The Most Expensive Weddings in History, Ranked by Their Eye-Popping Price Tags

For the average couple, setting the budget is one of the very first wedding planning steps to accomplish. (After all, that's precisely why we've created a free budget tool, which helps users better understand wedding prices as they navigate the planning journey.) That said, there's a certain subset of to-be-weds who have *no* monetary constraints when it comes to their nuptials.

While they're not exactly attainable, there's no denying that we love getting an inside look at the most expensive weddings in the world. For decades, some public figures, royals and tech tycoons have spared no expense on their lavish celebrations—and once in a while, we're lucky to get a glimpse of the eye-popping photos and jaw-dropping details. So, who had the most expensive wedding in the world? Below, we've ranked the most extravagant nuptials of all time based on their unbelievable cost. (But be warned: The outrageous price tags might make your head spin!)

The most expensive weddings ever:

1. Khadija Uzhakhovs and Said Gutseriev's Wedding | $1 billion
2. Anant Ambani and Radhika Merchant's Wedding | $600 million
3. Isha Ambani and Anand Piramal's Wedding | $100 million
4. Amit Bhatia and Vanisha Mittal's Wedding | $55 million
5. Prince Charles and Princess Diana's Wedding | $48 million
6. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's Wedding | $45 million
7. Queen Letizia and King Felipe of Spain's Wedding | $35 million
8. Prince William and Kate Middleton's Wedding | $33 million
9. Angelababy and Huang Xiaoming's Wedding | $31 million
10. Ankur Jain and Erika Hammond's Wedding | $3 million

Khadija Uzhakhovs and Said Gutseriev's Wedding: $1 billion

If you're wondering who had the most expensive wedding ever, it would be none other than Russian heiress Khadija Uzhakhova and oil heir Said Gutseriev. The couple tied the knot on March 26, 2016, in Moscow, and the event reportedly cost $1 billion. Who paid for that, you ask? It was all thanks to the groom's father, oil tycoon and media mogul Mikhail Gutseriev.

While it might be hard to wrap your head around an event of this magnitude, allow us to paint you a picture of what guests experienced. (You'll have to take our word for it, too, because there are no public photos of the exclusive event.) The couple's loved ones were transported to the restaurant venue in an entourage of luxe Bentleys. Upon their arrival, they were met with elaborate displays of fresh flowers covering the space from floor to ceiling. The bride wore a custom Elie Saab wedding dress covered in ornate beading, which reportedly weighed 28 pounds. During the reception, the newlyweds sliced into a nine-foot wedding cake, which towered over the attendees.

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As for the entertainment? Jennifer Lopez, Enrique Iglesias and Sting all performed throughout the mind-boggling festivities. (The cost to have JLo alone is believed to hover around $1 million per hour for private events.) A colorful display of fireworks wrapped up the evening, and guests left with custom jeweled boxes as favors. To this day, we have yet to see another wedding come close to matching the cost.

Anant Ambani and Radhika Merchant's Wedding: $600 million

Photo: Ashish Vaishnav/SOPA Images/LightRocket | Getty Images

Believe it or not, one of the most expensive weddings of all time took place in 2024. You might remember the nuptials of Anant Ambani and Radhika Merchant, who officially got married on July 12, 2024. Ambani is the billionaire heir son of Nita Ambani and Reliance Industries conglomerate chairman Mukesh Ambani, also known as the richest man in India and one of the top 10 richest people in the world. Also of an established background, Merchant is the daughter of Viren Merchant, the CEO of Encore Healthcare Pvt. Ltd., and Shaila Merchant.

The Ambani wedding celebration actually spanned seven months and included an engagement ceremony, a week-long engagement party, an 800-person Mediterranean cruise, a sangeet, and a three-day wedding extravaganza. Stars like Justin Bieber, Rihanna and Katy Perry gave private performances for various events, which were attended by dignitaries, politicians, A-list celebrities, Bollywood stars, and tech tycoons. There truly was no detail spared for the spectacular celebration, which is estimated to have cost about $600 million.

Isha Ambani and Anand Piramal's Wedding: $100 million

Photo: SUJIT JAISWAL/AFP | Getty Images

A love for extravagance runs in the family, because Anant Ambani's sister, Isha Ambani, also had one of the most expensive weddings in the world. The heiress married financier Anand Piramal, the son of billionaire Ajay Piramal, on December 12, 2018, in Mumbai, India. The couple kicked off the wedding fun with a Lake Como engagement party, featuring a performance by John Legend. (Beyoncé serenaded the couple during another pre-wedding event at Udaipur City Palace.)

Guests received their formal wedding invitations in floral boxes that played music when opened. The festivities took place at the Ambani family's 27-story home in Mumbai, which was covered in floral arrangements. The bride wore a custom lehenga for the occasion, which had a 65-foot train. (That alone reportedly cost about $12 million.) Altogether, Isha Ambani and Anand Piramal's wedding is believed to be worth $100 million.

Amit Bhatia and Vanisha Mittal's Wedding: $55 million

Photo: CARL DE SOUZA/AFP | Getty Images

Before it was dethroned by others on this list, the Guinness Book of World Records declared that Amit Bhatia and Vanisha Mittal's wedding was once the most expensive in the world. Mittal, the daughter of steel tycoon Lakshmi Mittal, wed Bhatia, a London banker, on June 22, 2004. The couple turned the Palace of Versailles into their own personal playground for the weekend. To accommodate their guest list of 1,000 people, the father of the bride rented 12 private jets to transport them throughout the six-day event.

A 20-page silver-plated invitation detailed the itinerary, which included a performance by Australian pop star Kylie Minogue, fireworks in front of the Eiffel Tower, and a ceremony in the Château de Vaux-le-Vicomte. A selection of India's best chefs prepared over 100 dishes, and the wine bill alone racked up nearly $2 million.

Prince Charles and Princess Diana's Wedding: $48 million

Photo: Anwar Hussein | WireImage

Millions of viewers around the world watched as Prince Charles married Diana Spencer at St. Paul's Cathedral on July 29, 1981. The fairytale wedding was a spectacle with an equally lavish price tag—it's believed this royal wedding cost about $48 million, which would translate to $166 million today. Before the actual wedding day, the to-be-weds celebrated with a gala at Buckingham Palace, which concluded with a fireworks display that lit up London.

Over 3,500 guests attended the ceremony, while over 750 million watched it play out on TV. Lady Di wore a custom taffeta ball gown designed by husband-and-wife duo David and Elizabeth Emanuel, which featured 10,000 pearls and had a train that was 25 feet long. In fact, the train was so long that it barely fit in her royal carriage!

After the ceremony, the newlyweds celebrated their union with a private reception attended by 120 guests. The royal couple also made an appearance on the balcony of Buckingham Palace, where they waved to onlookers below. They delighted the crowd with a kiss, which began a tradition still followed by most members of the British royal family to this day.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's Wedding: $45 million

Photo: Dominic Lipinski | WPA Pool/Getty Images

Just like their parents, Prince Charles and Princess Diana's sons both had two of the most expensive weddings of all time. Prince Harry's nuptials to Meghan Markle came in just slightly under the cost of his mom and dad's. The $45 million soirée was a worldwide phenomenon, considering the rarity of a British royal marring an American actress. The couple swapped vows on May 19, 2018, at St. George's Chapel on the grounds of Windsor Castle.

Nearly two billion viewers watched the romantic wedding on TV, because this famous couple dominated headlines when they took their relationship public two years prior. The 600-person guest list was comprised of British public figures, American politicians, and some of the couple's closest friends, like Serena Williams, David and Victoria Beckham, George Clooney, and Oprah Winfrey.

The modern ceremony honored both British royal wedding traditions and Markle's bi-racial American identity, complete with a gospel choir and a lively sermon preached by Bishop Michael Curry. The bride wore a custom Givenchy boat-neck wedding dress, and her lace veil featured nods to the British Commonwealth and her home state of California. After the ceremony, Queen Elizabeth II hosted a luncheon before a raucous after-party with a performance by Elton John and dancing in the early hours of the morning.

Queen Letizia and King Felipe of Spain's Wedding: $35 million

Photo: Angel Diaz/POOL | Getty Images

Spain's King Felipe and Queen Letizia have a love story that sounds like something out of a rom-com. In 2002, she was a journalist working on a story about an oil tank disaster when she met the then-prince, who was heir to the Spanish throne. They fell in love, and the rest is history.

The couple got married at Madrid's Almudena Cathedral on May 22, 2004, and this royal wedding is believed to be worth up to $35 million. The bride arrived at the ceremony in a sleek Rolls-Royce Phantom IV car. She donned an $8 million long-sleeve wedding dress made of Valencia silk, complete with a 15-foot train. Over 1,200 guests watched the ceremony, including Prince Charles, the Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden, and Prince Albert of Monaco. About 300 more people joined the post-wedding luncheon at the Prince's Patio of the Royal Palace, where both King Juan Carlos and Prince Felipe delighted the crowd with speeches.

Prince William and Kate Middleton's Wedding: $33 million

Photo: Kirsty Wigglesworth | WPA Pool/Getty Images

We can't talk about the most expensive weddings ever without mentioning the nuptials of Prince William and Kate Middleton. The future King and Queen of England exchanged vows on April 29, 2011, at Westminster Abbey in London. Fans were swept up in the fairytale of the couple's love story, considering the heir to the throne fell in love with a commoner he met in college. More than 23 million viewers worldwide tuned in to the televised broadcast, while 1,900 watched from the pews of the historic chapel.

The bride wore an iconic long-sleeved lace wedding dress designed by Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueen, which accounted for $434,000 of the $33 million cost. Beyond the dress, $800,000 worth of flowers and trees decorated the venue—but it was the $32 million security fee that took up most of the couple's wedding budget.

After the ceremony, Queen Elizabeth II hosted a celebratory lunch for 600 guests. Prince Charles also threw a reception party with an indulgent menu featuring fresh crabs, Hebridean langoustines, North Highland organic lamb from his organic farm, and an eight-tier fruit cake. To cap off the evening, pop singer Ellie Goulding performed for the newlyweds.

Angelababy and Huang Xiaoming's Wedding: $31 million

Photo: Visual China Group via Getty Images/Visual China Group | Getty Images

The wedding of Angelababy and Huang Xiaoming is one you need to see to believe. The Chinese model and actress, whose full name is Angela Yeung Wing, married Xiaoming, a fellow actor, on October 8, 2015, at the Shanghai Exhibition Center. The astounding event was worth about $31 million—and the details of this expensive wedding are downright staggering.

The bride wore a custom Christian Dior wedding dress adorned with 100 roses made from Chantilly lace. The gown featured seven layers of skirts made from 170 feet of tulle, which made a 10-foot train. Just as opulent? Her five-carat pear-cut engagement ring, which was estimated to cost $1.5 million.

In total, 2,000 guests attended this one-of-a-kind vow swap, which was live-streamed online. A holograph of a castle was displayed inside the massive venue, which also housed the 10-foot-tall cake in the shape of a carousel. After the wedding, guests left with a goodie bag of "essentials," including cell phones. (Because, why not?) Alas, this marriage wasn't made to last, and the couple split in 2022.

Ankur Jain and Erika Hammond's Wedding: $3 million

Photo: @AnkurJain | Instagram

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Photo: Bottega53

Rounding out the list of the most expensive weddings in the world is that of Bilt Rewards CEO Ankur Jain and Erika Hammond. The tech investor married Hammond, a fitness entrepreneur, on April 26, 2024, in Egypt. The lavish destination fête consisted of four themed events, including a modern welcome party with a "souk" shopping experience and brunch on the Nile River. Considering their three-day jungle safari experience cost $2,000 per night, experts estimate the entire wedding was worth about $3 million.

The ceremony took place below the Great Sphinx of Giza. Once the couple was pronounced husband and wife, they celebrated with an equally lavish reception. Strobe lights lit up the pyramids while guests danced to live music and noshed on a menu inspired by the couple's favorite New York food. In an interview with The Knot after their nuptials, the couple confirmed they wouldn't change a thing about their big day. "Our wedding wasn't just about celebrating our love—it was also about honoring our friends and family who have supported us throughout our lives and relationship," Hammond told us. "We wanted to make sure that the experience was just as special for them as it was for us."