Weddings can be extravagant, but the celebrations of royal families, billionaires and business dynasties operate on an entirely different scale. Private jets, historic palaces, celebrity performances, designer outfits and multi-day festivities can push a single celebration into tens—or even hundreds—of millions of dollars.
India has produced several of the most spectacular weddings ever held, while royal ceremonies in Europe and the Middle East have attracted enormous spending on security, venues and public celebrations. Exact costs are not always officially disclosed, so many figures remain well-supported media estimates rather than audited totals.
For consistency, the ranking mainly uses reported costs around the time of each celebration rather than adjusting every historical figure for inflation. Let’s check out the top 10 list of the most expensive weddings in the world.
1. Anant Ambani and Radhika Merchant – More Than $600 Million
The wedding celebrations of Anant Ambani and Radhika Merchant took luxury to a level rarely seen before. The couple married in Mumbai in July 2024 after months of elaborate pre-wedding events, with the entire spectacle widely estimated to have cost more than $600 million.
The celebrations began months earlier in Jamnagar, Gujarat, where around 1,200 guests attended festivities featuring Rihanna, David Blaine and some of the world’s best-known business leaders and celebrities. A later Mediterranean cruise brought another round of entertainment and luxury hospitality.
Justin Bieber performed at another pre-wedding function in Mumbai, while the final ceremonies attracted Bollywood stars, politicians, international business leaders and celebrities including Kim and Khloé Kardashian. More than 100 private aircraft were reportedly expected to transport guests for the main wedding.
The enormous cost was driven by months of events, entertainment fees, luxury accommodation, transportation, elaborate décor, catering and an unusually high-profile international guest list.
2. Isha Ambani and Anand Piramal – Around $100 Million
Long before Anant Ambani’s wedding dominated global headlines, his sister Isha Ambani married businessman Anand Piramal in another extraordinary celebration in 2018.
The wedding festivities were widely reported to have cost close to $100 million. Celebrations took place across several destinations, including Udaipur and Mumbai, while other events associated with the wedding were held in Italy.
One of the biggest attractions was a private performance by Beyoncé during the pre-wedding festivities. Guests included Hillary Clinton, prominent Indian business families, Bollywood celebrities and international figures.
The Ambani family’s Mumbai residence Antilia also became an important setting for the celebrations. Luxury travel, entertainment, elaborate decorations and several days of functions helped make the event one of India’s most expensive weddings before it was surpassed by Anant’s celebrations six years later.
3. Sushanto Roy and Seemanto Roy Double Wedding – More Than £50 Million
Indian businessman Subrata Roy, founder of the Sahara group, organised an enormous joint wedding celebration for his sons Sushanto Roy and Seemanto Roy in Lucknow in 2004.
The six-day event was estimated at more than £50 million, equivalent to roughly $90 million at exchange rates around that period.
Approximately 11,000 guests were invited. The guest list included Indian political leaders, business figures, sports personalities and major Bollywood stars such as Amitabh Bachchan, Shah Rukh Khan and Aishwarya Rai.
The huge wedding site included a floodlit lake and even a replica of the White House. Entertainment, enormous catering arrangements and the sheer number of guests transformed the double wedding into one of the largest private celebrations ever staged in India.
4. Shristi Mittal and Gulraj Behl – Around $82 Million
The Mittal family appears more than once among the world’s most lavish weddings. In 2013, Shristi Mittal, daughter of industrialist Pramod Mittal, married investment banker Gulraj Behl in Barcelona.
The three-day celebration was reported to have cost around $82 million.
Several prestigious locations across Barcelona were used, including the National Art Museum of Catalonia. Hundreds of chefs, butlers and assistants were reportedly brought to Spain from India and Thailand to handle the enormous hospitality operation.
Food received particular attention, with elaborate displays created by renowned chefs. Helicopters were used to capture the festivities from the air, while spectacular light and water displays added to the celebration. The reported expenditure even surpassed the famous wedding of Shristi’s cousin Vanisha Mittal.
5. Prince Albert II and Charlene Wittstock – Around $65 Million
The 2011 wedding of Prince Albert II of Monaco and Charlene Wittstock brought royal spectacle to one of the world’s wealthiest countries.
The three-day celebrations reportedly cost around $65 million and included both a civil ceremony and a religious wedding.
Charlene, a former Olympic swimmer from South Africa, married Prince Albert in the courtyard of Monaco’s royal palace. Thousands of people gathered in Monaco, while international royalty, celebrities and dignitaries attended the ceremonies.
A major concert by Jean-Michel Jarre formed part of the public festivities, while fireworks, receptions and extensive security added substantially to the bill. Monaco’s glamorous Mediterranean setting made the event one of Europe’s most extravagant royal weddings.
6. Vanisha Mittal and Amit Bhatia – $55–60 Million
Vanisha Mittal, daughter of steel billionaire Lakshmi Mittal, married banker Amit Bhatia in France in 2004 in a celebration that became a benchmark for billionaire weddings.
Guinness World Records records the cost at $55 million, while Forbes and several contemporary reports placed the total at around $60 million.
The festivities lasted nearly a week and involved approximately 1,000 guests. Events took place at extraordinary French locations, including Versailles, the Jardin des Tuileries and Château de Vaux-le-Vicomte.
Guests received elaborate invitations presented in silver boxes, stayed in five-star hotels and enjoyed performances from Bollywood stars and Kylie Minogue. Fireworks near the Eiffel Tower provided another memorable touch. Guinness still lists the event as its official record-holder for the most expensive wedding.
7. Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez – Up to $55.6 Million
Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez held one of the most expensive celebrity weddings of recent years when they celebrated their marriage in Venice in 2025.
The three-day event was estimated to cost between $46.5 million and $55.6 million, according to the president of Italy’s Veneto region.
Approximately 200 to 250 guests attended, with several of Venice’s leading luxury hotels used for accommodation. Dozens of water taxis were organised, while around 90 private jets were expected to arrive in Venice and nearby airports.
The guest list included prominent figures from entertainment, business and fashion. Bezos and Sánchez also made multimillion-euro donations to organisations connected with Venice and the preservation of its lagoon.
8. Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer – Around $48 Million
The 1981 wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer became one of the most famous royal events of the 20th century.
The celebration reportedly cost approximately $48 million at the time, a figure equivalent to well above $100 million when adjusted for modern inflation.
Around 3,500 guests attended the ceremony at St Paul’s Cathedral, while an estimated 750 million television viewers worldwide watched the royal wedding.
Diana’s elaborate ivory silk wedding gown became one of the most recognisable bridal dresses ever created. Large crowds lining the streets of London also required extensive police, security and ceremonial arrangements, significantly increasing the overall expense.
9. Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and Sheikha Salama – Around $44.5 Million
The 1981 wedding associated with Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and Sheikha Salama bint Hamdan Al Nahyan became famous for the extraordinary scale of its celebrations.
Contemporary estimates place the expenditure at around $44.5 million, which later comparisons have valued at roughly $100 million after inflation.
A 20,000-seat stadium was reportedly constructed specifically for the week-long celebration. Thousands of people participated in events, and the festivities extended far beyond a conventional private wedding ceremony.
The enormous guest numbers, purpose-built venue, public celebrations and royal hospitality made it one of the most ambitious weddings of its era.
10. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle – Around $42.8 Million
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle married at St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle, in May 2018 in a ceremony watched around the world.
The overall wedding cost has been estimated at approximately $42.8 million, with security accounting for the overwhelming majority of the expenditure.
Around 600 guests attended the ceremony, including Oprah Winfrey, David and Victoria Beckham, George and Amal Clooney and Elton John. Meghan wore a Givenchy wedding dress designed by Clare Waight Keller.
Carriages, flowers, receptions, broadcasting infrastructure and ceremonial arrangements all contributed to the cost, but protecting the couple, guests and enormous public crowds surrounding Windsor was by far the largest expense.
What Makes the World’s Most Expensive Weddings So Costly?
The world’s costliest weddings go far beyond an expensive venue and designer clothing. Several factors can push the final bill into tens or hundreds of millions of dollars.
Multi-day celebrations: Billionaire Indian weddings can involve several major functions spread across weeks or even months.
Celebrity performances: Rihanna, Beyoncé, Justin Bieber and Kylie Minogue are among the stars who have performed at some of these celebrations.
Luxury destinations: Versailles, Monaco, Venice and private palaces require extraordinary budgets for hospitality and logistics.
Private transportation: Chartered aircraft, helicopters, luxury vehicles and boats may be provided for hundreds or thousands of guests.
Royal security: Public royal weddings require extensive policing, crowd management and protection, which can account for much of the overall expenditure.
Large guest lists: Feeding, accommodating and entertaining thousands of people for several days can itself cost millions.
Bespoke décor and entertainment: Temporary structures, flowers, lighting, fireworks and elaborate stage productions can transform wedding venues completely.
Final Word
The world’s most expensive weddings show how dramatically a personal celebration can grow when royal status or enormous wealth removes ordinary budget limits.
Anant Ambani and Radhika Merchant’s months-long celebration now stands apart for its reported scale, while historic events such as the Mittal and royal weddings remain benchmarks for extravagance, celebrity entertainment and elaborate hospitality.
