In honor of all the couples planning to exchange wedding rings this Valentine’s Day, let’s take a look at some of the most lavish celebrity weddings of days gone by.
During an affair “Forbes Magazine” once listed as one of the top 10 ten celebrity weddings of the 1990’s, Eddie Murphy and Nicole Mitchell tied the knot in New York City in 1993. The couple exchanged vows at the iconic Plaza Hotel before holding their reception at the Palm Court for a dinner of jumbo shrimp, lobster, and chicken. Guests also sipped on an estimated 600 bottles of Cristal champagne, all at a cost of $1.5 million. The marriage sadly did not last, but they definitely set a record for one of the most expensive weddings of the ‘90s.
Musical icon Elton John finally married his longtime boyfriend, Canadian film maker David Furnish in a celebration fit for royalty. The couple was married at Windsor’s Guildhall, the same place that Prince Charles tied the knot for the second time, this time around to Camilla Parker Bowles. Although the actual ceremony was only witnessed by a handful of close friends and family, 600 other guests later sipped pink vintage champagne at a price tag of around $1 million, estimated “Forbes Magazine.”
This couple began and ended with a bang, but nothing less was expected of the famous Beatle and his model fiancé. In 2002 Paul McCartney and Heather Mills tied the knot at St. Salvador’s Church in Ireland, with the bride walking down the aisle to the song “Heather,” which McCartney wrote for her. Around 300 guests, like Ringo Starr, Elton John, 1960’s icon Twiggy, former Beatles manager Sir George Martin, and Eric Clapton attended the Indian style celebration that included music and fireworks on a $20 million yacht. The total price tag for the day was a reportedly $3.2 million.
And finally, it may have not been the most expensive celebrity wedding on record but it was a union we all thought, or hoped, would last forever; Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston tied the knot in style during a 2000 California wedding. The couple met in 1998 on a blind date set up by their agents and quickly became America’ s favorite couple, and in 2000 they tied the knot in front of 200 guests at a mansion in Malibu. The matching wedding bands were custom designed by Pitt himself, as was the unique engagement ring that he presented her with. Reportedly, Aniston promised to make Pitt’s favorite banana split, and in return he promised to find a balance on the thermostat. The reception tent was filled with 50,000 flowers and white candles, while guests were entertained with a gospel choir, four bands, and fireworks.