for the day. The sheikh and princess rode on horseback through many towns in the Emirates and gave different gifts and goods to the people there. In true exotic fashion, the groom purchased 20 camels, which they painstakingly decorated with ornate jewels and embellishments.

*The stadium he built for their wedding!*

The Cost Of Love Is Priceless

It must be outrageous to celebrate such an important day in this amazing way, but for us ‘normal’ folk a party of this kind is likely to be far out of reach. Reading this list does bring up a bit of envy but it also really reminds us that weddings are truly about the sacred union between two people, and the love is all that really matters. Just in case you’re wondering, it’s totally possible to throw an absolutely luxurious wedding abroad if you do it right. Botanica Weddings are the Bali wedding specialists and we can help you to do it for a fraction of the cost of the shenanigans above. Contact us here.

Our Pick Of The Bunch: Weddings For The Uber Wealthy