We’d all love to have the kind of disposable income that celebrities splash to tie the knot in some of the world’s most glamorous locations, yet it could be more affordable than you think. Jane Anderson, editor of 101 Honeymoons, takes us on a worldwide tour of celebrity weddings and how you can do it too for much less than the cost of a white wedding at home (it averages around £20,000 these days!).
France
Halle Berry and Olivier Martinez married in a romantic ceremony in Chateau des Conde in Vallery, an hour outside Paris. They exchanged vows in the chateau grounds and partied in white marquees with a firework display after nightfall.
Wed for less: Simply Chateau is a great place to start if you fancy tying the knot in a French chateau and will handle all the (sometimes tricky) paperwork and legalities for you. Chateau Ste Genevieve is located in the Savoie region of France at the base of the French Alps. A wedding here costs from £7,500 based on two nights’ exclusive hire of the chateau with catering for 100 guests.
Italian Lakes
Actress Emily Blunt and John Krasinski chose Lake Como for their Italian wedding. The newlyweds stayed at George Clooney’s luxurious lakeside pad in the run up to their big day, and wed at a private outdoor ceremony at the Villa d’Este on the romantic banks of Lake Como. This opulent hotel dates back to 1873 and is regarded as one of the best in the world by Condé Nast Traveler. Exquisite gardens feature 16th century mosaics and a 500-year-old plane tree.
Wed for less: Italy specialist, Citalia has an impressive range of weddings beside Lake Garda, the largest of the Italian Lakes, with a diverse range of locations including Bardolino, Malcesine, Garda and Riva. Wedding packages start from £2,289 at the four-star Caesius Thermae & Spa Resort in Bardolino. A seven-night half-board stay at the hotel starts from £875 per person and includes return flights from London Gatwick with easyJet.
Puglia, Italy
Hollywood sweethearts Justin Timberlake and Jessica Biel wed at the magnificent Borgo Egnazia in Puglia. The groom serenaded his bride with a song specially written for her as she waltzed down the aisle in a spectacular pink Giambattista Valli gown.
Wed for less: It is actually possible to wed at Borgo Egnazia without hiring out the resort in its entirety (which costs €150,000 per day). Weddings start at just €160 per person (excluding VAT). Sardatur Holidays offers seven nights at Borgo Egnazia with breakfast, flights and a week’s car hire from £943 per person.
USA
Australian actress Holly Valance married English property tycoon Nick Candy in Beverly Hills, California. In Las Vegas, a vast array of celebrities have said “I do” – everyone from Elvis Presley to Britney Spears.
Wed for less: For a luxury wedding and honeymoon in Las Vegas, Hayes & Jarvis suggests staying at The Signature at MGM Grand – a five-star all-suite non-gaming hotel on the south end of the Las Vegas Strip. From here the bride and groom can be whisked away by limousine for a private helicopter trip, where they can take their vows while hovering over the bright lights of Las Vegas.
Seven nights room-only at The Signature at MGM Grand costs from £949 per person with Virgin Atlantic flights from Gatwick with Hayes & Jarvis. Tying the knot on Cupid’s Night Flight with Heli USA costs from £759, including return limousine transfers, champagne, wedding cake and private helicopter trip for the wedding couple, minister and up to three guests.
South Africa
Sam Branson and Isabella Calthorpe wed at Sir Richard Branson’s (Sam’s dad) private Ulusaba private game reserve, under a sacred tree on a hill. Three hundred guests included Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie.
Wed for less: Ulusaba Safari Lodge has a pure romance wedding package costing from £3,649 per person with Virgin Holidays + Hip Hotels including Virgin Atlantic flights to Johannesburg, internal flights and five nights all-inclusive, a massage each for the bride and groom and a wedding ceremony at any one of a variety of locations either within the lodges or in the bush.
Alternatively Rainbow Tours offers a two-centre package combining a wedding ceremony in the Kruger National Park as part of a five-night safari plus a week in Mauritius from £3,650 per person for 13 days.
Turks & Caicos
Actors Jennifer Garner and Ben Affleck married at Parrot Cay & Como Shambhala Retreat, a private island resort in the Turks & Caicos beloved of celebs.
Wed for less: Caribtours offers you the chance to wed at Parrot Cay from £3,635 per person including seven nights in a Terrace Room with breakfast, return flights, transfers and a Kurnia Wedding Package. The wedding package includes everything from wedding co-ordinator services to a decorated beach location.
Bahamas
Diva Mariah Carey married TV actor Nick Cannon on the seven-mile long Windemere Island off Eleuthera in the Bahamas, while actors Penelope Cruz and Javier Bardem wed in the Bahamas in secret at a friend’s house.
Wed for less: Sandals adult-only all-inclusive resorts are well known for easy-to-plan weddings in the Caribbean. At Sandals Royal Bahamian in the Bahamas, couples can wed on the resort’s private island. Exclusive use of the island costs US$5,000 (approximately £3,225) for the ceremony only or US$7,000 (about £4,515) for the ceremony and reception, on top of usual wedding fees and charges. However for something far more economical, couples staying seven nights are entitled to a complimentary Beautiful Beginnings wedding at the main resort. Seven nights costs from £1,859 all-inclusive with flights, transfers and wedding package.
St Lucia
Matt Damon and his wife Luciana Barroso renewed their marriage vows on the Caribbean island of St Lucia by renting out the entire Viceroy Sugar Beach Resort.
Wed for less: St Lucia has a vast range of resort-based wedding options. Weddings at Viceroy Sugar Beach Resort are offered by Tropical Sky from £1,969 per person for seven nights room-only including a Classic Wedding package and flights.
If your budget does not stretch to this, stay seven nights all-inclusive at Rendezvous St Lucia from £1,469 per person including flights and a Classic Wedding package.
Seychelles
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge famously honeymooned on North Island. TV presenter Denise Van Outen got married to Lee Mead at Labriz Resort on the island of Silhouette in the Seychelles.
Wed for less: Beachcomber Tours offers gorgeous weddings at St Anne Resort & Spa, a private island resort close to the main island of Mahe, from £2,985 per person including return flights, seven nights’ all-inclusive in a Garden Villa, transfers and a classic wedding package with a dedicated wedding planner, location, cake, bouquet and buttonhole, hair and make-up for the bride including a trial session, celebration breakfast in bed and a separate villa for the groom to change in before the ceremony (subject to availability).
Australia
Actress Nicole Kidman married singer Keith Urban in her native Australia. The couple had a traditional Catholic ceremony in the clifftop Cardinal Cerretti Chapel in the Sydney beachside suburb of Manly.
Wed for less: Austravel offers glorious weddings in the heart of Sydney at the iconic opera house with photo opportunities on the steps. For more tropical vows head to Hamilton Island in the Whitsundays at the edge of the Great Barrier Reef.
A luxury wedding at the Sydney Opera House costs from £2,525 per couple including wedding coordinator, wedding cake, bridal bouquet and buttonhole, sparkling wine toast and canapés for the bride and groom, use of the opera house, red carpet, wedding car, wedding certificates and marriage witness.
A nine-day twin-centre honeymoon combing Sydney and Hamilton Island costs from £3,095 per person, including a saving of £325 per couple. The price includes return international flights from London Heathrow with Qantas, as well as internal flights, three nights’ accommodation in Sydney at the beautifully located four-star Rendezvous Hotel, as well as five nights’ accommodation at the four-star Reef View Hotel (b&b) on Hamilton Island.
For more inspiration of where to wed like a celebrity visit 101 Honeymoons.
(Featured image by SidewaysSarah)
