World’s Most Expensive Weddings
A wedding is a celebration of – what is celebrated exactly? Love or Luxury?
For the average person, a wedding is an intimate ceremony celebrated with friends and family. But not when you are rich and famous. In that case, weddings often become a display of wealth and power. Let’s look at the world’s most expensive weddings, each displaying love and luxury uniquely.
Key Takeaways
- The most expensive wedding in the world is Anant Ambani’s and Radhika Merchant’s wedding, costing $600 million
- Sheikh Mohammed and Sheikha Hind’s $137 million wedding has 20,000 guests and a custom-built venue
- Isha Ambani and Anand Piramal’s $100 million wedding has a private performance by Beyoncé
- Prince Charles and Princess Diana’s $48 million wedding was watched by 750 million people worldwide
1. Anant Ambani and Radhika Merchant – $600 Million
Anant Ambani, son of Reliance Industries Mukesh Ambani, and Radhika Merchant, daughter of healthcare tycoon Viren Merchant, tied the knot in July 2024 in an extravagant wedding ceremony.
The highlight of the event: The guest list included around 2,000 celebrities and global leaders like Mark Zuckerberg, Karlie Kloss, and Bill Gates. Guests were served 700 different types of dishes in haute couture designer tents.
Fun fact: The pre-wedding celebrations lasted 134 days. It included a $200 million Mediterranean cruise for more than 1,200 guests. Major names like Andrea Bocelli, Justin Bieber, David Guetta, The Backstreet Boys, and Katy Perry performed during the cruise. But the thing that most people were amazed about was getting Rihanna to perform after an 8-year hiatus.
2. Isha Ambani and Anand Piramal – $100 million
It’s the Ambani family again! They hold the first and third place of the world’s most expensive weddings. Heiress Isha Ambani, the sister of Anant Ambani, married industrialist Anand Primal in December 2018.
The highlight of the event: The ceremony took place at the Ambani family’s multimillion-dollar Mumbai home. The wedding party, which lasted for weeks, took place in Italy’s Lake Como. The bride wore a Dolce & Gabbana gown. But what stole the show was a private performance by Beyoncé! The guest list included high-profile figures like Hillary Clinton, Nick Jonas, and Priyanka Chopra-Jonas.
Fun fact: Guests received gold-encrusted invitations worth $4,000.
3. Vanisha Mittal and Amit Bhatia – $55 Million
In 2004, Vanisha Mittal, daughter of Indian steel magnate Lakshmi Mittal, married Amit Bhatia at the Château Vaux-le-Vicomte in France. Guests were flown to Paris first class and stayed in the city’s fanciest hotels.
The highlight of the event: The costliest aspect of this expensive wedding was the venue itself. The 17th-century Château Vaux-le-Vicomte was transformed into a fairy-tale setting with elaborate floral arrangements and an exclusive performance by Kylie Minogue.
Fun fact: The wine bill alone is reported to be $1.5 million! Vanisha’s saree was embellished with 8,000 Swarovski crystals, which cost around $59,500.
4. Prince Charles and Princess Diana – $48 Million
The 1981 wedding of Prince Charles and Princess Diana at St. Paul’s Cathedral in London is one of the most iconic royal events in history. This iconic event cost about $48 million!
The highlight of the event: Inarguably, the most talked-about thing in this event was Diana’s wedding dress, with its 27-foot train and sophisticated detailing. Her dress was designed by David and Elizabeth Emanuel. It is reported to have cost $115,000 (about $450,000) today.
Fun fact: Around 3,500 people attended the wedding, while 750 million people watched it on TV. It was the world’s biggest wedding at that time!
5. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum and Sheikha Hind Bint bin Maktoum – $45 million
In 1979, Emirati loyal and current ruler of Dubai, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, married his first cousin Sheikha Hind Bint bin Maktoum. The wedding cost around $45 million, which is close to $137 million today.
The highlight of the event: The couple invited 20,000 guests to the ceremony but didn’t have a place to gather this many people. What did they do? They built a venue from the ground up for the ceremony. A gift of 20 camels embellished with jewels delivered gifts to the bride.
Fun fact: The wedding was accompanied by a five-day nationwide holiday to celebrate.
6. Prince William and Kate Middleton – $37 Million
Prince William and Kate Middleton got married in April 2011 at Westminster Abbey in London. The ceremony cost $34 million, or 48 million after inflation. That’s exactly how much it cost William’s parents too!
The highlight of the event: Middleton wore an Alexander McQueen wedding gown crafted by 30 seamstresses. The dress had a 9-foot-long train and took a year to complete. She also wore the Cartier Halo Tiara that belonged to Queen Elizabeth II.
Fun fact: Around 1,900 guests attended the wedding, and it was watched by 300 million people worldwide.
7. Queen Letizia and King Felipe of Spain – $25 million
King Felipe of Spain and Queen Letizia married in May 2004 in Madrid. The ceremony cost $25 million, which is $41 million today.
The highlight of the event: This was the first royal nuptials the country had seen in almost a century. More than 1,200 guests attended the ceremony, including representatives from 36 royal houses and heads of state. The bride wore a gown with a 15-foot train that cost 8 million and a Prussian Diamond Tiara loaned by Queen Sofia.
Fun fact: Before marrying into royalty, Queen Sofia was a news anchorwoman and met King Felipe while covering a story.
These weddings are planned to make a statement, just like the world’s most expensive sports events. They want people to talk about them for years and years to come. But I wonder: What will the next biggest wedding be in the world?
