The cost of a wedding has increased by 7% in the last year, from an average of $28,000 to an average of $30,000 in the USA! Whilst that’s an extortionate amount for most people, some celebrities spend literal millions on their big day.
With the constant rising of prices in the wedding industry Aura Print analysed some of the most famous and expensive celebrity weddings that have happened this century, to discover how much you would have to pay in 2023 to recreate them, according to interest rates.
Passionate about everything weddings, Aura Print also contacted expert luxury business consultant and founder of Opulence Events London, Deep Bajwa, to comment on how to achieve the luxury look without breaking the bank for your wedding.
| Celebrity | Year | OG Price ($) | 2023 Estimated Price ($) | |
| 1 | Justin Timberlake and Jessica Biel | 2012 | 6.5 million | 8.5 million |
| 2 | George Clooney and Amal Alamuddin | 2014 | 4.6 million | 5.8 million |
| 3 | Paul McCartney and Heather Mills | 2002 | 3 million | 5 million |
| 4 | Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes | 2006 | 3 million | 4.5 million |
| 5 | Kourtney Kardashian and Travis Barker | 2022 | 3.5 million | 3.6 million |
| 6 | Kim Kardashian and Kanye West | 2014 | 2.8 million | 3.5 million |
| 7 | Christina Aguilera and Jordan Bratman | 2005 | 2 million | 3 million |
| 8 | Sir Elton John and David Furnish | 2014 | 1.5 million | 1.9 million |
| 9 | Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston | 2000 | 1 million | 1.7 million |
| 10 | Justin and Hailey Bieber | 2019 | 1.3 million | 1.5 million |
The most expensive wedding by far since 2000 has been Justin Timberlake and Jessica Biel at a staggering 6.5 million in 2012. To recreate this wedding in 2023 it is estimated to cost over 8.5 million!
The wedding took place at Borgo Egnazia resort in Puglia, a white stone castle that had been pulled straight out of a fairy tale! The event followed the theme with Biel wearing a luxury pink princess dress and the entire castle being decorated in white and gold.
One of the most recent million dollar weddings is 5th on the list, Kourtney Kardashian and Travis Barker – costing a total of 3.5 million! This wedding ceremony took place in 2022 at the mediaeval castle Castello Brown, located on the Italian Riviera coastline in Portofino. A weekend booking at this castle costs over $18,000 – with a starting price for the venue alone being almost as much as the average wedding in the USA it’s no surprise the couple spent millions on their day to remember.
Kourtney wowed the crowd with a silk-lace-and-satin corseted gown by Dolce & Gabbana costing an estimated $500,000 and that’s only the tip of the iceberg of their luxury wedding. Other luxury features of this wedding include Dolce & Gabbana Table Settings and an estimated $250,000 of other decor items!
To recreate the celeb worthy luxury feel on your big day, Deep Bajwa shares cheap and easy ways to take your wedding up a notch and wow your guests. –
“When working to a budget for a luxury look we always recommend creating focal areas around the most “looked at” areas. These tend to be the central area of the room that will house the dancefloor, head table and the tables lining the dancefloor.
These areas will be the main focus of your wedding and the most heavily photographed and as such this is where you should focus most of your budget (florals on tables lining the dancefloor, the head table backdrop & cake table as an example).
Chairs are also a way to inject a luxury feel. Chairs covers are an absolute no go for us but a gorgeous Dior or Chanel chair will do wonders to elevate the look of your event. They are a piece that is repeated throughout the room and really bring a look together. If you need to budget even further, you can have these chairs only on the tables lining the dancefloor/the head table or on every other table with a nice complimentary, but less expensive, chair on alternate tables.
Another fabulous way to create a luxe look on a budget is to create a few, what I call, “WOW” focal pieces. Rather than spending on large items that go across the entire room, it’s better to create 3-4 larger pieces that make your guests say “wow look at that!” – something every bride loves to hear!”
- Deep Bajwa, luxury business consultant and founder of Opulence Events London