The most expensive celebs weddings and the strangest weddings in the world
Happy is he who is glad at home! meetmegmag reported about Unusual weddings, and how to make the newlyweds happy. Weddings. Summer is wedding season. Nowadays, more and more couples are refusing to marry traditionally and wish to hold their wedding in unusual settings - in a stable, a Gothic castle, on a ship, in a hangar, above ground and underground, on water and underwater, and even in space. It seems that today, no one in the world is surprised by an unusual wedding. Some are breaking records for the number of marriages, some marry themselves or their beloved dog. But what is the secret of a good wedding?
The most expensive weddings.
To this day, the most expensive wedding in the world is considered to be that of Prince Charles and Lady Diana, which took place in 1981. The royal family spent over 100 million dollars at that time. It was also the most crowded wedding. The celebration was attended by more than three thousand guests, including world celebrities - actors, writers, and socialites. Lady Diana wore a dress embroidered with pearls, which had a 27-foot train that cost $150,000.
The budget for another royal wedding, that of Prince William and Kate Middleton, also exceeded reasonable limits. It amounted to 'only' $34 million. The heir to the English throne married his college girlfriend. It is believed that the celebration was financed partly by the state budget, which caused public discontent. Just the flowers cost several hundred thousand pounds. The wedding took place in 2011, and journalists immediately dubbed it the wedding of the century. The bride wore a dress by Sarah Burton that cost $434,000. A total of about two thousand guests attended the ceremony, among whom were also world celebrities.
Now let's move to China.
In this socialist country, there is a significant layer of very wealthy capitalists: business people, investors, and other affluent individuals capable of securing their children's future. An example of such a 'golden girl' is Angela Yang Yi. Angela Yeung Wing is known to millions of her fans in Southeast Asia and beyond as Angela Baby. Money, beauty, fame in media and social networks – all of this has led journalists to give the model, actress, and singer the unofficial nickname "the Chinese Kim Kardashian." In 2015, she married actor Huang Xiaoming, who gifted his beloved a ring from a famous jewelry house worth 1.5 million dollars. The celebration took place in the former Palace of China-Soviet Friendship and was attended by about two thousand guests. The hall was decorated entirely with roses. The bride's dress is considered the most expensive in history. It was handmade by artisans from Dior. One of the features of the wedding was the cake, which stood 3 meters tall. The total cost of the ceremony was about 31 million dollars.
Russian newlyweds are not far behind.
The news of Andrey Melnichenko's marriage plunged young gold diggers into despair. He signed with the holder of the title "Miss Yugoslavia," and even married her. A chapel was specially transported from the Moscow region to the French Riviera, to the city of Antibes, for the ceremony in disassembled form. Christina Aguilera and Whitney Houston were flown in on a private jet: the singers received $3.5 million each for agreeing to honor the businessman’s wedding with their presence. Julio and Enrique Iglesias also joined them. The famous French chef Alain Ducasse was responsible for the catering. The list of the most expensive grooms and brides is completed by Vanisha Mittal, the heiress of Indian magnate Lakshmi Mittal, and banker Amit Bhatiya, who married in 2004. Their wedding is estimated at $60 million. They were engaged at Versailles, and the Indian-style wedding party took place near Paris. Each female guest received a designer handbag as a gift, and for further celebrations, the Tuileries Garden was rented—the most extreme weddings. In 2003, the world's first wedding in space took place. In such an unusual context...
In a unique situation, Russian Yuri Malyshev and his fiancée Ekaterina Dmitrieva were united in marriage. The couple was separated by 418 kilometers, but vertically. The girl was on Earth, while the groom was in space. Initially, they planned to get married on Earth after Malyshev returned. However, his mission on the ISS was extended by three months, and the couple didn't want to wait any longer. So they decided to legalize their relationship via video link. The groom was sent a ring and a tie through a cargo ship, and his colleague astronaut Edward Lu acted as the witness. Yuri and Ekaterina donned the symbols of love and fidelity while Lu played Mendelssohn's march on the synthesizer. At that moment, the bride was at the Mission Control Center in Houston. It was the first and only wedding ceremony that took place in space. Now, a clause is included in the astronauts' contract that prohibits weddings aboard the ISS. When Yuri returned to Earth, the couple had a wedding ceremony in Russia. The sacrament took place in the Resurrection Cathedral of Tutayev (Yaroslavl region).Tutayev (Yaroslavl region). In 2006, Ekaterina and Yuri had a daughter, Kamilla.
The wedding of Americans Erin Finnegan and Noah Fulmore turned out to be quite original:
The couple got married in a state of weightlessness aboard a Boeing 727. At that time, the plane was over Florida. Weightlessness was created specially. For this purpose, the pilot ascended to an altitude of 7 kilometers and then tilted the aircraft at an angle of 45 degrees. In this position, the plane climbed another 3 kilometers, after which it sharply descended in a parabolic trajectory. The wedding of Jerome and Sandra Kippers also looked quite extreme. After the priest announced them as husband and wife, the young couple jumped together from a height of fifty meters, of course, with safety equipment. Before that, they were raised on a special platform using a cargo crane. Guests were also lifted there, previously strapped to their seats with seatbelts. Some prefer water extremes.
Residents of Budapest, Clara Kaman and Zoltan
Kish arranged a wedding in the middle of Lake Balaton: the loving couple swayed in one little boat, while in another registry office, workers were conducting 'water wedding procedures.' Relatives and guests sat in the other flat-bottomed boats. There have been many weddings at the bottom of the sea, but the record belongs to Francesca Colombi and Giampiero Giannoccaro. Their ceremony is listed in the Guinness Book of Records as the 'largest underwater wedding.' A total of 261 divers were present at the registration. Sharleen and David Hellmann also got married underwater, choosing an unusual venue – a giant oceanarium. The most 'refreshing' wedding can be attributed to traveler Borge Ousland from Norway. By the way, he was the first person to reach the North Pole solo. The wedding took place in the middle of the Arctic on a clear sunny day at a temperature of -28 degrees. After a half-hour ceremony, the newlyweds were treated to fireworks, champagne, and a noisy celebration at the base.
In 2007, at the Russian Antarctic station 'Bellingshausen',
A Chilean citizen, Eduardo, got married. Eduardo Aliaga Ilabaca and Russian Angelina Zhuldybina. According to the newlyweds, they have dreamed of this for a long time—the Strangest Weddings. A wedding is generally not a cheap affair. On average, an American wedding today costs $100,000 (78 million rubles). And this is only about the ceremony and jewelry, while all the bride's whims are paid for separately. The celebration is generally considered luxurious if the cost is $1,000 per guest.
It is not surprising that Americans Kelly and Lee saved money for eleven years.
Not having gathered the necessary amount, the couple decided to participate in a contest hosted by a local radio station. The essence of the promotion: the radio station covers all the costs of the wedding, guarantees a giant cake, a large hall, a sea of treats, a buffet - in general, everything. Except for the young couple's outfits! Because they won't need them. According to the conditions of the contest, the newlyweds must appear completely naked. As soon as the couple thinks about covering their bodies even partially, the carriage turns into a pumpkin. That is to say, from this moment on, the wedding is paid for by the young couple themselves. In the case of Kelly and Lee, frugality won out - they held on until the final cake cutting.
However, the couple from Australia decided to get married naked, not due to a contest, but out of conviction. According to Ellie Barton and Phil Hendicott, entering into marriage is an entirely new period, and one should not bring anything from the past, including clothing. Ellie wore only a veil. Phil had only a black top hat, which he used to cover his intimate area. After them, many couples around the world began to get married nude. It is considered particularly chic to have a wedding where the bride and groom wear nothing but wedding rings. Perhaps the strangest place for the ceremony was chosen by American bride Lisa Satayut. She decided to combine her love for sales with her feelings for her future husband. The wedding took place in a shoe store, right in the aisle between the shelves of shoes. The bride wore a long white chiffon dress, black gloves, and bright green 'gladiator' sandals.
A man married himself.
Random visitors to the store couldn't take their eyes off the newlyweds. However, the Chinese man Liu Ye, by the age of 39, hadn't found his soulmate and decided to marry himself. Why not? A proven individual, with minimal flaws – in general, such wealth is a sin to hand over to others. For the ceremony, the groom ordered a foam replica of himself. He dressed the mannequin in a Chinese wedding dress. Over a hundred guests came to see how an adult man married himself. The 'bride's' friend performed all actions for the mannequin. Some of the attendees mischievously accused Liu Ye of being non-traditional in his orientation. But the groom, furrowing his brow, put an end to all the rumors. He officially stated that he is entirely normal, just 'dissatisfied with reality and a little selfish.'
Sad wedding story
This sad wedding story from Thailand has already become a parable. Chadil Deffi, 28, and Sarinya Kamsuk, 29, had been dating for over ten years and were preparing for their wedding. But just a few days before the celebration, the bride was involved in a car accident. Doctors were unable to save the girl. The grief-stricken groom decided to fulfill his beloved's cherished dream of a wedding at all costs. He invited the bride's close friends, relatives, and also artists and singers to the ceremony. The wedding, combined with a farewell ceremony, was shown on local Thai television. This touching and at the same time eerie story received wide public resonance. Opinions were divided: was Chadil's act an example of eternal love, or a strange desire to 'promote himself'?
The best weddings
The newlyweds from the USA made the best surprise in the world for the groom's 91-year-old grandmother: on their wedding day, they went to the hospital where she was to celebrate the beginning of their married life with her. She was so happy when she found out we were getting married. She had been living for the day of the wedding. Since grandma couldn't come to the wedding, the wedding came to her,' the bride shared her impressions.
Another bride from the American city of Sacramento, upon learning that her chosen one had suddenly changed his mind about marrying her, did not cancel the wedding celebration but instead invited people experiencing homelessness to it. The mother of the abandoned bride insisted upon this, as $35,000 had already been spent on the celebration. For dinner, initially intended for the wedding guests, 120 homeless people showed up. 'To lose something so precious and then help others – that is true kindness,' shared one of the guests at the celebration.
An even more brilliant move was made by newlyweds Victoria Polishchuk and Valery Perevoshchikov from the Murmansk region. They asked all relatives and friends to give them dog food instead of gifts, flowers, and money. Guests were surprised but managed to complete the 'task': the couple collected 25 kilograms of food, which they donated to the 'Looking for a Person' fund that helps homeless animals. '
My husband and I decided to start our family life with a good deed. We hope that other newlyweds will pick up this idea,' admitted the bride. Residents of the Bryansk region also organized a charitable initiative at their wedding, Alexander and Olga Efanova. They decided to make a gift to the orphanage and asked guests to bring soft toys. Then they took teddy bears, elephants, and bunnies to the orphanage in the village of Krasnovichi. "They were thrilled! We also brought them candies. I feel so sorry for them. One girl came up to me and said, 'Can I have a teddy bear? I've always dreamed of having a teddy bear.' I almost cried. On the one hand, it's wonderful to bring joy to the children. On the other hand, there are tears from not being able to help everyone. Toys are just a small consolation. Everyone wants parental warmth," Olga recalled. Maria and Pavel Yusko from the Sverdlovsk region also decided to help the orphans.
However, the couple didn’t stop at toys:
Guests brought modeling clay, pencils, and other valuable items to the wedding. "Happiness should be shared, especially with children," concluded the bride. A young couple from Kazakhstan held a modest wedding instead of a lavish celebration in the company of orphaned children from the Chimkent Center for the Adaptation of Minors. Newlyweds Meirman and Saniya prepared a meal for the orphans. The foster children of the orphanage had a festive table, and they also invited entertainers who entertained the little guests with songs and dances. The noble deed of the young people did not go unnoticed. Soon, the modest feast was dubbed the 'wedding of the year,' and the couple received wishes for intense family happiness, health, and many children from all corners of Kazakhstan. In Shymkent, another young couple decided to perform a generous act on their wedding day. Instead of a lavish event, Darya and Yerkebulan Zholdasov prepared 300 portions of pilaf, which they served free of charge to the townspeople. 'Newlyweds usually spend a lot of money on a party. Just the rental of a car costs a lot. I think that's money down the drain. Today we fed hundreds of people. That's much better,' the groom believes.
