10 Of The Most Low-Key Celeb Weddings (& 10 Most Over-The-Top)
You can't put a price on love and for some celebrities, they choose not to. These are usually the more private celebs, and they keep their weddings under wraps, too. In fact, it's quite rare to find good photographs of these super-secret big days.
On the other hand, we have the celebs who want to share their love with the entire world, and who are more than willing to splash out a ton of cash in order to get that fairytale wedding straight into the press. Feeling like a prince or princess for a day comes with the added expenses of thousands of flowers, oodles of diamonds and yards of tulle.
Courthouse ceremonies versus luxury accommodations in far-flung countries. Expansive guest lists versus two or three witnesses. Simple dresses versus couture creations. Which would you rather have?
These are 10 of the most low-key celebrity weddings and 10 of the most extravagant.
20 LOW-KEY: Carey Mulligan & Marcus Mumford
Tying the knot in the countryside of Somerset, England sounds like a pretty high-brow affair - unless, of course, you're already English, like actress Carey Mulligan and Mumford & Sons frontman Marcus Mumford!
Their 2012 wedding service was held in a barn and officiated by Mumford's father. While the trappings sound pretty low-key and relaxed, the guest list was totally A-list, featuring major stars like Jake Gyllenhaal, Sienna Miller and Adele, as Insider reports. Unsurprisingly, the couple, who aren't big fans of the spotlight, have kept pretty quiet about their wedding, marriage and family life.
19 OTT: David & Victoria Beckham
As one of the biggest power couples, it probably doesn't come as a surprise that David and Victoria Beckham decided to shell out a pretty penny for their nuptials, which included matching outfits!
The couple wed in 1999 and the ceremony cost $800,000, which amounts to about $1.2 million in today's money. Of course, you can't expect a cheap affair when you're holding a wedding in a castle! At Luttrellstown Castle in Dublin, 250 guests were treated to a lavish ceremony that included a fireworks display and an 18-piece orchestra.
The woman once known as Posh Spice lived up to her name, donning a Vera Wang gown that cost about $100,000!
18 LOW-KEY: Keira Knightley & James Righton
Two months before she wed musician James Righton, actress Keira Knightley informed Marie Claire that she and her groom-to-be were “not really big-wedding types.” And boy, was she right!
In 2013, the couple wed in a tiny ceremony in a French village that was presided over by the town's mayor - and the whole thing lasted about 30 minutes! As seen above, Knightley's attire was equally relaxed, with a strapless tulle dress, floral headband, Chanel jacket and nude flats. And, finally bringing some truth to the idea that you can wear a formal dress again, Knightley has actually re-worn her wedding gown!
17 OTT: Jennifer Aniston & Brad Pitt
Remember when Jennifer Aniston and Brad Pitt were not only very much a thing, but were considered Hollywood's golden couple? They capitalized on their fame and fortune by throwing a gigantic wedding that, at the time, cost a staggering $1 million!
While the couple was later thrown around as tabloid fodder, at the time they tried to keep the intimate details of their Malibu nuptials secret, but enough info leaked out that we know that their money was spent on extravagances such as a Gospel choir, four bands, fireworks and about 50,000 flowers, as Insider reports. The 200-person guest list included Aniston's Friends co-stars and tons of A-listers like Cameron Diaz, Salma Hayek and Edward Norton.
16 LOW-KEY: Rachel Weisz & Daniel Craig
For a guy who's played James Bond, perhaps we shouldn't be so surprised to learn that he chose to have an almost covert affair when it came to his wedding to actress Rachel Weisz.
Daniel and Weisz, who met while filming the 2010 movie Dream House, unexpectedly tied the knot in 2011 in New York with just four guests in attendance: his daughter, her son and two family friends! Even a year later, Craig didn't divulge much when pressed for details, explaining to GQ,
“We got away with it. We did it privately… .But that was the point. We did it for private reasons.”
15 OTT: Catherine Zeta-Jones & Michael Douglas
Unless you're hitting up a courthouse (like a few of these celebrity couples opted for), you're looking to shell out quite a lot of cash if you choose to get married in New York City. A $1.5 million price tag sounds like a lot, but for famous actors Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta-Jones, it was necessary for their 2000 nuptials.
The 350-guest list included notable stars like Jack Nicholson, Meg Ryan, Sean Connery and Michael Caine, as CBS reports. They were able to enjoy a 10-tier vanilla-and-buttercream wedding cake that cost $7,000. Zeta-Jones, playing the part of a princess, donned a $140,000 Christian Lacroix gown with a $300,000 diamond tiara, as Insider reports.
14 LOW-KEY: Megan Fox & Brian Austin Green
Megan Fox and Brian Austin Green have had their ups and downs throughout their relationship - including an almost-divorce before a surprise third baby - but in 2010, it was nothing but a beachy dream when they tied the knot.
Even tinier than Daniel Craig and Rachel Weisz's ceremony, Fox and Green had only one guest, who acted as their witness and Green's best man: his son, Kassius, as Insider reports. Officiated by a Hawaiian priest known as a kahuna, we're fortunate enough to have pictures of the event, unlike many other low-key or secret celebrity wedding ceremonies.
13 OTT: Christina Aguilera & Jordan Bratman
Always a bit of an eccentric in her performances and style, Christina Aguilera opted to go lavish for her 2005 wedding to Jordan Bratman - like, $2 million worth of lavish!
Held in an estate in Napa Valley, the venue was transformed into a winter wonderland, thanks to expensive floral details like white hydrangeas, roses, birch trees and even custom chandeliers made of branches, as InStyle reports. While the décor was gorgeous, the food was perfect for the theme, evoking comforting and cozy ideals, thanks to menu items like roasted chicken and mac-and-cheese, served family-style to 150 guests.
12 LOW-KEY: Matt Damon & Luciana Barroso
When Matt Damon finally tied the knot, he didn't seek out a fellow A-lister. Instead, he ended up falling head over heels for bartender Luciana Barroso, after being pulled out one night by his friends. In 2005, the two had a private civil ceremony in a courthouse to accommodate Damon's busy schedule, and almost 15 years later are still happily together, with four daughters!
With only one guest - Barroso's daughter from a previous marriage - the ceremony was conducted just one day before Damon had to fly off to London to film The Good Shepherd, as Insider reports. The couple renewed their vows in a Caribbean ceremony in 2013.
11 OTT: Kim Kardashian & Kanye West
You must have known that a Kardashian would pop up on this list. For Kim's third wedding to Kanye West, the couple - who are notorious for their love of excess - went all in, as in $2.8 million!
In 2014, the rapper and businesswoman/mogul wed in Florence, Italy, at Forte de Belvedere, a venue which reportedly cost about $386,000 to rent. In the European - and Kardashian - style of things, the celebrations lasted an entire week, in which guests got to see Kardashian don a $500,000 Givenchy Haute Couture gown, enjoy a full glam squad hired solely for them, smell $136,000 worth of flowers and taste a 7-foot-tall wedding cake, as People reports.
10 LOW-KEY: Emily Ratajkowski & Sebastian Bear-McClard
One of the most recent weddings to make it on our list, model Emily Ratajkowski and producer/actor Sebastian Bear-McClard kept things super relaxed for their courthouse wedding, which was a surprise that Ratajkowski revealed to her IG followers!
Wearing a mustard yellow suit from Zara and a black floppy hat, the model looked effortlessly chic, and admitted to Jimmy Fallon that the rest of their guests were likewise dressed in “suits or sweatsuits,” as Insider reports. Adding an additional element to their DIY attitude, the couple even smelted and blowtorched their own rings!
9 OTT: Nicole Richie & Joel Madden
Eschewing the whole punk ideal of not going totally extravagant, pop-punk's Good Charlotte frontman Joel Madden seemed to bow to his wife's wishes when it came to planning their 2010 wedding.
“I want to have a very, very big wedding,” designer Nicole Richie told Ryan Seacrest on Larry King Live, as Best Life reports. “I want like hundreds of people and elephants.”
Well, that's exactly what she got, when the two wed at Lionel Richie's estate in Beverly Hills in front of guests like Khloe Kardashian. Richie, ever the fashionista, opted for three dress changes - all custom-made Marchesa - to accentuate the 4-carat Neil Lane diamond on her finger.
8 LOW-KEY: Amanda Seyfried & Thomas Sadoski
Considering the fact that she's had some pretty major wedding moments in Mama Mia, we get why actress Amanda Seyfried would want something with a lot less fuss for her 2017 wedding to actor Thomas Sadoski. In fact, there wasn't technically a wedding at all - the two secretly eloped!
As Insider reports, Sadoski told James Cordon on his Late Late Show, “We just took off into the country with an officiant, just the two of us, and we did our thing. It was beautiful. It was everything that it should be. It was just the two of us, talking to each other.”
Amanda even later recycled her wedding dress by wearing it on the red carpet at the Met Gala, as Pop Sugar reports!
7 OTT: Tom Cruise & Katie Holmes
Their relationship was over the top from the beginning, complete with major PDA on red carpets and Tom Cruise jumping on Oprah's sofa in celebration of his love, so why would his wedding to Katie Holmes be any different?
In a traditional Scientology ceremony that was held in Italy in 2006, both bride and groom wore Armani (although hers was a custom lace gown that cost $50,000). Located in a castle, guests dined on luxurious foods like risotto and sea bass, as well as over 300 bottles of red wine and champagne! The $3 million wedding ended with fireworks, but the newlyweds continued to dance until about 3.30 am, as Insider reports.
6 LOW-KEY: Penn Badgley & Domino Kirke
As far as celebrities go, Penn Badgley isn't one who likes to live the life of a major star. Even when he was dating Gossip Girl co-star Blake Lively, he didn't spill too much about their relationship and, for his wedding to singer Domino Kirke, he stayed similarly tight-lipped, as Insider reports.
In a courthouse ceremony that took place on a Monday afternoon in Brooklyn in 2017, the two tied the knot and things stayed quiet - except for social media, of course. They later dined at a seasonal restaurant and did later indulge in a larger ceremony, this time at Kirke's mother's upstate New York property.
5 OTT: George Clooney & Amal Alamuddin
Hey, when it's George Clooney who's getting married - lifelong bachelor, perpetual dater and “Most Handsome” guy for years - you know it's going to be a big deal. Add that to the fact that he was hitting the jackpot with wife Amal Alamuddin - Oxford-educated, human rights lawyer, gorgeous - and you have the ingredients to an event that was well worth the $4.6 million price tag!
In 2014, in front of 100 guests in Venice over three days, the pair tied the knot with the bride in a beautiful custom Oscar de la Renta gown, as Insider reports. Guests enjoyed a 5-course dinner ($30,000) and $160,000 top-shelf vodka, champagne and tequila, while other major expenses were $300,000 for tables and setup, $250,000 for flowers, and about $3 million for hotel accommodations!
4 LOW-KEY: Ilana Glazer & David Rooklin
Arguably the queen of chill, in large part due to her work on the show Broad City, actress and comedian Ilana Glazer was remarkably laid back when she decided to tie the knot with longtime love David Rooklin in 2017.
In a ceremony held at City Hall, the two played the traditional part of bride and groom - with white gown and black suit - but were pretty relaxed about the whole event, captioning a photo simply, “we got married.” As Insider reports, during an interview with Kelly Ripa and Ryan Seacrest, Glazer explained,
“It just kind of all came together in the right way. It was crazy. It pretty casual, it was just chill. It was very 'us'.”
3 OTT: Justin Timberlake & Jessica Biel
Another couple who opted to go the major wedding route in Italy, Justin Timberlake and Jessica Biel got to celebrate their love in 2012 with 100 guests for an entire week in Puglia - which no doubt racked up the bill!
While Biel wore a custom pink Giambattista Valli Haute Couture gown, Timberlake was in Tom Ford, and even sang to guests! The rumoured $6.5 million price tag was definitely inflated thanks to all of the activities leading up to the ceremony, which included folk dancing, live music, a beach party and fireworks, as Insider reports.
2 LOW-KEY: Kristen Bell & Dax Shepard
Compared to the last cost and the price attached to the following wedding, $142 seems like money you'd find in the couch cushions - but, in fact, it's exactly what Kristen Bell and Dax Shepard spent on their special day!
The wedding took place at a courthouse in 2013, but don't ask either star what the actual date is, because neither remembers it! While Bell insists that it was on October 17th, she's not 100% sure, as Insider reports.
One thing that is memorable, though, is that the courthouse served the newlyweds a cake that read “The World's Worst Wedding,” as The Huffington Post reports.
1 OTT: Kim Kardashian & Kris Humphries
Kim Kardashian has already made it onto this list, thanks to her wedding to Kanye West, which was almost $3 million. However, when compared to her televised ceremony to Kris Humphries, $3 million doesn't sound like much, since this was anywhere from $6 million to $10 million (sources differ, since it's rumoured that Kardashian received some major discounts).
Let's look at this by the numbers, shall we? Hollywood Reporter did and this is what they found:
The 65-carat Lorraine Schwartz headpiece cost about $2.5 million; $10,000 for the crystal-embellished invitations; 3 custom-made Vera Wang gowns; $150,000 for hair, makeup and grooming; and $5 million for her diamond earrings! Go big or go get divorced after 72 days, right?
