Over-The-Top Celebrity Weddings

When it comes to throwing away exorbitant amounts of money, no one can do it better than our beloved celebrities. With luxurious parties, high-end clothing, and sports cars galore, it’s easy to see where the majority of their money goes. But to get a glimpse of where the real bucks are spent, look no further than celebrity weddings. These top-notch celebrations provide the perfect way for the rich and famous to flaunt their seemingly endless wealth. So for ideas for what to do with your own heaps of money (once we bounce back from this recession, of course), take note of how the A-listers spend.

A wedding for an average couple can cost between $20,000 and $30,000. That’s a lot of money. However, that is but a tiny drop in the over-sized nuptial bucket for a celebrity. Today’s famous couples (think TomKat, Khloe Kardashian, and the likes) easily spend one million bucks on their over-the-top special day.

How is such excess even conceivable? Easy. Start by lavishing guests with $350 a piece party favors from Tiffany’s (Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban), mix in a little vintage pink champagne for $120,000 (Elton John and David Furnish), a beautiful designer-made gown for $50,000 (Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes), and you’re well on your way to blowing through a bigger chunk of change than most Americans will ever hope to see.

But only one million dollars seemed paltry to Elizabeth Hurley when she wed then-fiance Arun Nayar in 2007. By spoiling themselves and their guests to private jets for $300,000 and booking a some of the finest hotels for $100,000, this pair racked up an estimated $2.5 million tab for their wedding. How do other celebrity weddings stack up? TomKat came in at an estimated $2 million for their ceremony. After spending $100,000 on chocolates and champagne, Catherine Zeta-Jones and Michael Douglas had a grand total of $1.5 million. And though Donald Trump shelled out $18,000 for caviar when he wed Melania Knauss, he only ended up spending around a cool $1 million–what a bargain!

It’s easy to see that celebrity weddings showcase an array of expensive finery of which most can only dream. They display the best of the best when it comes to their gowns, cakes, alcohol, and all the other details surrounding their weddings. They may not be this country’s brightest–or best–but they are the richest, and that’s what counts…right?

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Celebrity Engagement Rings – Going for Bling?

In Hollywood, many celebrity engagement rings seem to be getting bigger and bigger! You can see some stars with sedate carat weights, and then you’ll see a star walk in with a blinding 18 carat diamond. It begs the question – what makes them go bigger or smaller? Is it personal taste? Is it the urge to be noticed?

One side seems to be personal taste. What feels good, what works on their hand, and their own personal style. These celebs know what they want and what they like. They’re going to work that into everything they put on – but most certainly their engagement ring! They are not out to be a trendsetter, but they’re definitely going to use their resources to find something totally “them.”

Another side seems to be because they can. They have the money now, and by golly, they’re going to use it! This seems to fall into the “be noticed” category. They know when they get engaged, the light bulbs are going to pop on that hand, and they want it to be spectacular. Period. Perhaps to them it is a status symbol. Perhaps they feel they have arrived. Perhaps they even feel it is expected.

There seems to be two minds in the bling category. One side says “this is my life, there’s no reason to make big statement.” The other says, “Ooooo! Shiny!” But let’s face it. When we hear that someone has gotten engaged, our eyes immediately turn to the fourth finger of the left hand. We want to see that expression of betrothal. That’s not a celebrity thing… That’s been going on since the advent of the betrothal ring tradition. Can we blame them when celebrities go big?

I leave you with some celebrity engagement ring stats…

• Khloe Kardashian – 9 carat radiant cut diamond engagement ring
• Hillary Duff- 14 carat princess cut diamond engagement ring
• Carrie Underwood – 5 + carat brilliant cut round diamond engagement ring
• Beyonce – 18 carat emerald cut solitaire diamond engagement ring
• Mariah Carey – 17 carat square emerald cut diamond engagement ring

Sarah Harris is the Marketing Manager at Adiamor Engagement Rings. Adiamor offers a large selection of engagement ring settings, loose diamonds, and other fine diamond jewelry at affordable prices.

Khloe Kardashian & Lamar Odom Get Married

Virtual insanity here… not sure if this is all a PR stunt or Lamar Odom is high on candy, but why would you marry someone after only dating for a month?

The reality star and Los Angeles Lakers star Lamar Odom exchange vows Sunday in L.A.  Read the full story at USmagazine.com

Look, I’m not gonna fault anyone for choosing to get married, but this just doesn’t seem like something that is going to end well.  Perhaps Khloe is trying to improve her chances of being a Lakers cheerleader???

And btw Mr. Odom… you did know that Kim is available right?  What are you doing taking the leftovers?