Weddings, they are hellishly expensive for something that is essentially just a party. Everyone loves a party, but did you know the average ceremony and its trappings costs around £18,000?
More than half (52 per cent) of couples feel the cost is spiralling out of control – according to a survey by insurance firm Sheila’s wheels. The price is affecting couples between 25 and 34 the most; many have to decide between a flashy wedding and getting their foot on the first rung of the property ladder.
The honeymoon tops the list of expenses at around £3,582, some way ahead of catering at £2,770. On average the venue will cost approximately £2,000.
But, there have always been and there always will be those unaffected by financial constraints. Here are some of the most expensive weddings the world has ever seen.
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum and Sheikha Hind Bint Maktoum
Estimated to be the most expensive of all time, Prime Minister and Vice President of the United Arab Emirates shelled out a whopping £88 million on his wedding to Sheikha Hind. The hall to accommodate 20,000 guests was built from scratch and a five day holiday was declared to make the occasion. According to reports, Sheikh Mohammed rode a horse to every village and fed everyone he came across.
Seemanto Roy and Chandni Toor, Sushanto Roy and Richa Roy
A joint wedding of the sons of Indian industrialist Subrata Roy cost around £83,000,000 in 2004 – small change to a man whose personal fortune is estimated to be around £5 billion. More than 11,000 guests were treated to more than 110 different entrees. There was also a special performance by the British Symphony Orchestra who played 20 traditional Indian songs. Bollywood Director Raj Kumar Santoshi filmed the event.
Prince Charles and Lady Diana
Billed at the time as the Wedding of the Century, it cost around £30 million – more than the wedding of Kate and William almost 30 years later. When you bring inflation into it the bill would be around £71 million today. There were two million spectators outside St Paul’s Cathedral and a global audience of 750 million people. There were 27 wedding cakes – the main one was fiver foot tall and reportedly took 14 weeks to prepare.
Vanisha Mittal and Amit Bhatia
She is the daughter of billionaire steel mogul Lakshmi Mittal and in 2005 her wedding to a London-born banker cost around £38 million. Invitations to the lavish do were sent in silver boxes – inside were plane tickets to Paris, and arrangements for five-star accommodation. Attendees were treated to a five-day spectacle, culminating in a performance from Kylie Minogue.
Prince William and Kate Middleton
Most of the £21 million budget of the wedding for the second in line to the throne was spent on security. More than £500,000 was spent on flowers and more than £50,000 on the wedding cake. Guests included countless numbers of nobles and royals. The worldwide TV audience was in the hundreds of millions.
