"Bling-Bling" Brides: The Five Most Expensive Weddings in the World

Talk about "bling-bling!" The weddings profiled on the television show "Platinum Weddings" don’t seem to hold a candle to these all-time biggies. If they’re not in "The Guinness Book of World Records," they should be. Get ready to be blown away! These are the "Five Most Expensive Weddings," according to recent history, and they’re just full of indulgent ideas. So if you win the lottery or find yourself with a few million to burn, maybe these lavish weddings will spark your imagination. If nothing else, they just might make you feel better about your wedding budget vs. the cost of things these days. Here’s a look at what some couples did when money was no object!

#1: Seemanto & Chandni AND Sushanto & Richa
What They Spent: $128 Million, for both weddings
When: February 14, 2004
Where: Lucknow, Sahara India

How They Spent It: With the father of the groom, Industrialist Subrata Roy of Sahara, spending a mere $64 million for each couple, this double wedding ceremony tops the list. Approximately 10,000 guests feasted on 110 types of entrees that included Indian, Mexican, Italian, Mongolian, Lebanese, Chinese and American as they listened to 121 musicians from the British Symphony Orchestra perform. As part of the festivities, more than 40,000 beggars were also distributed food across the country.

#2: Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al Maktoum & Sheikha Hind Bint Maktoum
What They Spent: $44.5 Million (Approximately $100 million today)
When: 1981
Where: Dubai, UAE

How They Spent It: A location did not exist large enough to accommodate 20,000 guests this celebration, so the sheik’s family built it - and celebrate they did! The wedding lasted for seven days, and that was after the entire city had celebrated for 30 days prior to this wedding! It’s the least they could do for the Ruler of Dubai’s son! During the week-long celebration, Sheikh Mohammed road his horse to every village and fed everyone.

#3: Amit Bhatia & Vanisha Mittal
What They Spent: $60 Million
When: November 18, 2006
Where: Vaux le Vicomte, a 17th-century French chateau

How They Spent It: Over 1,000 guests enjoyed five days of entertainment, including several Bollywood stars and over 100 different dishes. A Bollywood drama was even written for the couple. Everyone knew this was to a one-of-a-kind event when they received the invitations, which were sent out in a 20-page silver book. Mittal is the daughter of London steel tycoon Lakshmi Mittal, the fourth wealthiest man in the world.

Bhatia is the grandson of London socialites, Pasha and Kamal Saigal.

#4: Andrei Melnichenko & Aleksandra Kokotovic
What They Spent: Estimated at well over $7 Million
When: September 3, 2005
Where: Cote d’Azur, France

How They Spent It: The successful businessman and former Miss Yugoslavia had Christina Aguilera and Whitney Houston to perform at the wedding. They were paid $3.6 million each.

#5: David Gest & Liza Minnelli
What They Spent: $3.5 Million
When: March 16, 2002
Where: Regent Hotel on Wall Street, New York City, New York

How They Spent It: Since show business is in their blood, Gest (an established producer) and Minnelli (an Academy Award winning actress, singer and the daughter of actress Judy Garland) planned a lavish concert for their guests. Performers included Paula Abdul, Bobby Brown, the original Doobie Brothers, Gloria Gaynor, Monica, Donny Osmond, The Pointer Sisters, Paul Shaeffer, Usher, and Dionne Warwick. Tony Bennett and a 60-piece orchestra entertained Hollywood’s elite as they feasted on a 12-tier wedding cake and received personalized favors encased in satin candy boxes.

These weddings are impressive, to say the least. But beyond the amount of money they spent, one thing that is also stands out is their desire to give back. In their own way, many of the couples used their wedding as an opportunity to help others. Even though the rest of us might never be able to spend this kind of money on one event, we can all follow their example and let the celebration of love spill onto others who are less fortunate.

Susan Hawkins is a writer for My Wedding Favors where brides can shop for wedding favors, bridal shower favors and other wedding accessories.