10 of the World’s Most Extravagant Royal Weddings

When: April 18, 1956

Where: Prince Rainier of Monaco and Grace Kelly, an American film star (and technically, a commoner snagging a royal), were married in a civil ceremony and had a church wedding and celebration the next day at Saint Nicholas Cathedral in Monte Carlo.

Grace wore a Lanvin wedding gown which had a high waist line, lots of bustling, 125-year-old lace, 800,000 sequins, and almost 2,000 pearls. This wedding gown was a gift from MGM and Grace can be seen wearing it in the movie High Society.

Other gifts that the couple received include a 147-foot yacht and a black and cream Rolls Royce. Now those are wedding gifts we could get used to!

When: April 29, 2011

Where: William and Kate tied the knot at Westminster Abbey. According to reports, this fairytale wedding cost upwards of $64-million. 

Kate's now-iconic dress is rumoured to have cost $400,000 and was custom-made by Sarah Burton.

The couple's two wedding cakes totalled $80,000. In an ABC interview, editor Amy Eisinger of weddingchannel.com calculated that each piece cost roughly $133 for each guest. Talk about having your cake and eating it too!

When: July 29, 1981

Where: Prince Charles and Diana got married in St. Paul's Cathedral in London, England. The couple invited 3,500; however, another 600,000 fans formed outside, and a whopping 14.2 million households tuned in on TV.

Princess Diana had a three and a half minute walk down the aisle in a dress designed by Elizabeth and David Emanuel. It was made of silk taffeta, with gorgeous lace, 10,000 pearls, a 25-foot train, and an eight metre long veil.

The couple also had 27 wedding cakes, with one as the focal point that was more than five feet tall.

What: July 23, 1986

Where: Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson (who have known each other since childhood) were married at Westminster Abbey.

Prince Andrew had a custom engagement ring made for Sarah which featured a red centre stone—apparently to match Sarah's gorgeous red hair.

At the wedding, Sarah returned the favour by scrolling the letters A and S into her 17-foot train.

When: June 10, 1993

Where: These two wed at the Royal Palace in Amman, Jordan.

For her wedding to Prince Abdullah, Raina wore a custom-made Elie Saab gown that had suit-like lapels, an embellished belt, and a full A-line skirt. In 1999, Abdullah was crowned king which made Raina a queen. This meant that at the time, Raina was the world's youngest queen. Today, she may not be the youngest anymore, but she is still considered the most fashionable.

When: July 1, 1995

Where: Prince Pavlos and Marie-Chantal met on a blind date. A few years later, they were married in St. Sophia's Cathedral in London, England. According to many sources, Marie-Chantal converted to Greek Orthodox to make her new family proud.

Although Marie-Chantal came from a very wealthy family, she was considered a commoner making Prince Pavlos one of the first European royals to marry outside of the bracket. Marie-Chantal's father was a duty-free billionaire and spent close to 8-million dollars on the wedding of his daughter's dreams (including around $225,000 on her gorgeous gown).

When: May 22, 2004

Where: Prince Felipe married news anchor Letizia Ortiz Rocasolano in Madrid at the Cathedral Santa Maria la Real de la Almudena.

Letizia wore a gorgeous ivory gown complete with a 15-foot train. On her head she wore the same diamond- and platinum-encrusted tiara that was worn by her soon-to-be-husband's mother on her wedding day.

When: September 9, 2004

Where: Heir to the Sultan of Brunei, Al-Muhtadee Billah Bolkiah, married Pengrian Anak Sarah at the Nurul Iman Palace in Bandar Seri Begawan.

Their lavish wedding cost approximately $6-million, and had 2,000 guests, 103 limousines, $200,000 worth of fireworks, and was 14 days long. Talk about extravagance! 

When: October 13, 2011

Where: King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck married Ashi Jetsun Pema in Punakha Dzong in Bhutan, the second largest fortress structure in Bhutan.

Many young women in Bhutan were excited about this marriage because Ashi was considered a commoner despite her indirect ties to the royal families. Her traditional gown was woven from raw silk and took months to complete.

When: September 20, 2012

Where: Princess Hafizah married civil servant Pengiran Haji Muhammad Ruzaini in her father's palace which has over 1,700 rooms. The guest list extended to 2,000 people, including royalty from around the world.

As a daughter of one of the world's wealthiest men, it is said that Princess Hafizah's wedding cost upwards of $20-million.