Latest news with #celebrityweddings
Yahoo
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
The Most Expensive Celebrity Weddings of All Time
When Amazon founder Jeff Bezos married Lauren Sánchez in an opulent Venice wedding, many were left shocked by the star-studded event's hefty price tag. But the couple is among a long list of expensive celebrity weddings. While some stars opt for low-key elopements or secret ceremonies, celebs like Bezos and Sánchez spared no expense and landed themselves on the list of most costly weddings of all time, even if it generated backlash (Bezos and Sánchez's luxury event caused protests in Italy). Princess Diana's nuptials to Prince Charles didn't have a happy ending, but it's still considered the gold standard for spectacular weddings. From her gorgeous 25-foot train to the balcony kiss, many celebrity brides and grooms have tried to emulate those same picture-perfect moments, which can be bought for a very steep price. An extravagant wedding doesn't spell doomsday for everyone, though! So, take a look at the list of some of the most expensive celebrity weddings over the decades, we have a feeling a few couples will surprise you! More from SheKnows 25 Secret Celebrity Weddings That Were Impressively Kept Under Wraps Best of SheKnows A Look Back At Lindsay Lohan's Long-Term Relationships Over the Years All the Best Fashion Moments from Lindsay Lohan's Acting Comeback 7 Epic Ways Margot Robbie Has Celebrated Her Birthday Over The Years — From 24-Hour Parties To Her Barbie-Themed Bash Mariah Carey's wedding to Tommy Mottola was her day to be a princess. She was inspired by Princess Diana's royal affair and chose to wear a $25,000 Vera Wang gown with a very long train and a tiara. The $500,000 wedding took place at the St. Thomas Episcopal Church in New York City with Robert De Niro serving as an usher. Later on, 300 guests headed to the fancy Metropolitan Club, including Barbra Streisand and Ozzy Osbourne. The couple announced their separation in 1997. In the 1990s, trains were definitely a very trendy must-have for brides. Céline Dion made sure to have a 20-foot-long one, along with a statement crystal headpiece that weighed a whopping seven pounds. The couple's $500,000 wedding was such a big deal in Montréal that they broadcast the ceremony on TV. Victoria and David Beckham took over a Dublin castle with 250 of their closest friends to say 'I do.' They spent a reported $800,000 on the festivities which included a performance by Elton John, her stunning Vera Wang gown with a 20-foot train, and a wardrobe change for the reception. Nobody had more wedding celebrations than Priyanka Chopra and Nick Jonas, who enjoyed three Indian ceremonies, and one Christian wedding in 2018. From E! News' estimations, it cost over $800,000 for the week-long festivities and Chopra summed it up best to Vogue, joking, 'People will need vacations after this wedding.' Jennifer Aniston and Brad Pitt's wedding was a hot ticket back in 2000 when this fairy-tale romance seemed like a dream come true. Much of the $1 million price tag came from the security needed to keep the dynamic duo safe from the prying eyes of the paparazzi while exchanging their vows in Malibu, California, overlooking the Pacific Ocean. As we all know, the couple had a very public breakup in 2005. Ivanka Trump married Jared Kushner in a whirlwind 2009 wedding — we are talking only three months of planning. We don't know why there were in such a rush, but it certainly didn't hurt that they already had a venue locked in: the Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, NJ. With 500 guests and a 13-layer wedding cake, it's no surprise that the entire event cost $1 million. Jessica Simpson and Eric Johnson spared no expense when they plopped down approximately $1.4 million for a four-day extravaganza at the San Ysidro Ranch in California. With Simpson's Carolina Herrera gown reportedly estimated at $30,000 and another $750,000 in jewelry, that wedding tab adds up quickly! When two A-list stars marry each other, that walk down the aisle is going to cost a lot! Catherine Zeta-Jones and Michael Douglas went big for their 2000 nuptials with entertainment from Jimmy Buffett and Art Garfunkel along with a 40-member Welsh choir at the Plaza Hotel in New York City. Over 350 Hollywood friends showed up to their $1.5 million wedding, including Jack Nicholson, Meg Ryan, and Goldie Hawn. Elton John and David Furnish had a civil ceremony in 2005, but once marriage equality was legal in the U.K. in 2014, they did it all over again. This time around, the duo married at Windsor's Guildhall, where King Charles III tied the knot to Queen Camilla. With 600 guests, including David and Victoria Beckham, Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne, and Hugh Grant, John and Furnish plunked down $2 million with over $100,000 spent on champagne and caviar. Even though it was Donald Trump's third wedding, he spared no expense when he married Melania. It cost the couple a reported $2.5 million to say, 'I do' in front of 350 A-list guests and celebrate the night away in the newly refurbished Mar-a-Lago ballroom in 2005. Melania's spectacular, custom-designed Christian Dior gown landed her on the cover of Vogue and is considered one of the most expensive wedding dresses of all time. Despite being separated since 2008, Madonna and Guy Ritchie's Scottish wedding remains one of the most expensive nuptials of all time. In total, the pop princess and the British director reportedly spent $2.1 million on the wedding. Madonna wore a Stella McCartney gothic-style gown and a tiara rumoured to be worth £170,000, per Grazia. Kim Kardashian's marriage to Kanye West cost much less than her marriage to Kris Humphries, but it was still expensive. Clocking in around $2.8 million, the Italian affair had Andrea Bocelli singing at the history Forte di Belvedere location for 200 guests. After welcoming four kids together, West and Kardashian split in 2021. While this may be a wedding day Katie Holmes would rather forget, she did have a beautiful ceremony with Tom Cruise at an Italian castle. A large portion of the $3 million budget went to outfitting the wedding party in Giorgio Armani and having Andrea Bocelli (again!) serenade them at dinner. Their A-list guests included Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith, John Travolta and Kelly Preston, David Beckham and Victoria Beckham, and Marc Anthony and Jennifer Lopez. These two also didn't last and ended their marriage in 2012. In 2009, Salma Hayek and Francois-Henri Pinault walked down the aisle in one of the most dramatic locations possible, the world-famous Venice opera house Teatro La Fenice. With friends like Woody Harrelson, Penelope Cruz, and Bono in attendance, they easily spent $3.5 million on their wedding day. This much-gossiped-about 2022 wedding is dealing with several lawsuits right now, but Brooklyn Beckham and Nicola Peltz are happily married. The rumored $4 million budget is much bigger than his mom and dad's big day, but that's what happens when you marry a billionaire's daughter. She wore a Valentino Haute Couture dress in front of well-known guests like Eva Longoria, Spice Girl Mel C, and Serena Williams at the Peltz's family estate in Palm Beach, Florida. It should come as no surprise that Sofia Vergara and Joe Manganiello had an extravagant wedding — they like big homes and fancy weddings. Their $4 million day included her custom designed Zuhair Murad wedding gown that took 1,600 hours to create, the 400 guests, and the very sophisticated location at The Breakers Palm Beach Hotel. Their shocking split was announced in 2023. Lionel Richie's daughter married record label executive Elliot Grainge in France in April 2023 in an event that reportedly cost around $4 million. The bride wore three custom Chanel looks that reports estimated could cost half a million dollars. With a registry that reportedly amounted to $116,000 worth of gifts, the couple definitely have a taste for the finer things in life. George and Amal Clooney's Italian wedding was just as lavish and elegant as you would expect from this stunning couple. From her $380,000 custom-made Alexander McQueen dress to his $5,000 Giorgio Armani tux, these two walked down the aisle looking very stylish. By the end of the extravagant three-day wedding weekend, the couple racked up a hefty $4.6 million bill, per E! News. Jessica Biel was pretty in pink when she married Justin Timberlake in 2012 in a custom Giambattista Valli Haute Couture gown that reportedly cost $100,000. It was an Italian destination wedding with close celebrity friends like Jimmy Fallon, Andy Samberg, and Questlove in attendance, and no expense was spared because their sky-high budget landed at $6.5 million. After waiting 8 years to marry his second wife, longtime girlfriend Yvette Prieto, Michael Jordan spared no expense on their lavish Florida wedding. 2,000 guests, including many A-listers, flocked to the same venue where Trump married Melania. Prieto wore a dress adorned with Swarovski crystals and the 40,000 square-foot tent where the reception took place was named the largest in wedding history. In total, the wedding cost $14 million in today's money. The marriage between Kim Kardashian and Kris Humphries only lasted 72 days, but the wedding sure cost a pretty penny. The budget was $10 million, according to The Hollywood Reporter, so that works out to about $139,000 per day. The couple married in Montecito, which also became a two-part special for Keeping Up With the Kardashians, but the union was doomed from the start. At least A-list guests like Lindsay Lohan, Eva Longoria, and Serena Williams have a good story to tell about one of Hollywood's shortest marriages. Prince William and Kate Middleton's was surprisingly a modest affair by royal standards with the actual reception costing only $1 million. However, $33 million was spent on security which upped the total to $34 million. The Prince and Princess of Wales' biggest splurge was on the two wedding cakes — a delicious white buttercream cake and a chocolate cookie groom's cake for $80,000. Seven years after his older brother got married, Prince Harry walked down the aisle with Meghan Markle and they stuck to a budget of around $2.7 million, but 94% of the money for the wedding ($40.1 million, according to CNBC) was set aside for security. The grand total was $42.8 million by the time they were done, and yes, that security tab was picked up by the taxpayers, who didn't even get an invite to the affair. Billionaire Amazon founder Jeff Bezos wed his second wife, Lauren Sánchez, in a three-day Venice event that sparked protests across the Italian city in June 2025. Their star-studded event was estimated to cost anywhere from $46.5 million to $55.6 million due to their costly security budget and a last-minute venue change amid protests. Sánchez's ceremony dress upwards of $200,000, and the couple's buyout of the Aman Venice hotel for the weekend reportedly cost around $900,000. Princess Diana's wedding to Prince Charles was a global affair that cost $48 million in 1981 (around $156 million today when adjusted for inflation, per People). All eyes with were on Diana and her 25-foot train created by David and Elizabeth Emanuel for Alexander McQueen. She knew how to make a fashion statement and a grand entrance all at once in front of 3,000 in-person guests and the record-breaking 750 million people watching around the world.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Code names. Decoys. Secret dress fittings. Here's what goes into pulling off a celebrity wedding.
While Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez's lavish Venice wedding — with its splashy prelude, including a foam party on his $500 million superyacht — has dominated headlines with big 'look at us' energy, not every famous couple wants to share the intimate moments of their 'I do's' with the world. In Hollywood, there's been a noticeable shift: A-listers are increasingly trading public spectacles for private ceremonies. Demi Lovato, Hailee Steinfeld, Kristen Stewart and Millie Bobby Brown are recent brides who managed to keep their weddings mostly under wraps until they were already a 'Mrs.' The approach allowed them space to enjoy the moment — and control over what, if anything, they shared publicly. Despite the Bezos blowout, event planner to the stars Sharon Sacks tells Yahoo that she's seen celebrity weddings move away from extravaganza toward intimacy. 'They've shifted from that over-the-top production to a smaller, intimate feeling affair,' the Sacks Productions founder says, noting a renewed focus on family and close friends. Also, 'timeless elegance' is in style more than ever, with brides embracing the 'beauty of vintage' and 'not looking for the ordinary.' Privacy remains of the utmost importance. In the nearly 40 years that Sacks — who has planned weddings for Kim Kardashian, Meghan Trainor, and Nick and Vanessa Lachey — has been running her business, she's developed her own playbook for keeping high-profile weddings under wraps, from hiring decoys to locking down airspace. 'We're their SWAT team,' Sacks says. 'You name it, we do it all.' But it takes a village to give a couple privacy on their big day. Sharon Sever, who's the head designer for bridal and evening couture fashion label Galia Lahav, tells Yahoo that he's personally flown gowns to A-list brides to ensure that nobody, especially the pesky paparazzi, steals a sneak peek. 'It is really about protecting the moment,' says Sever, who has made wedding dresses for Brown, Beyoncé, Simone Biles and Paris Hilton. 'A wedding gown is personal, even if the bride has millions of followers.' Sever collaborated closely with Stranger Things star Brown to design the gown for her 2024 wedding to Jake Bongiovi, son of Jon Bon Jovi, a process he calls unforgettable. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Millie Bobby Brown (@milliebobbybrown) 'Millie is the definition of today's modern bride — she's stylish, funny, emotional and knows what she wants without being overcontrolling, and that is a rare gift,' he says. 'We didn't do endless back-and-forth sketching. Her vibe was clear and loud to me. It had to be romantic, fresh and unexpected. She gave the vision, I translated it into fabric. It was less Say Yes to the Dress and more: Let's make it iconic.' At Brown's final dress fitting at Galia Lahav's New York City boutique, they realized she was being staked out by paparazzi, shooting through the shop window in hopes of stealing a snapshot and spoiling her selection. Brown, worried the photos would be splashed all over the internet, said on the Tonight Show that she changed into a decoy dress — one that looked the opposite of her selection — and made a show of pretending she had found her dress. It worked. 'Millie wanted to keep the gown a complete secret, and she knows how to play the game,' Sever says. 'The paparazzi were lurking, it was a couture spy movie, but we were all impressed by Millie, and the 'fake' dress got its own moment. What a performance.' Sever says that's all part of the job when you have a star-studded client list. 'There are code names, secret fittings, secret courier services,' he says. 'I personally flew a few gowns just to make sure they arrived safely and [were] hidden from curious Instagrammers.' 'We're their SWAT team. You name it, we do it all.'Sharon Sacks These are long-established tricks of the trade. When Lady Diana Spencer married then-Prince Charles in 1981, her dressmakers used a code name, planted fabric swatches in trash cans to throw off tabloid reporters and made an entire second dress just in case, according to the documentary Secrets of Diana's Wedding Dress. 'The [dress] reveal is part of the [wedding day] magic,' says Sever. Sacks says planning events for Hollywood superstars requires flexibility and resourcefulness. 'I had a client … [who's] about 6'9,' she says. 'I saw a gentleman working at his house … and [thought]: He'd be a fabulous decoy. So we got him a tuxedo, rented [a] Rolls [Royce] and put him in it. The paparazzi followed that car, and my bride and groom could leave that wedding for the reception not feeling any pressure.' While planning a wedding in Europe, Sacks was concerned about how exposed the venue felt due to plane traffic overhead — and the potential of paparazzi helicopters — so she took steps to secure the airspace. 'It was not easy,' she recalls. 'We went to the American Embassy [and] I said to them, 'It's very dangerous. You can have airplanes and paparazzi.' The embassy had to take it higher up to make sure they could do it … and they approved it. They gave us the go-ahead to have the space cleared for that day, and our bride, groom and all of their guests didn't have to worry about a thing.' It's not just air, but sometimes the sea that makes an event vulnerable to prying eyes. While managing an island wedding for another celebrity, Sacks was notified by security that there were paparazzi in boats with long lenses. ''Well, you're going to need to get in the water,'' she recalls saying to the security team. "[They took out their own] boats and … were able to block them from getting the shot.' During her tenure, Sacks and her team have built a reputation for being trustworthy, and she runs a tight ship, including nondisclosure agreements. 'Being prepared on the backend and having … trusted relationships with vendors [is] paramount,' Sacks says. 'Many of our vendors don't know who they're working for. They're working for me. The day they start loading in, the staff still doesn't really know. They have to sign another disclosure the day of the event. That's when they know who they're working for. It's really keeping it tight.' Sometimes, it's the celebrity themselves who keeps things a secret — even from the designer. Sever didn't know he had created Beyoncé's vow renewal dress until after she wore it. 'Sometimes [I get] a direct call [from a celebrity client], sometimes a stylist, and sometimes it's a request for something insane without too many questions,' Sever says. 'The Beyoncé vow renewal? Total surprise. Once the first photo dropped, I was staring at it saying — wait a second! That's ours! It was surreal, but I always say to myself: Design everything like Beyoncé would wear it, just in case.' View this post on Instagram A post shared by Galia Lahav (@galialahav) Sacks once got nine days notice to plan a celebrity wedding. 'The plus side was there was no time to vacillate on decisions,' she says. 'We just moved straight ahead with everything. And I have to tell you, it was the greatest wedding.' Historically, celebrities didn't always have the upper hand on their own wedding day. In 1985, Madonna and Sean Penn famously wrote 'F*** Off' in sand at the beach wedding as a message to the paparazzi in helicopters overhead, spoiling their day. When Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck were supposed to marry in 2003, they called off their wedding, saying that when they found themselves contemplating hiring three separate decoy brides at three different locations, they realized things had gotten out of hand. Today's celebrity brides want control not just over the guest list, venue and menu but also how the wedding news rolls out and how the photos are disseminated. In an era of social media oversharing and instant online opinions, curating the rollout is part of protecting the moment. When Demi Lovato married singer Jutes in May, they announced it with a splash after the ceremony, unveiling their stunning wedding photos exclusively in Vogue. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Demi Lovato (@ddlovato) That same month, Hailee Steinfeld quietly wed Josh Allen, but after a drone video leaked, she shared their photos and wedding story exclusively with her Beau Society newsletter subscribers. View this post on Instagram A post shared by B E A U S O C I E T Y (@beausociety) Kristen Stewart's bride, Dylan Meyer, took a similar approach, posting images of their intimate, low-key April wedding on Instagram only after a grainy paparazzi photo of the ceremony began to circulate. Millie Bobby Brown managed to marry twice — first in a small, family- and close friends-only ceremony, then at a larger celebration in Italy — all mostly out of the spotlight, then she dropped the photos of her big day, on her own terms, via social media. As for the next crop of celebrities walking down the aisle, there's big anticipation over Zendaya marrying Tom Holland, Selena Gomez exchanging vows with Benny Blanco and — potentially — Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce, and Rihanna and A$AP Rocky. 'If Rihanna decides to get married, I'm on my way with my iPad,' says Sever. Not to mention, with sealed lips. Because for a celebrity, a truly private moment, away from the world's eyes, cameras and chatter, is the rarest luxury of all.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Code names. Decoys. Secret dress fittings. Here's what goes into pulling off a celebrity wedding.
While Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez's lavish Venice wedding — with its splashy prelude, including a foam party on his $500 million superyacht — has dominated headlines with big 'look at us' energy, not every famous couple wants to share the intimate moments of their 'I do's' with the world. In Hollywood, there's been a noticeable shift: A-listers are increasingly trading public spectacles for private ceremonies. Demi Lovato, Hailee Steinfeld, Kristen Stewart and Millie Bobby Brown are recent brides who managed to keep their weddings mostly under wraps until they were already a 'Mrs.' The approach allowed them space to enjoy the moment — and control over what, if anything, they shared publicly. Despite the Bezos blowout, event planner to the stars Sharon Sacks tells Yahoo that she's seen celebrity weddings move away from extravaganza toward intimacy. 'They've shifted from that over-the-top production to a smaller, intimate feeling affair,' the Sacks Productions founder says, noting a renewed focus on family and close friends. Also, 'timeless elegance' is in style more than ever, with brides embracing the 'beauty of vintage' and 'not looking for the ordinary.' Privacy remains of the utmost importance. In the nearly 40 years that Sacks — who has planned weddings for Kim Kardashian, Meghan Trainor, and Nick and Vanessa Lachey — has been running her business, she's developed her own playbook for keeping high-profile weddings under wraps, from hiring decoys to locking down airspace. 'We're their SWAT team,' Sacks says. 'You name it, we do it all.' But it takes a village to give a couple privacy on their big day. Sharon Sever, who's the head designer for bridal and evening couture fashion label Galia Lahav, tells Yahoo that he's personally flown gowns to A-list brides to ensure that nobody, especially the pesky paparazzi, steals a sneak peek. 'It is really about protecting the moment,' says Sever, who has made wedding dresses for Brown, Beyoncé, Simone Biles and Paris Hilton. 'A wedding gown is personal, even if the bride has millions of followers.' Sever collaborated closely with Stranger Things star Brown to design the gown for her 2024 wedding to Jake Bongiovi, son of Jon Bon Jovi, a process he calls unforgettable. 'Millie is the definition of today's modern bride — she's stylish, funny, emotional and knows what she wants without being overcontrolling, and that is a rare gift,' he says. 'We didn't do endless back-and-forth sketching. Her vibe was clear and loud to me. It had to be romantic, fresh and unexpected. She gave the vision, I translated it into fabric. It was less Say Yes to the Dress and more: Let's make it iconic.' At Brown's final dress fitting at Galia Lahav's New York City boutique, they realized she was being staked out by paparazzi, shooting through the shop window in hopes of stealing a snapshot and spoiling her selection. Brown, worried the photos would be splashed all over the internet, said on the Tonight Show that she changed into a decoy dress — one that looked the opposite of her selection — and made a show of pretending she had found her dress. It worked. 'Millie wanted to keep the gown a complete secret, and she knows how to play the game,' Sever says. 'The paparazzi were lurking, it was a couture spy movie, but we were all impressed by Millie, and the 'fake' dress got its own moment. What a performance.' Sever says that's all part of the job when you have a star-studded client list. 'There are code names, secret fittings, secret courier services,' he says. 'I personally flew a few gowns just to make sure they arrived safely and [were] hidden from curious Instagrammers.' These are long-established tricks of the trade. When Lady Diana Spencer married then-Prince Charles in 1981, her dressmakers used a code name, planted fabric swatches in trash cans to throw off tabloid reporters and made an entire second dress just in case, according to the documentary Secrets of Diana's Wedding Dress. 'The [dress] reveal is part of the [wedding day] magic,' says Sever. Sacks says planning events for Hollywood superstars requires flexibility and resourcefulness. 'I had a client … [who's] about 6'9,' she says. 'I saw a gentleman working at his house … and [thought]: He'd be a fabulous decoy. So we got him a tuxedo, rented [a] Rolls [Royce] and put him in it. The paparazzi followed that car, and my bride and groom could leave that wedding for the reception not feeling any pressure.' While planning a wedding in Europe, Sacks was concerned about how exposed the venue felt due to plane traffic overhead — and the potential of paparazzi helicopters — so she took steps to secure the airspace. 'It was not easy,' she recalls. 'We went to the American Embassy [and] I said to them, 'It's very dangerous. You can have airplanes and paparazzi.' The embassy had to take it higher up to make sure they could do it … and they approved it. They gave us the go-ahead to have the space cleared for that day, and our bride, groom and all of their guests didn't have to worry about a thing.' It's not just air, but sometimes the sea that makes an event vulnerable to prying eyes. While managing an island wedding for another celebrity, Sacks was notified by security that there were paparazzi in boats with long lenses. ''Well, you're going to need to get in the water,'' she recalls saying to the security team. "[They took out their own] boats and … were able to block them from getting the shot.' During her tenure, Sacks and her team have built a reputation for being trustworthy, and she runs a tight ship, including nondisclosure agreements. 'Being prepared on the backend and having … trusted relationships with vendors [is] paramount,' Sacks says. 'Many of our vendors don't know who they're working for. They're working for me. The day they start loading in, the staff still doesn't really know. They have to sign another disclosure the day of the event. That's when they know who they're working for. It's really keeping it tight.' Sometimes, it's the celebrity themselves who keeps things a secret — even from the designer. Sever didn't know he had created Beyoncé's vow renewal dress until after she wore it. 'Sometimes [I get] a direct call [from a celebrity client], sometimes a stylist, and sometimes it's a request for something insane without too many questions,' Sever says. 'The Beyoncé vow renewal? Total surprise. Once the first photo dropped, I was staring at it saying — wait a second! That's ours! It was surreal, but I always say to myself: Design everything like Beyoncé would wear it, just in case.' Sacks once got nine days notice to plan a celebrity wedding. 'The plus side was there was no time to vacillate on decisions,' she says. 'We just moved straight ahead with everything. And I have to tell you, it was the greatest wedding.' Historically, celebrities didn't always have the upper hand on their own wedding day. In 1985, Madonna and Sean Penn famously wrote 'F*** Off' in sand at the beach wedding as a message to the paparazzi in helicopters overhead, spoiling their day. When Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck were supposed to marry in 2003, they called off their wedding, saying that when they found themselves contemplating hiring three separate decoy brides at three different locations, they realized things had gotten out of hand. Today's celebrity brides want control not just over the guest list, venue and menu but also how the wedding news rolls out and how the photos are disseminated. In an era of social media oversharing and instant online opinions, curating the rollout is part of protecting the moment. When Demi Lovato married singer Jutes in May, they announced it with a splash after the ceremony, unveiling their stunning wedding photos exclusively in Vogue. That same month, Hailee Steinfeld quietly wed Josh Allen, but after a drone video leaked, she shared their photos and wedding story exclusively with her Beau Society newsletter subscribers. Kristen Stewart's bride, Dylan Meyer, took a similar approach, posting images of their intimate, low-key April wedding on Instagram only after a grainy paparazzi photo of the ceremony began to circulate. Millie Bobby Brown managed to marry twice — first in a small, family- and close friends-only ceremony, then at a larger celebration in Italy — all mostly out of the spotlight, then she dropped the photos of her big day, on her own terms, via social media. As for the next crop of celebrities walking down the aisle, there's big anticipation over Zendaya marrying Tom Holland, Selena Gomez exchanging vows with Benny Blanco and — potentially — Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce, and Rihanna and A$AP Rocky. 'If Rihanna decides to get married, I'm on my way with my iPad,' says Sever. Not to mention, with sealed lips. Because for a celebrity, a truly private moment, away from the world's eyes, cameras and chatter, is the rarest luxury of all.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Code names. Decoys. Secret dress fittings. Here's what goes into pulling off a celebrity wedding.
While Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez's lavish Venice wedding — with its splashy prelude, including a foam party on his $500 million superyacht — has dominated headlines with big 'look at us' energy, not every famous couple wants to share the intimate moments of their 'I do's' with the world. In Hollywood, there's been a noticeable shift: A-listers are increasingly trading public spectacles for private ceremonies. Demi Lovato, Hailee Steinfeld, Kristen Stewart and Millie Bobby Brown are recent brides who managed to keep their weddings mostly under wraps until they were already a 'Mrs.' The approach allowed them space to enjoy the moment — and control over what, if anything, they shared publicly. Despite the Bezos blowout, event planner to the stars Sharon Sacks tells Yahoo that she's seen celebrity weddings move away from extravaganza toward intimacy. 'They've shifted from that over-the-top production to a smaller, intimate feeling affair,' the Sacks Productions founder says, noting a renewed focus on family and close friends. Also, 'timeless elegance' is in style more than ever, with brides embracing the 'beauty of vintage' and 'not looking for the ordinary.' Privacy remains of the utmost importance. In the nearly 40 years that Sacks — who has planned weddings for Kim Kardashian, Meghan Trainor, and Nick and Vanessa Lachey — has been running her business, she's developed her own playbook for keeping high-profile weddings under wraps, from hiring decoys to locking down airspace. 'We're their SWAT team,' Sacks says. 'You name it, we do it all.' But it takes a village to give a couple privacy on their big day. Sharon Sever, who's the head designer for bridal and evening couture fashion label Galia Lahav, tells Yahoo that he's personally flown gowns to A-list brides to ensure that nobody, especially the pesky paparazzi, steals a sneak peek. 'It is really about protecting the moment,' says Sever, who has made wedding dresses for Brown, Beyoncé, Simone Biles and Paris Hilton. 'A wedding gown is personal, even if the bride has millions of followers.' Sever collaborated closely with Stranger Things star Brown to design the gown for her 2024 wedding to Jake Bongiovi, son of Jon Bon Jovi, a process he calls unforgettable. 'Millie is the definition of today's modern bride — she's stylish, funny, emotional and knows what she wants without being overcontrolling, and that is a rare gift,' he says. 'We didn't do endless back-and-forth sketching. Her vibe was clear and loud to me. It had to be romantic, fresh and unexpected. She gave the vision, I translated it into fabric. It was less Say Yes to the Dress and more: Let's make it iconic.' At Brown's final dress fitting at Galia Lahav's New York City boutique, they realized she was being staked out by paparazzi, shooting through the shop window in hopes of stealing a snapshot and spoiling her selection. Brown, worried the photos would be splashed all over the internet, said on the Tonight Show that she changed into a decoy dress — one that looked the opposite of her selection — and made a show of pretending she had found her dress. It worked. 'Millie wanted to keep the gown a complete secret, and she knows how to play the game,' Sever says. 'The paparazzi were lurking, it was a couture spy movie, but we were all impressed by Millie, and the 'fake' dress got its own moment. What a performance.' Sever says that's all part of the job when you have a star-studded client list. 'There are code names, secret fittings, secret courier services,' he says. 'I personally flew a few gowns just to make sure they arrived safely and [were] hidden from curious Instagrammers.' These are long-established tricks of the trade. When Lady Diana Spencer married then-Prince Charles in 1981, her dressmakers used a code name, planted fabric swatches in trash cans to throw off tabloid reporters and made an entire second dress just in case, according to the documentary Secrets of Diana's Wedding Dress. 'The [dress] reveal is part of the [wedding day] magic,' says Sever. Sacks says planning events for Hollywood superstars requires flexibility and resourcefulness. 'I had a client … [who's] about 6'9,' she says. 'I saw a gentleman working at his house … and [thought]: He'd be a fabulous decoy. So we got him a tuxedo, rented [a] Rolls [Royce] and put him in it. The paparazzi followed that car, and my bride and groom could leave that wedding for the reception not feeling any pressure.' While planning a wedding in Europe, Sacks was concerned about how exposed the venue felt due to plane traffic overhead — and the potential of paparazzi helicopters — so she took steps to secure the airspace. 'It was not easy,' she recalls. 'We went to the American Embassy [and] I said to them, 'It's very dangerous. You can have airplanes and paparazzi.' The embassy had to take it higher up to make sure they could do it … and they approved it. They gave us the go-ahead to have the space cleared for that day, and our bride, groom and all of their guests didn't have to worry about a thing.' It's not just air, but sometimes the sea that makes an event vulnerable to prying eyes. While managing an island wedding for another celebrity, Sacks was notified by security that there were paparazzi in boats with long lenses. ''Well, you're going to need to get in the water,'' she recalls saying to the security team. "[They took out their own] boats and … were able to block them from getting the shot.' During her tenure, Sacks and her team have built a reputation for being trustworthy, and she runs a tight ship, including nondisclosure agreements. 'Being prepared on the backend and having … trusted relationships with vendors [is] paramount,' Sacks says. 'Many of our vendors don't know who they're working for. They're working for me. The day they start loading in, the staff still doesn't really know. They have to sign another disclosure the day of the event. That's when they know who they're working for. It's really keeping it tight.' Sometimes, it's the celebrity themselves who keeps things a secret — even from the designer. Sever didn't know he had created Beyoncé's vow renewal dress until after she wore it. 'Sometimes [I get] a direct call [from a celebrity client], sometimes a stylist, and sometimes it's a request for something insane without too many questions,' Sever says. 'The Beyoncé vow renewal? Total surprise. Once the first photo dropped, I was staring at it saying — wait a second! That's ours! It was surreal, but I always say to myself: Design everything like Beyoncé would wear it, just in case.' Sacks once got nine days notice to plan a celebrity wedding. 'The plus side was there was no time to vacillate on decisions,' she says. 'We just moved straight ahead with everything. And I have to tell you, it was the greatest wedding.' Historically, celebrities didn't always have the upper hand on their own wedding day. In 1985, Madonna and Sean Penn famously wrote 'F*** Off' in sand at the beach wedding as a message to the paparazzi in helicopters overhead, spoiling their day. When Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck were supposed to marry in 2003, they called off their wedding, saying that when they found themselves contemplating hiring three separate decoy brides at three different locations, they realized things had gotten out of hand. Today's celebrity brides want control not just over the guest list, venue and menu but also how the wedding news rolls out and how the photos are disseminated. In an era of social media oversharing and instant online opinions, curating the rollout is part of protecting the moment. When Demi Lovato married singer Jutes in May, they announced it with a splash after the ceremony, unveiling their stunning wedding photos exclusively in Vogue. That same month, Hailee Steinfeld quietly wed Josh Allen, but after a drone video leaked, she shared their photos and wedding story exclusively with her Beau Society newsletter subscribers. Kristen Stewart's bride, Dylan Meyer, took a similar approach, posting images of their intimate, low-key April wedding on Instagram only after a grainy paparazzi photo of the ceremony began to circulate. Millie Bobby Brown managed to marry twice — first in a small, family- and close friends-only ceremony, then at a larger celebration in Italy — all mostly out of the spotlight, then she dropped the photos of her big day, on her own terms, via social media. As for the next crop of celebrities walking down the aisle, there's big anticipation over Zendaya marrying Tom Holland, Selena Gomez exchanging vows with Benny Blanco and — potentially — Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce, and Rihanna and A$AP Rocky. 'If Rihanna decides to get married, I'm on my way with my iPad,' says Sever. Not to mention, with sealed lips. Because for a celebrity, a truly private moment, away from the world's eyes, cameras and chatter, is the rarest luxury of all.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Code names. Decoys. Secret dress fittings. Here's what goes into pulling off a celebrity wedding.
While Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez's lavish Venice wedding — with its splashy prelude, including a foam party on his $500 million superyacht — has dominated headlines with big 'look at us' energy, not every famous couple wants to share the intimate moments of their 'I do's' with the world. In Hollywood, there's been a noticeable shift: A-listers are increasingly trading public spectacles for private ceremonies. Demi Lovato, Hailee Steinfeld, Kristen Stewart and Millie Bobby Brown are recent brides who managed to keep their weddings mostly under wraps until they were already a 'Mrs.' The approach allowed them space to enjoy the moment — and control over what, if anything, they shared publicly. Despite the Bezos blowout, event planner to the stars Sharon Sacks tells Yahoo that she's seen celebrity weddings move away from extravaganza toward intimacy. 'They've shifted from that over-the-top production to a smaller, intimate feeling affair,' the Sacks Productions founder says, noting a renewed focus on family and close friends. Also, 'timeless elegance' is in style more than ever, with brides embracing the 'beauty of vintage' and 'not looking for the ordinary.' Privacy remains of the utmost importance. In the nearly 40 years that Sacks — who has planned weddings for Kim Kardashian, Meghan Trainor, and Nick and Vanessa Lachey — has been running her business, she's developed her own playbook for keeping high-profile weddings under wraps, from hiring decoys to locking down airspace. 'We're their SWAT team,' Sacks says. 'You name it, we do it all.' But it takes a village to give a couple privacy on their big day. Sharon Sever, who's the head designer for bridal and evening couture fashion label Galia Lahav, tells Yahoo that he's personally flown gowns to A-list brides to ensure that nobody, especially the pesky paparazzi, steals a sneak peek. 'It is really about protecting the moment,' says Sever, who has made wedding dresses for Brown, Beyoncé, Simone Biles and Paris Hilton. 'A wedding gown is personal, even if the bride has millions of followers.' Sever collaborated closely with Stranger Things star Brown to design the gown for her 2024 wedding to Jake Bongiovi, son of Jon Bon Jovi, a process he calls unforgettable. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Millie Bobby Brown (@milliebobbybrown) 'Millie is the definition of today's modern bride — she's stylish, funny, emotional and knows what she wants without being overcontrolling, and that is a rare gift,' he says. 'We didn't do endless back-and-forth sketching. Her vibe was clear and loud to me. It had to be romantic, fresh and unexpected. She gave the vision, I translated it into fabric. It was less Say Yes to the Dress and more: Let's make it iconic.' At Brown's final dress fitting at Galia Lahav's New York City boutique, they realized she was being staked out by paparazzi, shooting through the shop window in hopes of stealing a snapshot and spoiling her selection. Brown, worried the photos would be splashed all over the internet, said on the Tonight Show that she changed into a decoy dress — one that looked the opposite of her selection — and made a show of pretending she had found her dress. It worked. 'Millie wanted to keep the gown a complete secret, and she knows how to play the game,' Sever says. 'The paparazzi were lurking, it was a couture spy movie, but we were all impressed by Millie, and the 'fake' dress got its own moment. What a performance.' Sever says that's all part of the job when you have a star-studded client list. 'There are code names, secret fittings, secret courier services,' he says. 'I personally flew a few gowns just to make sure they arrived safely and [were] hidden from curious Instagrammers.' 'We're their SWAT team. You name it, we do it all.'Sharon Sacks These are long-established tricks of the trade. When Lady Diana Spencer married then-Prince Charles in 1981, her dressmakers used a code name, planted fabric swatches in trash cans to throw off tabloid reporters and made an entire second dress just in case, according to the documentary Secrets of Diana's Wedding Dress. 'The [dress] reveal is part of the [wedding day] magic,' says Sever. Sacks says planning events for Hollywood superstars requires flexibility and resourcefulness. 'I had a client … [who's] about 6'9,' she says. 'I saw a gentleman working at his house … and [thought]: He'd be a fabulous decoy. So we got him a tuxedo, rented [a] Rolls [Royce] and put him in it. The paparazzi followed that car, and my bride and groom could leave that wedding for the reception not feeling any pressure.' While planning a wedding in Europe, Sacks was concerned about how exposed the venue felt due to plane traffic overhead — and the potential of paparazzi helicopters — so she took steps to secure the airspace. 'It was not easy,' she recalls. 'We went to the American Embassy [and] I said to them, 'It's very dangerous. You can have airplanes and paparazzi.' The embassy had to take it higher up to make sure they could do it … and they approved it. They gave us the go-ahead to have the space cleared for that day, and our bride, groom and all of their guests didn't have to worry about a thing.' It's not just air, but sometimes the sea that makes an event vulnerable to prying eyes. While managing an island wedding for another celebrity, Sacks was notified by security that there were paparazzi in boats with long lenses. ''Well, you're going to need to get in the water,'' she recalls saying to the security team. "[They took out their own] boats and … were able to block them from getting the shot.' During her tenure, Sacks and her team have built a reputation for being trustworthy, and she runs a tight ship, including nondisclosure agreements. 'Being prepared on the backend and having … trusted relationships with vendors [is] paramount,' Sacks says. 'Many of our vendors don't know who they're working for. They're working for me. The day they start loading in, the staff still doesn't really know. They have to sign another disclosure the day of the event. That's when they know who they're working for. It's really keeping it tight.' Sometimes, it's the celebrity themselves who keeps things a secret — even from the designer. Sever didn't know he had created Beyoncé's vow renewal dress until after she wore it. 'Sometimes [I get] a direct call [from a celebrity client], sometimes a stylist, and sometimes it's a request for something insane without too many questions,' Sever says. 'The Beyoncé vow renewal? Total surprise. Once the first photo dropped, I was staring at it saying — wait a second! That's ours! It was surreal, but I always say to myself: Design everything like Beyoncé would wear it, just in case.' View this post on Instagram A post shared by Galia Lahav (@galialahav) Sacks once got nine days notice to plan a celebrity wedding. 'The plus side was there was no time to vacillate on decisions,' she says. 'We just moved straight ahead with everything. And I have to tell you, it was the greatest wedding.' Historically, celebrities didn't always have the upper hand on their own wedding day. In 1985, Madonna and Sean Penn famously wrote 'F*** Off' in sand at the beach wedding as a message to the paparazzi in helicopters overhead, spoiling their day. When Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck were supposed to marry in 2003, they called off their wedding, saying that when they found themselves contemplating hiring three separate decoy brides at three different locations, they realized things had gotten out of hand. Today's celebrity brides want control not just over the guest list, venue and menu but also how the wedding news rolls out and how the photos are disseminated. In an era of social media oversharing and instant online opinions, curating the rollout is part of protecting the moment. When Demi Lovato married singer Jutes in May, they announced it with a splash after the ceremony, unveiling their stunning wedding photos exclusively in Vogue. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Demi Lovato (@ddlovato) That same month, Hailee Steinfeld quietly wed Josh Allen, but after a drone video leaked, she shared their photos and wedding story exclusively with her Beau Society newsletter subscribers. View this post on Instagram A post shared by B E A U S O C I E T Y (@beausociety) Kristen Stewart's bride, Dylan Meyer, took a similar approach, posting images of their intimate, low-key April wedding on Instagram only after a grainy paparazzi photo of the ceremony began to circulate. Millie Bobby Brown managed to marry twice — first in a small, family- and close friends-only ceremony, then at a larger celebration in Italy — all mostly out of the spotlight, then she dropped the photos of her big day, on her own terms, via social media. As for the next crop of celebrities walking down the aisle, there's big anticipation over Zendaya marrying Tom Holland, Selena Gomez exchanging vows with Benny Blanco and — potentially — Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce, and Rihanna and A$AP Rocky. 'If Rihanna decides to get married, I'm on my way with my iPad,' says Sever. Not to mention, with sealed lips. Because for a celebrity, a truly private moment, away from the world's eyes, cameras and chatter, is the rarest luxury of all.
