7 Weddings That Can Join The Ambanis In The ‘Expensive Weddings Hall Of Fame’

Weddings are (usually) an extravagant affair. The Ambanis recently redefined this concept with their $600 million (nearly INR 5,000 crores) wedding forAnant Ambani and Radhika Merchantwhich got the whole world talking.

From flying down artists like Rihanna and Justin Bieber to perform for their guests toflaunting jewels the size of large rocks, the Ambanis left no stone unturned to usurp Princess Diana and Prince (now King) Charles’ ceremony that was dubbed as the ‘Wedding of the Century’.

Historically, it’s been the royals who took the onus of throwing lavish weddings that would be talked about for years to follow. However, in recent decades, celebrities have taken over the tradition of throwing eye-wateringly expensive and extravagant weddings.

Since we’re still not over the grand Ambani celebrations, we decided to go down memory lane and revisit some of the most expensive weddings around the world. Take a look…

Most Expensive Weddings Around The World

Vanisha Mittal and Amit Bhatia

Years before the Ambanis became associated with ‘Weddings that could fund the economy of a small nation’, there was the grand ceremony of steel tycoon Lakshmi Mittal’s daughter. Vanisha Mittal got married to London-based banker Amit Bhatia in a ceremony back in 2004 that, reportedly, cost $5 million (INR 41 crores-not adjusted to inflation). The engagement ceremony was held at the Palace of Versailles, while the wedding took place at the Vaux-Le-Vicomte, a castle near Paris. The bride wore couture from designers like Tarun Tahiliani, Suneet Varma, and Abu Jani and Sandeep Khosla. More than 1000 guests were flown in on private jets for the ceremony and were treated to performances by artists like Kylie Minogue.

Princess Diana and Prince Charles

The OG ‘Wedding of the Century’ was the most expensive wedding in British royal history. Princess Diana and Prince (now King) Charles got married back on July 29, 1981, at the St Paul Cathedral in London. The ill-fated marriage began with a ceremony that cost $48 million (nearly INR 400 crores) and had 3,500 guests in attendance. The televised affair was watched by an estimated 750 million people around the world. Diana’s iconic ivory silk taffeta and antique lace dress had a 25-foot train and over 10,000 pearls adorned on the waistline.

Kate Middleton and Prince William

Speaking of royal weddings that went down as iconic, Kate and William’s 2011 nuptials cost around $31 million (INR 260 crores approx). The wedding had around 1,900 guests in attendance and was watched by 300 million people on television worldwide. The live stream on YouTube had 72 million viewers. Kate’s wedding dress was designed by Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueen, and she wore the Cartier Halo Tiara from Queen Elizabeth II’s collection.

Queen Letizia and King Felipe

Spanish royalty is not far behind when it comes to throwing lavish wedding ceremonies. When King Felipe got married to Letizia Ortiz Rocasolano in 2004 in Madrid, the ceremony cost around $25 million (INR 200 crores approx). The ceremony was held at the Cathedral Santa Maria La Real de la Almudena and had about 1,500 guests in attendance. The bride wore a gown designed by Spanish fashion designer Manuel Pertegaz with the Prussian Diamond Tiara belonging to her mother-in-law, Queen Sofia.

Ksenia Tsaritsina and Aleksey Shapovalov

When Russian oligarch Aleksey Shapovalov got married to model Ksenia Tsaritsina in 2017, he presented her with a ring worth a whopping $10.5 million (INR 83 crores approx). It’s no surprise that the wedding rang up a bill that ran into multi-million dollars. Amongst the extravagant details from the weddings, the eight-tier cake that was suspended mid-air and performances by acrobats amidst hundreds and thousands of flowers stand out.

Angelababy and Huang Xiaoming

When the ‘Kim Kardashian of China’ gets married, you know it will be an event that’s going to go down in the books. Angela Yeung, or Angelababy as she’s called, got married to actor Huang Xiaoming in a $31 million (INR 260 crores approx) wedding ceremony, which had a 10-ft tall wedding cake and a holographic castle. The actress complemented her $1.5 million (INR 12 crores approx) wedding band with a custom Dior gown that has been dubbed as one of the most expensive wedding dresses ever. Her pre-wedding shoot in Paris had her wearing Elie Saab couture gowns.

Lolita Osmanova and Gaspal Avdolyan

Another Russian wedding that made the list was Lolita Osmanovia and Gaspar Avdolyan’s $10 million (INR 83 crores approx) ceremony held at the Dolby Theater in Los Angeles. Yes, the same venue where the Oscars are held! The couple’s love for all things Hollywood translated into the guests having their names written in stars, á la Hollywood Walk of Fame, and violinists and ballerinas entertaining the guests as they sat amidst an explosion of flowers worth $500,000 (INR 4 crores approx). The bride walked down a gold aisle in a wedding gown by Zuhair Murad and celebrated with a 10-tier wedding cake. The wedding also (almost) gave the Ambanis competition in the guest musicians line-up. The couple had Lady Gaga and Jason Derulo perform for the guests, reportedly for a cost of $2 million (INR 16 crores).