Wedding ceremonies can be simple and subtle. But for the elite few, weddings should be lavish and grand. Such displays of extravagance can sometimes break the proverbial ceiling and set all time records. The average wedding cost in the United States is about $25,200. American couples ideally spend somewhere between $18,900 and $31,500.
But for the couples listed below, $1 million is not enough to cover all the bases. Check them out.
(Just recently, the Kanye West-Kim Kardashian wedding is now listed as one of the most expensive ever, with costs amounting to an eye-popping $18 million. The weddings ranked below, does not include the “Kimye” event.)
#10 Christina Aguilera & Jordan Bratman – $2.2 million
Music siren Christina Aguilera and music label executive Jordan Bratman got married in 2005. Aguilera and Bratman, then aged 24 an 27 respectively, held the ceremony in a tent erected in the middle of a vineyard in the Napa Valley. The wedding came after Bratman’s very romantic proposal where he filled a hotel room with rose petals, balloons, and gift boxes, one of which contained the ring.
Aguilera wore an expensive Christian Lacroix gown when she walked the aisle. However, the couple had a tumultuous phase five years later. They attempted to reconcile for the sake of their son Max, who was then aged two. But they split anyways and divorced in 2010.
#9 Elizabeth Hurley & Arun Nayar – $2.6 million
British model-actress Elizabeth Hurley tied the knot with Indian businessman Arun Nayar twice. The first was in 2007 which was held at the Sudeley Castle in England. The second time was at the Umaid Bhawan Palace in Jodhpur, which was done in accordance to Nayar’s Hindu tradition. The couple even flew in Elton John to perform.
4 years later, the couple split right after images of Elizabeth kissing Australian cricketer Shane Warne circulated. The subsequent divorce proceeding is probably one of the fastest. The judge only took 92 seconds to determine that their marriage had “broken down irretrievably”.
#8 Paul McCartney & Heather Mills – $3.6 million
Music legend Paul McCartney and entrepreneur Heather Mills got hitched in 2002 at the castle in Ireland. The ceremony was attended by 300 guests, who then had to put up with a vegetarian menu at the lavish reception that followed.
The marriage did not last long as the couple split four years later and finally ended their marriage in 2008. The worst is that the divorce was costlier than the wedding itself, with McCartney ordered by the court to pay Mills around $27 million as a one-off payment and another $13million in assets.
#7 Elizabeth Taylor & Larry Fortensky – $4 million
Hollywood legend Elizabeth Taylor met construction worker Larry Fortensky in a rehab facility where both checked in for their drug problems. In an interesting and unique love story that captured a lot of people’s attention, the couple married in 1991 at Michael Jackson’s Neverland Ranch. The ceremony was a star-studded event with celebrities like Liza Minnelli, Eddie Murphy, and Macaulay Culkin among the guests.
Prior to the wedding, Fortensky signed a prenup where he would only get $1 million should the couple split, provided the marriage lasted 5 years. After five years had passed, the two did separate but remained good friends until Taylor’s death in 2011. The actress left Fortensky $800,000 as indicated in her will.