Times were a little bit different in 1981 when Prince Charles (now King Charles III) married Princess Diana – and by times, we mean finances. What was dubbed the wedding of the century cost the royal family a whopping $48 million, which would come out to about $110 million in 2019. The dreamlike affair may have cost a pretty penny, but they kept the guest list fairly small at under 200 people.
The couple were wed inside St. Paul’s Cathedral in London, making it one of the only weddings within the royal family that wasn’t held at Westminster Abbey. Diana glided down the aisle in a gorgeous gown that was custom-made with 10,000 pearls and a train that was about 25 feet long. If that dress were to be recreated today, it would cost an estimated $41,000.
Eddie Murphy Marries Nicole Mitchell
Hollywood funnyman Eddie Murphy married former model Nicole Mitchell back in 1993, at the Plaza Hotel in New York City. About 500 guests showed up for the event, including hotel owner Donald Trump and music executive Russell Simmons. The actor reportedly dropped nearly $1.5 million, which was pretty expensive for the early ’90s!
The bride wore a gorgeous white lace gown that was strewn with crystals and pearls and had a train that trailed behind her by 12 feet. She accessorized with a matching, classic veil. The dress alone cost a small fortune at $40,000. Guests enjoyed a lavish dinner and champagne in the Palm Court, followed by $25,000 worth of cake. All of the flowers, that filled the ballroom during the ceremony, were donated to a local hospital after the celebration.
Kim Kardashian: Wedding #2
Kim Kardashian married her second husband, Kris Humphries, back in 2011, just shy of 6-months after they’d started to date. The elaborate affair cost about $10 million, a ridiculous amount of money for a marriage that would last less than 3 months. Tons of celebrities showed up to support Kim and the NBA star, including Demi Lovato and Serena Williams.
Starting with the hematite-covered invitations, everything about the wedding was over-the-top. Wolfgang Puck whipped the couple up a custom 7-foot tall cake, which cost nearly $20,000. Kim donned not one but three different custom-made Vera Wang dresses throughout the evening. But less than 80 days later, the marriage would crash and burn…
James Bond's Wedding
Former 007 and Mamma Mia star Pierce Brosnan got married to journalist Keely Shaye Smith in a beautifully intimate ceremony in Ireland in 2001. The wedding was held at the Ashford Castle Hotel, set in a 13th-century castle, which sits next to the biggest lake in Ireland – talk about an incredible backdrop for a wedding! Apparently, Brosnan hired the best wedding planners he could find to help them create the ceremony, which Smith called, “a mixture of The Secret Garden and A Midsummer Night’s Dream.”
About 120 people were invited to join the couple for the celebration, which was mainly all family members and close friends. The area where the vows took place was decorated with nearly $15,000 of flowers, and everyone enjoyed a 6-tier cake, which was made to be a replica of the same one that JFK and Jackie O had at their wedding. In total, the extravagant affair cost about $1.5 million, money well spent considering the happy couple is still together to this very day!
Sporty Spice Wedding
Victoria Adams, also formerly known as “Posh Spice,” got married to soccer player David Beckham in 1999. While David has recently been quoted as calling his marriage to Victoria, “hard work,” the two are still going strong today. The celebrities spent a (comparably) mild $1.1 million on the celebration, with only $800,000 of it going towards the actual ceremony. Of course, this was before 2000, so you can imagine what it might have cost in today's money!
Victoria and her new husband sat upon golden thrones in the Luttrellstown Castle outside of Dublin. The bride wore a stunning Vera Wang gown with a 20-foot train and of course – a golden tiara. As for the cake, the couple requested that the toppers be nude figurines of themselves. Not everyone could get away with a bold move like that, but these two certainly can. Yum!