The wedding industry in the United States is valued at $70 billion, making it the most expensive wedding market in the world. However, you may be surprised to learn that there are no United States weddings on this list. This is because other high-valued wedding industries are top-heavy, servicing mostly celebrities and royalty. For that reason, almost all the most expensive weddings in the world are from India and England, with one more from Dubai.
Who were the lucky couples and what drove up the price of their ceremonies to the hundreds of millions of dollars? Keep reading to learn more in our list of the 8 most expensive weddings.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle
Price at Time of Wedding: $45,800,000 ($50,851,000 in 2022)
Country: England
Year: 2018
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle
photo source: Wikimedia Commons
Tied for the most recent wedding on this list is the 2018 wedding ceremony of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. Their May 19 ceremony cost $45,800,000, which included lavish wedding and engagement rings crafted by Cleave and Company, the royal court jewelers. They were all made from three venerated diamonds, one from the mines at Botswana and two more from the private collection of Princess Diana. Markle’s band was yellow gold and Harry’s was platinum.
The wedding at St. George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle was highly televised, including the sermon by the Reverend Michael Bruce Curry.
Did you know?
The wedding was organized partly as a tribute to the beloved Princess Diana (see later on this list), not just by way of the rings. All three of the Spencer siblings – Baroness Jane Fellowes, Lady Sarah McCorquodale, and Earl Spencer – were in attendance as Harry and Meghan tied the knot.
Rajeev Reddy and Brahmani Janardhana Reddy
Price at Time of Wedding: $66,836,750 ($77,640,000 in 2022)
Country: India
Year: 2016
Rajeev Reddy and Brahmani Janardhana Reddy
photo source: India
The mining mogul Gali Janardhan Reddy married his only daughterDid you know?
This wedding took place during a period of financial unrest in India, when the government dealt with inflation by demonetizing 80% of its circulating currency. Despite these circumstances, Reddy couldn’t be swayed from sending his daughter off with one of the most expensive ceremonies of all time. She came wearing a Kanjeevaram sari that cost $2.3 million by itself. But it was only the frame for the jewels adorning her beautiful self, which were worth $12 million.
Vanisha Mittal and Amit Bhatia
Price at Time of Wedding: $55,000,000 ($81,176,000 in 2022)
Country: France
Year: 2004
Vanisha Mittal and Amit Bhatia
photo source: India Times
The Indian wedding industry is valued at over $50 billion, so you better believe that the rest of this list will be full of royalty and billionaire children from India, also known locally as “Bhārat.” But you may be surprised to learn that the steel tycoon Lakshmi Mittal alone is responsible for two weddings on this list. The first is the wedding of his daughter, Vanisha Mittal, to Amit Bhatia.
The ceremony cost $55,000,000 in 2004, the equivalent of over $81,000,000 in 2022. The Palace of Versailles in France held the lavish ceremony, which saw many Bollywood superstars in attendance. These included Akshay Kumar, Shah Rukh Khan, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Rani Mukherjee, and Saif Ali Khan.
Did you know?
The wedding was decorated by master craftsmen, who also created a mandap (a temporary wooden decorative structure erected for Hindi weddings) that floated in a pond in Vaux le Vicomte. The ceremony recruited florists from Holland, choreography from Farah Khan, and finery by Tarun Tahiliani and Suneet Verma. Kylie Minogue even gave a private performance.
Our list of Indian tycoons brings us to the wedding of Gulraj Behl to Shristi Mittal, the niece of the billionaire steel tycoon, Lakshmi Mittal. Unlike many of the most expensive weddings of all time, this one only had 500 guests in attendance, making it the most expensive per person of any ceremony ever, costing $73,520,000, reportedly, in 2013.
The ceremony in Spain featured over 200 chefs and butlers flown from India and around Asia to serve the event. It featured food conceived by the Michelin-starred chef, Sergi Arola, who also oversaw the creation of a six-tier cake, cut while helicopters flew overhead to film the event.
Did you know?
Every guest in attendance was required to sign a confidentiality agreement to not disclose any details about the ceremony. We’ve told you about all we know!
Sushanto Roy and Seemanto Roy
Price at Time of Wedding: $75,000,000 ($110,694,000 in 2022)
Country: India
Year: 2004
Sushanto Roy and Seemanto Roy
photo source: India Times
The double wedding of two sons of Subrata Roy, the magnate responsible for Sahara India Pariwar, is one of the most expensive ever held. The two ceremonies for Sushanto and Seemanto Roy cost around $75,000,000 in 2004, which is around $110,000,000 in 2022 money.
This money included every guest being flown in on their own private jets, and over 100 lavish cuisines cooked and served to the over 11,000 people in attendance.
Did you know?
The money wasn’t just for the lavish ceremonies and its luxurious guests. It also included the separate marriage ceremonies for 101 underprivileged girls, funded by the event, and food for over 150,000 homeless people in the vicinity.
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