The average wedding dress costs around $1,251, not including accessories. Even the average bride shells out so their dress is a showstopper. Now imagine with all that extra money to spare how far celebrities are willing to go to make themselves the most glamorous brides of all time.
This is how the 10 most expensive wedding dresses of all time have been made, from a passion for prettiness and an eye for glamor. Continue reading to learn about these multi-million-dollar dresses and the brides who wore them.
- Chiara Ferragni
- Kate Middleton
- Salma Hayek
- Kim Kardashian
- Victoria Swarovski
- Peacock Wedding Dress
- Priyanka Chopra
- Serena Williams
- Yumi Katsura
- Diamond Wedding Gown
Designer: Maria Grazia Chiuri
Date: 2018
photo source: W Magazine
The Italian blogger Chiara Ferragni married the rapper Federico Leonardo Lucia, better known as Fedez, in 2018 in an amazing couture dress designed by Maria Grazia Chiuri, best known as the creative director of Dior. The dress had a tulle skirt and lace bodice and was made over six intense months.
The long skirt could be detached and changed into a mini skirt for dancing after the wedding. The dress is cream tulle in color with a corset top. The pattern includes embroidery designs of hearts and song lyrics, including “Favorisca i Sentimenti.”
Did you know?
Ferragni blogs, designs clothes, and runs businesses while modeling in her own creations. She’s best known for her blog, “The Blonde Salad” and has been ranked #1 on Forbes’ list of the world’s top fashion influencers.
Designer: Sarah Burton
Date: 2011
photo source: Flickr
When Kate Middleton married Prince William, she was adorned in a dress designed by the English luxury fashion designer Sarah Burton, who is the director of the Alexander McQueen fashion house. The dress was first announced when Kate emerged from her car and debuted the Victorian-inspired gown to the world, as well as to the crowd at Buckingham Palace.
The dress is a lace applique bodice style made of satin and lace. Though the lace pattern was not invented specifically for the dress, the Sophie Hallette pattern is now known as “Kate’s lace” because of the iconic status of this ceremony.
Did you know?
Kate Middleton’s dress was not only designed to look like the Victorian era, but it was even made using 19th-century stitching machines. The dress was covered in floral patterns and other period-specific designs.
Designer: Nicolas Ghesquière
Date: 2009
photo source: Elle
Salma Hayek married François-Henri Pinault in a lavish Balenciaga wedding gown designed by the renowned Nicolas Ghesquière. It had a full-skirt ivory gown and an embroidered V-neck bodice that made it look like classic European wedding gowns from decades gone by. It’s what you would expect from the new wife of the billionaire CEO of the PPR Group, the luxury fashion manufacturer.
They married in Paris in front of their 150 friends, all collected into a lavish masked ball. Among the attendees were Frida Giannini of Gucci, Ed Norton, Charlize Theron, and Stella McCartney.
Did you know?
Nicolas Ghesquière is the creative director of the fashion house of Louis Vuitton, one of the most expensive clothing brands in the world. They have a net worth of $130 billion and a high-quality class of clients including Emma Stone, Kanye West, and Madonna.
Designer: Givenchy
Date: 2014
photo source: People
When Kim Kardashian married Kanye West, she appeared in this wedding dress by Givenchy, worth $706,259. Riccardo Tisci, creative director of Givenchy himself, designed her dress, with its sleeves of long lace, a cut-out bodice, and an elaborate veil.
The wedding took place in Venice in 2014. That marks just over 10 years since Kim and Kanye met back in 2003, both working as assistants for Brandy, the R&B star (and the sister of Kim’s ex).
Did you know?
Givenchy has been a luxury fashion designer in France since 1952, designing incredible dresses for 70 years now. The fashion house is a member of what’s known as the Chambre Syndicale de la Haute Couture et du Pret-a-Porter. This puts it in the premier league of French clothes designers and perfume makers.
Designer: Michael Cinco
Date: 2017
photo source: Marie Claire
Victoria Swarovski of the Swarovski crystal jewelry designer married Werner Murz, the German entrepreneur, in 2017. The amazing wedding took place across Italy, from the Falisia Resort & Spa to the Cathedral of San Giusto in Trieste. Her custom wedding gown did her family heritage proud by sparkling with thousands of Swarovski crystals.
Michael Cinco designed this dress and its 500,000 embedded crystals (it weighed in at 100 pounds!). Atop the Swarovski wedding gown, Victoria wore a 26-foot veil edged with lace.
Did you know?
The Filipino fashion designer Michael Cinco is based in Dubai in the UAE. He launched his fashion line in 2003 based on the glamor of old Hollywood beauties like Dietrich, Hepburn, and Grace Kelly.
Cinco’s celebrity clients include not only Swarovski but Rihanna, Beyonce, Lady Gaga, Brittney Spears, Carrie Underwood, and others.
Designer: Vera Wang
Date: 2009
photo source: Facebook
The peacock wedding dress was designed in 2009 and debuted at the Wedding Expo in Nanjing, China. This wedding dress doesn’t use your typical white silk and brocade but is instead made from over 2,000 peacock feathers, whose blue eyes stare out from the dress in a thousand green glances.
Eight hardworking dressmakers spent thousands of hours making this incredible dress for Vera Wang, who designed the dress for Jennifer Lopez. After her wedding to Ben Affleck was canceled, however, the dress went unworn except at fashion expositions.
Did you know?
Vera Wang was the long-standing editor of Vogue before joining Ralph Lauren as a dress designer. Her wedding gowns have adorned such famous personas as Ariana Grande, Ivanka Trump, Alicia Keys, Hayley Williams, Kim Kardashian, and more.
She even designed an evening dress for Michelle Obama and skating costumes for Michelle Kwan and Nathan Chen.
Designer: Ralph Lauren
Date: 2018
photo source: Vogue
Priyanka Chopra married Nick Jonas in 2018, resulting in a cavalcade of amazing outfits, one for the bridal shower, one for the bachelorette party, one for the Mehndi, one for the Sangeet Sari, and finally this custom wedding dress designed by Ralph Lauren.
The dress was designed with 2.39 million sequins made from mother of pearl, all topped with a 75-foot veil. This showstopping dress was worth $2 million.
Did you know?
In traditional Indian custom, there are sixteen bridal adornments, the ritual of bride beautification that climaxes with the wedding. Mehndi and Sangeet Sari are two of these customs in the pre-wedding celebration in Hindu and Sikh culture.
Designer: Sarah Burton
Date: 2017
photo source: Brides
Serena Williams’ lavish wedding to Alexis Ohanian (best known as the founder of Reddit) featured three different wedding dresses. The most expensive of these was the one designed by Sarah Burton, worth nearly $5 million.
The strapless dress was custom made after 1,500 hours of designing, including a flowing ballgown skirt and a cape with feathers in the bodice. XIV Karats supplied her jewelry, which alone was worth about $4 million.
Did you know?
Serena changed into a dress by Donatella Versace for the reception, which was a beaded and feathered gown. Her final look was another Versace dress, this time short and fitted, worn to the dance at her wedding reception.
Designer: Yumi Katsura
Date: 2006
photo source: Yumi Katsura
Unlike many dresses on this list, the Yumi Katsura wedding gown is named for its designer rather than its wearer. This stunning wedding dress costs $8.3 million because it is sparkling with precious stones and diamonds, including no fewer than 1,000 high-quality pearls.
Other stones on this showstopping dress include a 5-carat white gold diamond and an 8.8-carat green diamond. Katsura, based out of Japan, used the zari embroidery technique to bring the dress to life.
Did you know?
Zari embroidery is a time-honored weaving tradition in the East, introduced in India back in the 1300s. It involves specific embroidery techniques using the finest velvet, brocades, and silks to create incredible patterns. Only the most prestigious dresses would ever be made using zari embroidery.
Designer: Renee Strauss and Martin Katz
Date: 2006
photo source: Pinterest
The most expensive wedding dress is the Diamond Wedding Gown. The dress was made in a partnership between the dress designer Renee Strauss and the jewelry designer Martin Katz. It contains about as much jeweled decadence as you would expect!
For $12 million, this dress could be used at one of the world’s most lavish weddings, though no one has bought it yet. The pattern includes 150 carats of diamonds adorning the finest silk material. It has toured luxury fashion shows since its creation in 2006, though it has yet to go down the aisle.
Did you know?
Renee Strauss is a serious name in bridal boutique shopping and dressmaking. In addition to tailoring for shows like General Hospital, she’s had many high-caliber celebrity female clients like Paula Abdul and Kathy Ireland to show off her creations.
Martin Katz has a similar catalog of conquests, including jewelry designed for Claire Daines and Angelina Jolie.
