The 15 Most Ridiculous Celebrity Weddings
By Saryn Chorney
Cue "Canon in D": The arrival of the month of June means that the official start of wedding season is upon us, and let's face it, there's nobody worse to take "thrifty" wedding-planning tips from than celebrities. We've put together a list of the 15 most ridiculous -- and expensive -- star wedding extravaganzas of all-time. Read it and weep... tears of joy, of course.
15. Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes
Tom Cruise and his third wife, Katie Holmes, married on November 18, 2006, at the 15th-century Odescalchi Castle in Lake Bracciano, Italy. (We know it looks like a cave, but it really is a castle.) The Scientology service was attended by 150 guests, including inductees, oops, we mean celeb friends, like Will Smith, Jennifer Lopez and David and Victoria Beckham, among many more. Famed designer Georgio Armani made the bride's gown and arranged the ceremony, while opera singer Andrea Bocelli serenaded the couple -- but refused to sing "Ava Maria" as requested (due to religious reasons). Apparently $2 million buys a lot of wedding cake (five tiers), but it doesn't buy a blind singer's faith.
14. Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban
In stark contrast to Cruise's elaborate event, his ex-wife Nicole Kidman's nuptials with country star Keith Urban were downright discount ("only" $250,000) in comparison. The Down Under compatriots married on June 25, 2006, at the cliff-top Cardinal Ceretti Chapel near Sydney, Australia, surrounded by 1,000 candles, and reportedly the only thing that could extinguish their eternal flame (as noted by an escape clause in the prenup), would be Urban reverting to excessive drug or alcohol abuse. Umm, uhh...
Anyway, the pretty pair hosted 220 guests, including Naomi Watts, Russell Crowe, Hugh Jackman and more, bestowing each with engraved silver Tiffany clocks. The favors cost a grand total of $80,500, which could've paid for at least two or three (or more) normal wedding receptions for a few lucky attendees. But, whatever, who couldn't use an extra clock?
13. David Beckham and Victoria Adams
David Beckham and Victoria "Posh Spice" Adams set the bar high for their pals the Cruises. The Brit superstars' July 4, 1999 wedding at Luttrellstown Castle near Dublin, Ireland featured the duo sitting on gilded red velvet thrones, with the bride wearing what she really, really wanted: a Vera Wang gown with a 20-foot train and a gold, diamond-encrusted crown. Zig-a-zig-ah!
The 250 guests were instructed to wear black or white (so posh), and were greeted by trumpeters and entertained by Elton John. The $800,000 affair ended with an elaborate fireworks display and a release of white doves into the sky -- hopefully not at the same time.
12. Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta-Jones
The Beckhams' wedding was just plain old tacky in comparison to Brit beauty Catherine Zeta-Jones' big day with husband Michael Douglas. The hot May-December duo (pictured here at their wedding rehearsal at the Russian Tea Room) married on November 18, 2000, at the Plaza Hotel in Manhattan. Apparently a $1.5 million budget affords intense security, as the uptight bride and groom were so concerned about crashers that their 350 guests -- including Sean Connery, Jack Nicholson, Meg Ryan and Goldie Hawn -- were required to present a hologram-embedded invitation for entrance. How Y2K of them!
To offset the advanced technology measures, Zeta-Jones wore a Christian Lacroix gown with antique Chantilly lace and old school crooners like Gladys Knight, Art Garfunkel, Jimmy Buffett and Bonnie Tyler ("Total Eclipse of the Heart") performed. Turn around, Zeta-Douglas...
11. Donald Trump and Melania Knauss
The only surprising aspect of the wedding between mogul-turned-reality-TV-star Donald Trump and his bride, Melania Knauss, was the relatively inexpensive $1 million tab. Then again, the elite groom owns Mar-a-Lago estate where the reception was held, which probably knocked off a few tens of thousands of bucks. But by no means did they skimp on couture, cuisine or entertainment. Knauss' Christian Dior gown was made from 300 feet of satin beaded with 1,500 crystals and weighed 50 lbs. Trump that!
Star guests like Barbara Walters, Simon Cowell and Kelly Ripa dined on a gourmet meal (lobster and more catered by celeb chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten), while listening to a 36-piece orchestra and Billy Joel singing "Just the Way You Are." Still, Cowell only rated the party "a nine." Pffft.
10. Mariah Carey and Tommy Mottola
Long before Mariah Carey's surprise nuptials to Nick Cannon at her Bahamian estate on April 30, 2008, the pop star, then 23, wed music exec Tommy Mottola, 43, during a lavish (approx. $500,000) ceremony at St. Thomas Episcopal Church and reception at the Metropolitan Club in New York City on June 5, 1993.
Bride Carey wore a Vera Wang gown with a 27-foot-long-train and Princess Diana-style tiara and was flanked by 50 flower girls (in stark contrast to the mini-wedding dress she wore to her Halloween party in 2005, see left). Their 300 guests included the likes of Barbra Streisand, Bruce Springsteen and Ozzy Osbourne. Although the couple divorced in 1998, Mariah managed to recycle her dress for the 2005 video "We Belong Together." Hmmm, did she also then give it a serious hem-job for that costume party?
9. Madonna and Guy Ritchie
The day after Madonna and Guy Ritchie's son, Rocco, was baptized at the Dornoch Cathedral in Scotland on Dec. 21, 2001, his proud parents wed at the nearby 19th century Skibo Castle before a mere 55 guests -- including Gywneth Paltrow, George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Sting and more. There wasn't a dry eye in the house, er, castle when Lourdes (both bride and flower girl wore Stella McCartney gowns, designed by the Maid of Honor herself) led the wedding processional barefoot, throwing rose petals as a famed French pianist played the organ -- hopefully the wedding march version of "Justify My Love." Meanwhile, the castle cellar was converted to a disco where guests enjoyed a caramelized profiterole cake (baked and flown in special from London) and danced the night away, then retired to one of the 51 rooms (all booked for five days) on the 7,000 acre estate, courtesy of the bride & groom. Suddenly the $1.5 million spent on 55 guests makes a little more sense. Who knows how to party? Madonna knows how to party.
To top it all off, her Madgesty donned an Edwardian gold and diamond-encrusted tiara once worn by Princess Grace of Monaco and a 27-carat diamond cross on loan from Harry Winston around her neck. What, no red string Kabbalah bracelets?
8. Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston
The $1 million wedding story of ex-lovebirds Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston is a bittersweet one to tell. Hollywood's former golden couple married on July 29, 2000 on a bluff overlooking the ocean at the estate of producer Marcy Carsey. Their 200 guests, including Cameron Diaz, Courteney Cox, Salma Hayek and Ed Norton enjoyed a 40-piece gospel choir performance, flowing Dom Perignon, and a fireworks performance created by Pyro Spectaculars set to music, as well as a 12-year-old crooner who sang "The Way You Look Tonight." Nice touch, guys.
Meanwhile, Brad decorated the entire grounds to look like a Zen garden, including lanterns and floating lotus flowers in a slate pond. Candles, imported from Thailand and made from brown sugar, illuminated the tent. We could go on and on with these lovely details, including their very intimate vows, but it's just too depressing.
7. Beyonce and Jay-Z
Beyonce Knowles and Jay Z may have married under a vow of secrecy (well, they attempted to, at least), but that doesn't mean the king and queen of hip hop spared any expense on the lavish event. The groom threw a heaven-inspired gala at his 13,500-square-foot penthouse in New York City on April 4, 2008, where guests like Solange Knowles, Gwyneth Paltrow (is she the most popular girl on the wedding circuit or what?), Chris Martin, Kelly Rowland, Michelle Williams (of Destiny's Child), Kanye West, Diddy and many more were asked to wear all-white -- no problem for Diddy, of course.
Jay-Z's former bachelor pad was decorated with 70,000 white dendrobium orchids (that's $100K worth of flowers, FYI) flown in from Thailand, with celeb DJ Cassidy spinning amongst silver candelabras under a white tent on top of the TriBeCa loft building. Guests also enjoyed a seven-course meal, but only after they nibbled on caviar, shrimp cocktail and fried chicken during the cocktail hour. Rumor has it that Granny Z did the catering: "I cooked all my Creole stuff. My favorite part was when we put all of this home cooking on that fancy china," Big Z told Giant Magazine.
6. Ashlee Simpson and Pete Wentz
No, Pete Wentz didn't get married in a blue hoody. This was simply the first pic snapped upon arrival at a hotel in New York City after their "Alice in Wonderland"-themed wedding on May 17, 2008 in the backyard of the Simpson family's Encino, California home. The petite, semi-punk pair wove references to the psychedelic storybook tale into every aspect of their affair, from a "gothic" red-and-black tent filled with 10,000 Black Magic roses and tables decorated with rose-filled teapots to cocktail hour, where guests were served drinks in little "Drink Me" bottles.
Pete and Ashlee asked their 150 guests to wear dark colors like blue, grey and black, while the four-month pregnant bride wore a Monique Lhuillier gown with a cathedral train and matching William Noble diamond necklace and earrings. They also asked guests to check their cameras and cell phones outside the tent, because you never know which of your closest friends and family members you can really trust. Finally, the perfect party favor completed the evening: a red gift box containing a cookie inscribed, "Eat Me."
5. Christina Aguilera and Jordan Bratman
Pop star Christina Aguilera's $2 million, Spanish-themed wedding with music executive Jordan Bratman took place under a mountainside tent built to look like a stained-glass Castilian castle on top of a swimming pool (did you catch all that?) at the Staglin Family Vineyards in Rutherford, California on November 19, 2005. Other insanely expensive details -- enjoyed by guests like Justin Timberlake, Cameron Diaz, Sharon Stone and Drew Barrymore -- included a chandelier crafted from 2,500 crystals and a five-tier chocolate cake topped with hundreds of sugar flowers. Mmm, sugar flowers.
The "Dirrty" bride walked down the aisle in a very classy Christian Lacroix gown (picked out at Paris Fashion Week), and her bridesmaids wore dresses by Kai Milla, Stevie Wonder's wife. Post-party, the musical pair stayed at a cottage at the Auberge du Soleil resort for $3,500 a night ... for three nights. At least they asked guests to donate to charity in lieu of gifts.
4. Elizabeth Hurley and Arun Nayar
British actress Elizabeth Hurley married software CEO Arun Nayar twice: once at Sudeley Castle in Gloucestershire, England, and a second time at the Umaid Bhawan Palace in Jodhpur, India (a suite costs more than $10,000 a night) on March 3 and 9, 2007.
The international lovebirds spent over $2.5 million on the 300 guests, 200 of whom traveled with the couple for their week-long celebration. The palace party -- attended by Elton John, Elle Macpherson and Prince Pavlos of Greece -- featured dancing (!) white horses, walkways lined with millions of red chili peppers and a sacred fire surrounded by Hindu priests chanting in Sanskrit.
Rumor has it that Hurley's ex-boyfriend Hugh Grant, who did not attend the nuptials, gave her the gift of a sponsored monkey in a zoo -- and named it Elizabeth. Thoughtful or back-handed? You be the judge.
3. Sir Paul McCartney and Heather Mills
On June 11, 2002, beloved Beatle Paul McCartney wed former glamour model-turned-activist Heather Mills at St. Salvator's Church, followed by an Indian-themed reception at 1,000-acre estate of the 17th century Castle Leslie in Glaslough, Ireland. The couple, who divorced in 2008, spent $3 million on their nuptials, which included an ecru lace gown of the bride's own design by London's famed Eavis & Brown, a bouquet of roses named after McCartney, a fireworks display, a blend of Celtic and Indian music, and a gourmet vegetarian buffet. The 300 guests included Ringo Starr, Elton John, Twiggy and... Steve Buscemi. Pricey and weird!
2. Salma Hayek and Francois-Henri Penault
Newlyweds Salma Hayek and billionaire Francois-Henri Penault followed up their Valentine's Day nuptials in Paris with a second celeb-filled blow-out weekend of masquerade partying in Venice, Italy. French president Jacques Chirac, Charlize Theron, Anna Wintour, Penelope Cruz, Ed Norton, Woody Harrelson, Ashley Judd and magic man David Blaine were just a few of the 150 friends and family spotted at the Teatro La Fenice opera house for the ceremony on April 23, 2009.
Guests later sported carnival-themed black and gold masks at the Punta Della Dogana historic custom house (Penault's father spent $70 million on repairs) where the reception, as well as the prior rehearsal dinner, were held. The bride wore a Balenciaga ball gown and arrived by boat to her wedding extravaganza. That's some expensive amore!
1. Liza Minnelli and David Gest
Liza Minnelli and David Gest reportedly spent $3.5 million on their nuptials, which were backed by a 60-piece orchestra at the Marble Collegiate Church in New York on March 16, 2002. Guests like Tony Bennett, Paula Abdul, Bobby Brown, the Doobie Brothers, Gloria Gaynor, Usher, Dionne Warwick, Donny Osmond and more performed, entertaining V.I.P. guests like Michael Jackson, David Hasselhoff and Elizabeth Taylor. (Taylor, by the way, is no wedding slouch herself -- she spent $2 million on her 1991 wedding to Larry Fortensky at Jackson's Neverland Ranch.)
But let's get back to Liza-palooza. A grand total of 850 witnesses watched Judy Garland's daughter marry her odd groom, then partied the night away at the Regent Wall Street Hotel. The cake, which featured a six-foot-tall topper, was a 12-tiered culinary masterpiece. Finally, Liza wore two Bob Mackie gowns -- a crystal and pearl beaded off-the-shoulder one to the ceremony and a low cut, red-spangled dress and ostrich feather coat to the reception -- proving you can take the bride out of the "Cabaret," but you can't take the "Cabaret" out of the bride.
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