1. Eugenia of York and Jack Brookbank
They got married, at Windsor Castle, on October 12, 2018. The bride chose a design by Peter Pilotto and Christopher De Vos. The banquet was a gift from Queen Elizabeth II. In the evening there was a gala reception at the Royal Lodge, at the residence of her father, Prince Andrew. All the expenses came, in fact, out of his pocket, except for the security expenses, which amounted to 2,300,000 euros, which the taxpayer paid.
2. Pablo from Greece and Marie-Chantal Miller
The bride wore a spectacular Valentino design, embroidered with pearls and Chantilly lace, which cost 200,000 euros and required four months of work. The ceremony took place in London, on July 1, 1995, at St. Sophia's Cathedral. One of the pre-wedding celebrations, to which 1,200 people were invited, was decorated with more than 100,000 flowers brought expressly from Ecuador, the mother of the bride's country of origin. Everything came out of the pocket of her father, Robert Warren Miller, founder of the "duty-free" in Asia: 9,300,000 euros.
3. Frederick of Denmark and Mary Donaldson
Their wedding took place in Copenhagen Cathedral and was followed by a banquet at Fredensborg Palace on May 14, 2004. Mary wore a dress by Danish designer Uffe Frank. In total, the wedding cost 13 million euros and it is said that it exceeded the initial budget by almost six million.
4. Felipe de Borbon and Letizia Ortiz
The Daily Mail describes the wedding of the kings as a "luxurious ceremony" and assures that it had a price of 22 million euros. Manuel Pertegaz's dress cost six million, according to the newspaper. The wedding cake measured two meters and 1,000 bottles of champagne were uncovered during the celebration.
5. Henry of England and Meghan Markle
It was held on May 18, 2018, and cost 37 million euros – including a 450,000 Givenchy Haute Couture dress – and, although Enrique was not the heir, Queen Elizabeth wanted him to marry in style. The wedding lunch was her gift.
6. William of England and Kate Middleton
The ceremony on April 29, 2011, at Westminster Abbey, was undoubtedly one of the weddings of the century. Kate's dress, with hand-embroidered lace at the Royal School of Needlework, and designed by Alexander McQueen, cost almost 300,000 euros. The largest expense was that of security, which was around 45 million pounds. The royal family was the one who paid for the mass, the music, the flowers, the decoration, and the different receptions.
7. Albert II of Monaco and Charlene Wisttock
The wedding took place in 2011, at the Palace of Monaco, and was the biggest event in the principality since the wedding of the groom's parents, Prince Rainier, and Grace Kelly. The bride wore an Armani dress embroidered with 40,000 Swarovski crystals and 20,000 mother-of-pearl tears. The three days of celebrations cost more than 60 million euros.
8. Rainier of Monaco and Grace Kelly
On April 18, 1956, Hollywood "sweetheart" Grace Kelly married Prince Rainier III of Monaco at St. Nicholas Cathedral. There were two ceremonies, the civil and the religious, Catholic. The Palace of Monaco was redecorated for the first ceremony, which was to be followed by a reception for 3,000 citizens of the principality. The religious ceremony was followed on television by 30 million people.
The bride wore a design made up of 270 meters of antique Brussels lace and 137 meters of silk, taffeta, tulle, and antique pearls. She was sewn by 36 seamstresses which took six weeks. After the ceremony, the newlyweds embarked on a seven-week cruise on the Deo Juvante II yacht, a gift from Aristotle Onassis. Grace's dress alone costs around 100,000 at current exchange rates. In total 85 million euros.
9. Charles of England and Diana Spencer
It was dubbed "the wedding of the century." Its broadcast reached 750 million people in 74 countries. Princess Diana's dress has gone down in history as one of the most iconic wedding dresses. Covered with 10,000 pearls, it was made of ivory silk taffeta and antique lace. However, despite its spectacularity, it "only" cost 13,000 euros. Total expenses reached 239 million euros. The security party took about 600,000. According to the BBC, more than 5,000 police officers participated in the device along the three-kilometer route that the royal couple made after getting married.
10. Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nayan of Abu Dhabi and Princess Salama
He was the crown prince of Abu Dhabi and his wedding to Princess Salama in 1981 has gone down in history as the most expensive to date. A 20,000-seat stadium was built especially for the couple. The celebrations lasted a week and the family visited all the towns in the emirate on horseback, distributing food to all its inhabitants. Calculations say that it cost more than 300 million euros.
