July 2, 2026, 5:52 p.m. ET
Many stars have aimed for the “wedding of the century” title, and Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce‘s marriage will soon stake its claim.
The Madison Square Garden event, reportedly set for July 3, is estimated to top $20 million, with security being a unique (and pricey) factor for star-studded occasions. And roughly 1,000 guests are expected (while names like Ed Sheeran and Sabrina Carpenter have been spotted in New York City).
Will this all add up to an event that goes down in history? Read on for the most jaw-dropping celebrity weddings in recent memory, from the spectacular to the secretive.
Diana and Charles
In the wedding of the previous century, former Lady Diana and then-Prince Charles were married on June 29, 1981, at St. Paul’s Cathedral in London. It cost $48 million, or $140 million in today’s dollars, and welcomed a whopping 3,500 guests. David and Elizabeth Emanuel designed the perfectly ’80s silk taffeta gown with a 25-foot-long train and 10,000 embroidered pearls, priced at about £90,000.
Despite the glamour of the celebration, the union of course was ill-fated. As public knowledge of their affairs and overall mismatch came to a head, the couple separated in 1992, and the divorce was finalized in 1996.
William and Kate
Three hundred million people looked on as Britain’s future king and queen wed on April 29, 2011, at Westminster Abbey in London, defining a new era for the monarchy. The spectacle cost $34 million – mostly for security – as one million watched live in person in London.
David and Victoria Beckham
Victoria and David Beckham tied the knot on July 4, 1999, in a lavish ceremony at Luttrellstown Castle in Dublin, Ireland. It quickly became the wedding of the year, and not just because of the power couple’s fame or the $800,000 price tag. Whether you felt their matching purple reception looks were tacky or iconic, or that the gold thrones and Posh Spice’s crown seemed over the top, their brand of romance has clearly worked for them for nearly three decades. May we all find someone to match our freak.
JFK Jr. and Carolyn Bessette
John F. Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bessette‘s secret (even to some guests) wedding in September 1996 was the epitome of intimate celebrity nuptials. A number of factors make it quite unique as far as celebrity weddings go: It was held in a one-room church on Cumberland Island in Georgia, Bessette donned a simple white Narciso Rodriguez slip dress, and the guest list included only about 40 people, who somehow managed to evade paparazzi, leaving the world, at least temporarily, none the wiser.
The pair, along with Bessette’s sister, Lauren Bessette, tragically died in a plane crash off Martha’s Vineyard in July 1999.
Michael Jackson and Lisa Marie Presley
There may still be questions about whether the romance between Michael Jackson and Lisa Marie Presley was genuine, and their secret, quick-turn overseas wedding didn’t help matters. The mega popstar and Elvis’s sole heir wed in a brief, private ceremony in the Dominican Republic on May 26, 1994, just under three weeks after Lisa Marie got a “quickie” divorce from Danny Keough, in the same country.
Presley confirmed the news over two months later, saying in a statement that she was “very much in love with Michael” and that she would “dedicate my life to being his wife.” The pair divorced two years later, though Presley continued to speak highly of the relationship, especially after his 2009 death, and until her own in 2023.
Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston shared vows in a private July 2000 ceremony in Malibu. Hollywood’s then-golden couple reportedly invited 200 guests, including Aniston’s “Friends” costar Courteney Cox and Salma Hayek. People magazine at the time estimated the wedding cost $1 million and noted the event included four bands and a fireworks show.
The relationship ended amicably in 2005, and shortly after, Pitt and Angelina Jolie got together. That pair wed at a French winery in 2014, in a smaller ceremony that included their six kids, with Maddox Jolie and Pax Jolie-Pitt walking Jolie down the aisle, Zahara Jolie and Vivienne Jolie throwing flowers, and Shiloh and Knox serving as ring bearers, the Associated Press reported at the time. Pitt and Jolie would eventually split as well in 2016 and finalize a tumultuous divorce in 2024.
Beyonce and Jay Z
On April 4, 2008, at his huge Manhattan penthouse in New York City,JAY-Z wed Beyoncé in one of the more secretive weddings in recent history. A white tent went up on the patio, and 70,000 orchids shipped in from Thailand, sending the media into a frenzy, as hawk-eyed reporters spotted Destiny’s Child alums Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams and then-couple Gwyneth Paltrow and Chris Martin in town for the 40-person affair. Over the years, the entertainers and mom Tina Knowles have shared glimpses into the day, including Beyonce’s strapless, ruched wedding dress and massive train made by her mom and her “something blue” nail polish.
Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes
The castle wedding has proved tried and true for celebrities, as was the case for Hollywood it-couple Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes, who wed on Nov. 18, 2006, at Odescalchi Castle in Bracciano, a town near Rome. About 150 people partied with the couple, as photographers spotted Jennifer Lopez, David and Victoria Beckham, Will and Jada Pinkett Smith and Jim Carrey and Jenny McCarthy in town. Holmes wore an Armani off-the-shoulder gown with a silk and lace crystal train, Andrea Bocelli serenaded the pair and the night ended with a fireworks show, totaling an estimated cost of between $2.5 and $3 million.
Ellen DeGeneres and Portia de Rossi
Ellen DeGeneres and Portia de Rossi wed at their Los Angeles home on Aug. 16, 2008, in front of 19 guests, including their mothers. Their marriage came months after the same-sex marriage ban in California was first overturned, and remained valid despite the ruling being temporarily overturned that November. The celebration included dual Zac Posen custom designs – DeGeneres in a cream vest and slacks, de Rossi in a tuxedo halter top and baby pink tulle skirt – plus an all-vegan menu, and it was officiated by self-help author and friend Wayne Dyer.
Kim Kardashian and Kanye West’s wedding was unmatched (and so was their uncoupling). It involved a week’s worth of events – including a pre-wedding party at the Palace of Versailles – that culminated at the Forti di Belvedere, a 16th-century fort in Florence, Italy, on May 24, 2014.
The 200-person affair counted among its guests Kardashian family friend LaLa Anthony, West pals Common and first dance-singer John Legend (with wife Chrissy Teigen) as well as Bocelli, who sang Kardashian down the aisle. She wore a $400,000 fitted, long-sleeve lace Givenchy gown, matching West’s Givenchy tux and daughter North West’s mini Givenchy Haute Couture dress.
The day itself is estimated to have cost $2.8 million, not counting pre-festivities. The couple divorced in 2022.
Harry and Meghan
On May 19, 2018, at St. George’s Chapel in Windsor Castle, after a private ceremony the day before, Prince Harry and the former Meghan Markle wed in front of nearly 600 guests. The historic celebration, watched by hundreds of millions, had Hollywood appeal, welcoming Serena Williams, Idris Elba, David and Victoria Beckham and George Clooney, in addition to the royal family members in attendance.
Duchess Meghan kept it fairly demure in an off-the-shoulder, long-sleeve Givency Haute Couture gown, paired with Queen Mary’s tiara, as well as a 16-foot veil embroidered with flora from every Commonwealth country. Prince Harry wore a British Army frock coat uniform.
Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez
Despite protests, Amazon billionaire Jeff Bezos and former TV journalist and pilot Lauren Sánchez wed in an extraordinarily lavish Venice wedding on June 27, 2025, after multiple days of star-studded nuptial events. The 200 guests included the Kardashian-Jenner clan, Oprah Winfrey, Leonardo DiCaprio, Bill Gates, Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner, Tom Brady and Orlando Bloom.
On the small island of San Giorgio in a “magical” forest, Sánchez Bezos wore a Dolce & Gabbana silhouette dress with a high neck, adorned with 180 silk chiffon-covered priest buttons paired with a tulle-and-lace veil, according to a Vogue magazine exclusive. The three-day-long extravaganza is estimated to have cost $46 million to $56 million – rivaling Charles and Diana for the most expensive wedding on this list.
Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez
In was a recoupling straight out of the movies: Two decades after calling off their engagement, Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez found each other again, and finally tied the knot – legally on July 16, 2022, in Las Vegas, followed by a garden ceremony on Affleck’s estate in Riceboro, Georgia, on Aug. 20, 2022, attended by family and friends including longtime pal Matt Damon.
Lopez wore three custom Ralph Lauren gowns – one a revamp of the designer’s turtleneck column dress made with 1,000 handkerchiefs. Affleck wore a Ralph Lauren Couture white tuxedo jacket with black pants and a black bow tie. Author and podcaster Jay Shetty officiated, and a fireworks display closed out the night, with brunch the next day.
The pair once again called off their romance two years later.
Contributing: Edward Segarra, USA TODAY
