When it comes to finding your wedding dress, it may feel like the choices are endless. From the neckline to the material, there are a number of different factors to consider when deciding what type of piece you want to wear to say “I do.” The same standard applies for celebrity and royal brides. After getting engaged, these high-profile individuals often work with a designer to create a custom look that is unique, showstopping, and truly unforgettable. However, such an ensemble also typically comes with a high price tag.
While the average bride spends approximately $1,800 to $2,400 on the gown for her big day, A-list stars often set aside hundreds of thousands of dollars for their piece, wanting a bespoke creation that is anything but typical or ordinary. From Sofia Richie’s beaded dress from Chanel for her 2023 wedding to Elliot Grainge to the Christian Lacroix ensemble worn by Catherine Zeta-Jones to tie the knot with Michael Douglas in 2000, these celebrities made sure that no detail was overlooked when it came to their ceremony gown.
Curious about which celebrity brides wore the most expensive wedding dresses? Here, we’ve rounded up the 19 dresses with the highest price tags. Since some of the pieces were purchased in 1947 while others made their debut just this year, we’ve adjusted all of the ensembles for inflation to be able to compare them accurately. Read on to see them all.
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Queen Letizia of Spain: $13.7 Million
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When Queen Letizia tied the knot with King Felipe VI of Spain on May 2, 2004, she wore a regal gown, designed by Manuel Pertegaz, for the affair. The showstopping dress featured long sleeves, a high-standing collar, a V-cut neckline, and a 15-foot train. To add to the opulence of the ensemble, the designer used real gold for the embroidery. Ultimately, the piece was estimated to cost approximately $8 million, equivalent to $13.7 million today.
Serena Williams: $4.6 million
Serena Williams selected a classic ball gown for her 2017 wedding to Alexis Ohanian. Her Alexander McQueen dress designed by Sarah Burton—complete with a cascading cape and sweetheart neckline—is one of the most expensive of all time. The piece had a price tag of $3.5 million, equivalent to $4.6 million today. The ensemble wasn’t the tennis star’s only look for the occasion; she made two other changes over the course of the night.
Priyanka Chopra: $2.6 Million
Priyanka Chopra and Nick Jonas celebrated their 2018 nuptials with a multi-day celebration at the Umaid Bhawan Palace in Jodhpur, Rajasthan, India. For the Western part of the festivities, the actress donned a custom Ralph Lauren gown with a high neckline, scalloped sleeve, 2,380,000 mother-of-pearl sequins, Swarovski crystals, and a 75-foot veil. The piece was estimated to cost $2 million, equivalent to approximately $2.6 million today.
Queen Elizabeth: $1.6 million
For her nuptials to Prince Philip, Queen Elizabeth wore a Duchesse satin, long-sleeve wedding gown with floral embroidery and crystal and pearl appliqués. Norman Hartnell, the designer behind the look, was said to have been inspired by Botticelli’s painting “Primavera” in creating the dress. Queen Elizabeth paid $42,000 for her royal ensemble in 1947, equivalent to approximately $1.6 million today.
Victoria Swarovski: $1.3 million
Victoria Swarovski’s custom gown from Michael Cinco had an estimated price tag of $1 million, equivalent to $1.3 million today. The dress featured 500,000 crystals—and weighed approximately 100 pounds. The Swarovski jewelry heiress also wore a 26-foot-long veil to complete the princess-worthy look.
Grace Kelly: $786,000
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Grace Kelly’s classic 1956 wedding dress set standards for decades to come. The American actress donned the high-neck, long-sleeve gown, which featured thousands of hand-sewn pearls and 125-year-old lace from Brussels, for her royal nuptials to Prince Rainier III of Monaco. At the time, the piece cost $65,200, equivalent to approximately $786,000 today.
Salma Hayek: $659,000
Salma Hayek wed Francois-Henri Pinault, CEO of the Kering group, in Venice, Italy in 2009. The actress’s Balenciaga gown, designed by Nicolas Ghesquière, featured a detailed deep V-neck bodice that flowed into a full-body skirt. The dress ultimately cost $434,000, equivalent to approximately $659,000 today. The bride wore it to the duo’s star-studded reception, which unfolded at the oldest opera house in all of Europe.
Kate Middleton: $617,000
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Kate Middleton’s iconic wedding gown is one of the most famous dresses of all time—and for good reason. The Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueen design was truly fit for a royal, with a price tag of $434,000, equivalent to approximately $617,000 today. The princess’s dress was constructed with handmade lace, featured a full skirt, and included a dramatic eight-foot-long train.
Chiara Ferragni: $543,000
In 2018, Chiara Ferragni married Federico Leonardo Lucia in a multi-day celebration in Sicily. To match the couple’s grandiose nuptials, Ferragni worked with Dior’s creative director Maria Grazia Chiuri to design two couture dresses during a six-month process. She kept it simple for the ceremony, opting for a look with a lace bodice and tulle skirt. For the reception, Ferragni changed into a cream tulle gown with a corset top, embroidered with images of lions and hearts. In total, both looks come in at a price tag of $420,000, equivalent to $543,000 today.
Amal Clooney: $519,000
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George and Amal Clooney spared no expense when it came their $4.6 million wedding in 2014. The lawyer said “I do” while wearing an off-the-shoulder, lace Oscar de la Renta ensemble that cost $380,000, equivalent to $519,000 today. Her gown, the last wedding dress the late designer created before he passed away, gained so much notoriety that it was temporarily featured in an Oscar de la Renta exhibit at the Museum of Fine Arts.
Marie-Chantal Miller: $484,994
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Marie-Chantal Miller, the princess of Greece, wed her husband, Prince Pavlos, in 1995 in true royal fashion, donning a stunning long-sleeve traditional dress crafted by Valentino for her nuptials. The then-bride’s pearl-encrusted number, which featured a 14-foot Chantilly lace train, cost $225,000, equivalent to approximately $484,994 today.
Princess Diana: $400,000
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Princess Diana debuted one of the world’s most iconic gowns, a piece designed by former husband-and-wife designer duo David and Elizabeth Emanuel, at her 1981 wedding to Prince Charles. The silk and taffeta gown—with a 25-foot train, puff sleeves, a ruffled neckline, and 10,000 pearls—had with a price tag of $115,000, equivalent to $400,00 today.
Sofia Richie: $380,000
When Sofia Richie tied the knot with Elliot Grainge on April 22, 2023 at the Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc in Antibes, France, she wore a number of different looks. However, her ceremony dress truly stole the show. For the moment, the socialite opted for a Chanel beaded gown with scalloped detailing that was estimated to cost approximately $380,000,
Meghan Markle: $342,000
Millions tuned in around the world to watch Meghan Markle and Prince Harry’s 2018 royal wedding. For the big day, the former actress wore a custom Givenchy gown, designed by Clare Waight Keller, which featured an elegant boat neck and minimalist design. She later slipped into a halter-neck Stella McCarthy sheath dress for the reception. It’s reported that her Givenchy gown was estimated to cost $265,000, equivalent to approximately $342,000 today.
Princess Eugenie: $340,000
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When Princess Eugenie said “I do” to Jack Brooksbank” in 2018, she wore a custom gown from Peter Pilotto for the occasion. The dress featured a slightly off-the-shoulder neckline, along with a full skirt and dramatic train. She paired the regal piece with the Greville Emerald Kokoshnik tiara. Her attire was estimated to cost $260,000, equivalent to approximately $340,000 today.
Lauren Sánchez: $300,000
For their 2025 nuptials in Venice, Italy, Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez spared no expense, including when it came to the bride’s gown. The former journalist donned a high neck, mermaid-style gown from Dolce & Gabbana for the occasion, which drew inspiration from the dress Sophia Loren wore to marry Cary Grant in Houseboat, she told Vogue. The piece was estimated to cost around $300,000.
Catherine Zeta-Jones: $268,700
Over the past 25 years, Catherine Zeta-Jones’s marriage to Michael Douglas has stood the test of Hollywood time. On November 18, 2000, the two actors tied the knot at The Plaza Hotel in New York City. For the decadent occasion, the bride donned a $140,000 wedding dress from Christian Lacroix, which would be worth $268,700 today.
Elizabeth Taylor: $264,396
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Despite marrying eight times, Elizabeth Taylor’s first wedding gown was arguably her most opulent. Her now-famous satin dress, from her 1950 wedding to Conrad “Nicky” Hilton was designed by Helen Rose and included long sleeves, an A-line skirt, and pearl embellishments. It ultimately sold for $187,931 at a London auction in 2013, equivalent to approximately $264,396 today.
Victoria Beckham: $197,185
Victoria Beckham’s dress for her wedding to David Beckham was destined to be a showstopping design. The Spice Girl opted for a Vera Wang ball gown with a 20-foot train and a sculpted neckline that was estimated worth $100,000, equivalent to $197,185 today. In a nod to the trends of the time, the star-studded pair later traded their tuxedo and gown for matching purple outfits at the reception.
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