Celine Dion and Rene Angelil

iVillage.com: The Most Extravagant Celebrity Weddings

On Dec. 17, 1994, 26-year-old Celine Dion wed her longtime manager, Rene Angelil, 51, at the opulent Notre Dame Basilica in Montreal, Quebec. Legions of fans lined the streets outside the cathedral (the nuptials were broadcast live on Canadian television) to catch a glimpse of the Quebec-born chanteuse, who wore a French marquise gown that reportedly took 1,000 hours to complete, and featured a 20-foot train attended by the bride’s eight sisters. Some say the real star of the wedding was the seven-pound headpiece containing 2,000 Austrian crystals which topped the pop singer’s look. After the wedding mass, artificial snowflakes gently fell on more than 500 guests, who were entertained by a 21-piece orchestra and treated to a massive French profiterole wedding cake in a Christmas tree formation. A silent night, it was not!

(CREDIT: Ponopresse/REX USA)

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Katie Holmes and...

After a whirlwind 19-month romance, Katie Holmes and Tom Cruise exchanged vows on Nov. 18, 2006, in Lake Bracciano, Italy, in an elaborate sunset ceremony before more than 150 guests. At the service inside the 15th-century Odescalchi Castle, their 7-month-old daughter Suri was in attendance, as were Cruise’s children from his marriage to Nicole Kidman (Isabella and Connor), and best man David Miscavige, head of the Church of Scientology. The entire wedding party wore Armani, and Cruise, 44, and Holmes, 27, gave one another white gold Cartier rings with diamonds. Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli entertained guests – including Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith, Jennifer Lopez and Mark Anthony and Victoria Beckham –as they dined on risotto, sea bass with artichokes, and parmesan-crusted fillet from Dal Bologneses, the groom’s favorite Restaurant in Rome. Now that’s some fine catering!

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Kim Kardashian a...

Kim Kardashian isn’t known for being conservative, so her wedding on Aug. 20, 2011, to NBA Player Kris Humphries was appropriately exorbitant. The ceremony and reception took place in Montecito, Calif., where 450 guests (clad in the required black and white dress code) watched Kim and Kris proclaim their love. The entire Kardashian family took part in the ceremony, including Kim’s then-20-month-old nephew Mason as the ring bearer! Speculation had swirled around Kim’s choice of wedding dress, so it was no surprise when it was revealed that the bride wore not one, but three Vera Wang dresses that night! To walk down the aisle, Kim sported a strapless, white princess-style dress and an exotic diamond headpiece. She later changed into two different fitted dresses for the reception, where musicians Robin Thicke and Earth, Wind, and Fire performed. Celebrity chef Wolfgang Puck fed guests that included Demi Lovato, Mario Lopez, Eva Longoria, and Ryan Seacrest until noise complaints led to the fire marshal shutting the party down! It’s a good thing Kim, Kris, and their guests left with fabulous memories (and embroidered pashminas), since just 72 days later, Kim filed for divorce. They’ll always have the wedding, and the television special on E! to remember it by!

(Courtesy of People Magazine: Getty Images)

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Prince William a...

It was a worldwide spectacle when Prince William married Kate Middleton in London on April 29, 2011. The ceremony inside Westminster Abbey was attended by roughly 1,900 guests, including David and Victoria Beckham, Elton John, Guy Ritchie and the British Royal Family. The bridal party arrived at the church in five horse-drawn carriages, and the bride (now dubbed Princess Catherine) walked down the aisle in a long-sleeved, satin and lace Sarah Burton gown with a 110-inch train. After the nuptials, the bride and groom headed over to Buckingham Palace, where they shared a public kiss on the balcony, to the delight of the massive crowd.

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Russell Brand an...

Katy Perry and Russell Brand became husband and whife on Oct. 23, 2010, in a lawish-yet-traditional Indian ceremony. The couple had been dating a mere three months before Russell proposed to Katy while they were vacationing in India. Reportedly wearing a gray Elie Saab haute couture dress, the singer married her British beau at the beautiful Aman-i-Khas resort near the Ranthambhore tiger sanctuary in Rajasthan. Their guests were treated to a multi-day celebration, which included safaris, performances by traditional Indian musicians and dancers and even a Bollywood-themed pre-wedding bash. Sadly, their marriage came to an end on December 30, after 14 short months.

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Khloe Kardashian...

Reality TV star Khloe Kardashian made headlines in 2009 when she wed L.A. Lakers star Lamar Odom in a quickie-yet-sophisticated wedding that took place only one month after the couple met. Under a triple arch of roses on the grounds of an estate belonging to a Kardashian family friend – music mogul Irving Azoff – the bride (in Vera Wang) and groom tied the knot in a ceremony with Khloe’s sisters Kourtney and Kim Kardashian as bridesmaids and a celeb-studded guest list including Ryan Seacrest, Kelly Osbourne and Kobe Bryant. No ordinary tunes would do for this celebration: music came courtesy of Babyface, as well as a deejay who was flown in from New York City for the occasion. After a mad dash to register and prepare, you’d think the newlyweds would rush to catch up on rest during their honeymoon… but they decided to postpone it until Odom’s off-season!

(CREDIT: OK Magazine)

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Brad Pitt and Je...

As one of Hollywood’s fairytale couples, it was only fitting that Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston have a fairytale wedding. And that’s exactly what their $1 million Malibu affair was when it took place on July 29, 2000. The estate was decorated with lanterns, candles and an assortment of 50,000 flowers. Jennifer walked down the aisle – escorted by her father John – wearing a floor-length, beaded Lawrence Steele silk gown to the tune of “Love Is the Greatest Thing” sung by a 40-piece gospel choir. After the two exchanged their vows, the 200 guests (including Cameron Diaz, Salma Hayek, Edward Norton, and Jen’s Friends costar and real-life BFF Courteney Cox) enjoyed shrimp, mini pizzas and champagne before they headed to the reception. To finish off the night, attendees were treated to a spectacular 13-minute firework show to the tunes of Radiohead and Jeff Buckley.

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Chelsea Clinton ...

It was America’s own version of a royal wedding when Chelsea Clinton married investment banker Marc Mezvinsky on July 31, 2012. The wedding was held at a riverside estate in the small town of Rhinebeck, N.Y. Security was a top priority for their high-profile guests such as former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, actor Ted Danson and, of course, the parents of the bride, Bill and Hillary Clinton. A reported 500 guests watches a fireworks show over the Hudson River, which was caught on camera by the video crew that reportedly cost $24,000. Designer Vera Wang designed the lavender chiffon bridesmaids’ dresses, as well as Chelsea’s ornate weding dress, which was a strapless, silk organza ball gown with a dramatic train. The blushing bride also wore $250,000 worth of jewelry for her big day. The ceremony was headed by a rabbi and a reverend, accommodating both Marc and Chelsea’s Jewish and Methodist faiths. In total, the wedding cost between an estimated $2-3 million.

(CREDIT: Genevieve De Manio/Getty Images)

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Celine Dion and ...

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Christina Aguile...

Pop star Christina Aguilera married music executive Jordan Bratman on Nov. 19, 2005, under a chuppa of fuchsia, blush, and deep red roses at the Staglin Family Vineyard in Napa Valley, Calif. The songstress wore a Spanish-style Christian Lacroix gown with a vintage jewled rosary. Later, the bride donned a satin minidress for the winter-themed reception, where walls were lined with hundreds of birch trees and tables were trimmed with white faux fur. Some 150 guests, including Justin Timberlake, Cameron Diaz, and Sharon Stone, were treated to Aguilera’s renditions of “Lady Marmalade” and “At Last,” which she told her wedding planner was the first time the classic song truly had meaning for her. The couple then spent three nights recuperating at a posh ($3,500 a night!) wine-country resort. Unfortunately, after five years of marriage the singer filed for divorce from her husband (and father to their 4-year-old son Max) in October 2010.

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Star Jones and A...

Conventional wisdom says it wasn’t deep pockets but a tacky series of on-air plugs that got The View co-host Star Jones her free bridal booty – including donated invitations, tuxedos and bridesmaids’ gowns. The former attorney’s over-the-top Nov. 13, 2004, nuptials to investment banker Al Reynolds featured a 60-member bridal party and a reception for 500 at Manhattan’s Waldorf-Astoria hotel, where guests (including Kim Cattrall, Angela Bassett, Kelly Ripa, Mark Consuelos, and Hillary Rodham Clinton) were served butter-poached Maine lobster and red-velvet cake. When she filed for divorce in 2008, Jones said she regretted publicizing her many wedding details: “Several years ago I made an error in judgment by inviting the media into the most intimate area of my life. I have committed myself to handling this situation with dignity and grace and look forward to emerging from this period as a stronger and wiser woman.”

(CREDIT: James DeVaney/WireImage)

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