These Are The 15 Most Expensive Celebrity Wedding Dresses Of All Time

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There’s an adage that a wedding dress is the most important garment a woman will ever wear. While the jury might be out on that in 2026, our collective bridal obsession with expensive celebrity wedding dresses shows that the fantasy around “The Dress” is alive and well. And it’s this fascination that justifies dropping a few months’ (or in this instance, years’) rent on a dress they’ll only wear once. According to Easy Weddings, the average cost spent on a wedding dress in Australia is estimated to be around $2,500, but for a special subset of brides, such paltry figures barely cover their pre-wedding skincare routines.

While some well-to-do brides might be comfortable spending upwards of $20,000 on gowns for their big day, the upper echelon — celebrities, heiresses, royals — add a zero to that figure, and then some. Take the dress of Queen Letizia of Spain, for instance, which was embroidered with thread made from actual gold and came with a $19.7 million price tag. Or heiress to the Swarovski family fortune, Victoria Swarovski, who wore a 46-kilogram dress covered in 500,000 of her family’s crystals to her wedding. While the price tags may be eye-watering, their value is justified, says Sydney-based wedding dress designer Prea James. “A lot of brides want to look like these celebrities in designer dresses, but they don’t understand the hours of work that go into them. I don’t think they realise the true cost of making these garments, either.”

These dresses are pieces of fashion history and manifestations of true couture prowess, so while we wait to add Taylor Swift’s Dior wedding gown to the list, we’ve rounded up the 14 most expensive wedding dresses in history, their value (in AU dollars) determined by estimations based on the gown’s unique features and adjusted for inflation.

Expensive Wedding Dresses Fast Facts

• Queen Letizia of Spain holds the record for the most expensive dress in history, a custom Manuel Pertegaz gown spun with real gold thread with an estimated value of $19.7 million.
• Heiress Victoria Swarovski walked down the aisle in a $1.7 million Michael Cinco creation, encrusted with 500,000 crystals and weighing 46 kilograms.
• Kate Middleton’s Chantilly lace sleeves and Meghan Markle’s minimalist Givenchy boatneck continue to dictate modern runway bridal silhouettes.

Related: 28 Unexpected Wedding Looks For Modern Brides From The SS27 Runways

Queen Letizia of Spain

• The price: Approximately AU$19.7 million
• The designer: Manuel Pertegaz
• The silhouette: A structured long-sleeved A-line gown with a full skirt and high collar.
• Standout details: Embroidered with fleur de lys and ears of wheat from real gold thread.

The former news anchor married Felipe VI (at the time, Prince of Asturias, now King Felipe VI) in 2004, wearing a silk dress embroidered with thread made from real gold and a hand-embroidered cathedral-length silk tulle veil, totalling what would equate to an estimated $19.7 million in 2026. “It’s all in the finer details,” says designer and founder of Christie Nicole Bridal, Christie Trowbridge. “Hand embroidering the dress with real gold thread throughout the gown would have been a very delicate and timely process. Premium silk fabrics are costly too, but so worth it. Silk is such a luxurious fabric, it’s why I line a lot of my gowns with silk lining.”

Serena Williams

• The price: Approximately AU$6.6 million
• The designer: Alexander McQueen by Sarah Burton
• The silhouette: A fitted strapless bodice with a sweetheart neckline and full tulle skirt.
• Standout details: An embellished tulle cape.

For her 2017 wedding to Reddit founder Alexis Ohanian, tennis supernova Serena Williams wore not one, but three dresses. The estimated cost of her strapless Alexander McQueen ballgown designed by Sarah Burton is said to be around $6.6 million, inclusive of the beaded and embellished cape that accompanied the ceremony dress and jewellery by Beverly Hills jeweller XIV Karats. The price of her two reception dresses, both by Versace, is undetermined, but Donatella Versace told Vogue it took a team of artisans over 1,500 hours “to make sure the tiniest details were perfectly taken care of.”

Priyanka Chopra

• The price: Approximately AU$2.8 million
• The designer: Ralph Lauren
• The silhouette: A figure-hugging long-sleeve gown with a high lace collar.
• Standout details: 135 satin-covered buttons down the front of the dress, 700 spools of ivory thread, 5,600 pearlised seed beads, 11,632 Swarovski crystals, 2,412,000 high-lustre sequins and a 75 foot veil.

Priyanka Chopra and Nick Jonas’s wedding in 2018 included both Indian and Western ceremonies over a multi-day extravaganza in India. For the Western component of the festivities, Chopra chose beloved American designer Ralph Lauren to design her ornate gown, which included 135 satin-covered buttons, 700 spools of ivory thread, 5,600 pearlised seed beads, 11,632 Swarovski crystals and 2,412,000 high-lustre sequins. And, of course, a 75 foot veil. “The detail in this dress says it all,” Trowbridge says. “When working with such detail, so many hours are required to create such beauty. Each little bead, sequin and pearl would have been hand-stitched onto this gown, which is what makes it truly special.”

Sabyasachi Mukkherjee Couture: AU$70,000, total look AU$2 million

For her traditional Hindu wedding ceremony to Nick Jonas in Jodhpur, Priyanka Chopra wore a custom Kanauj-rose red lehenga designed by legendary Indian couturier Sabyasachi Mukherjee. A true masterpiece of craftsmanship, the monochromatic red ensemble took 110 embroiderers from Kolkata a staggering 3,720 hours to create.

The outfit featured a voluminous skirt and a matching half-sleeved blouse, all densely covered in hand-embroidered, delicate botanical and floral motifs. The intricate detailing utilised French knots in silk floss, layered threadwork and shimmering Siam-red crystals to give the fabric depth and a subtle, regal sparkle. It was paired with a matching red dupatta draped over her head, featuring softly scalloped edges and a delicate floral border. To complete the look, Chopra wore lavish, Mughal-inspired jewellery from Sabyasachi Heritage Jewellery, including uncut diamonds, emeralds, and Japanese cultured pearls, along with a multi-layered Chopard necklace, traditional red chooda (bangles), and customised gold kaleere.

Queen Elizabeth II

• The price: Approximately AU$2.8 million
• The designer: Norman Hartnell
• The silhouette: A long-sleeved fitted bodice with a gentle A-line skirt and square neckline.
• Standout details: Duchesse satin imported from the Scottish firm Winterthur, over 10,000 white seed pearls imported from America, silver thread, sparkling crystal and transparent appliqué tulle embroidery and an almost-four-metre silk tulle train.

British designer, Norman Hartnell, was tapped by then-Princess Elizabeth’s mother, Queen Elizabeth, to pitch some designs for her daughter’s wedding dress. Less than three months until the wedding, he was told one of his 11 designs had been given the green light, and he promptly set to work crafting Queen Elizabeth II’s gown, which was inspired, Hartnell said, by Botticelli’s Primavera. Royal Collection Trust reports that the dress was made from duchesse satin imported from the Scottish firm Winterthur, over 10,000 white seed pearls imported from America, silver thread, and sparkling crystal and transparent appliqué tulle embroidery, complete with a just-under-four-metre silk tulle train. At the time, the dress was estimated to cost just under AU$60,000, equating to around $2.3 million today. 

Victoria Swarovski

• The price: Approximately AU$1.7 million
• The designer: Michael Cinco
• The silhouette: A sheer illusion bodice into a full ballgown skirt with an eight-metre-long train.
• Standout details: Over 500,000 Swarovski crystals embroidered onto the skirt, weighing a total of 46 kilograms.

As the heiress to the Swarovski family fortune, it only made sense that Victoria Swarovski wore a gown covered in half a million Swarovski crystals to marry her entrepreneur partner, Werner Mürz in Italy back in 2017. Designed by Filipino designer Michael Cinco, the dress had an eight-metre-long train and weighed a total of 46 kilograms, making it something of a workout for Swarovski to walk down the aisle and back in. 

Grace Kelly

• The price: Approximately AU$1.2 million
• The designer: Helen Rose of MGM
• The silhouette: A fitted long-sleeve bodice and high collar with a fitted waist and domed skirt.
• Standout details: Crafted from 125-year-old Brussels lace, taffeta and hand-sewn pearls.

Grace Kelly’s wedding dress is the gown that launched a thousand long-sleeved, lace-overlaid, plunge-neckline dresses. Before Kate Middleton’s dress was on every lace-loving bride’s mood board, it was Grace Kelly’s, and it was almost certainly on Princess Kate’s mood board too. Designed by Helen Rose, a renowned costume designer for MGM, the dress was designed to channel Kelly’s feminine and elegant aesthetic, with the back of the dress being specifically designed as a focal point during the ceremony. Featuring 125-year-old Brussels lace and thousands of hand-sewn pearls, Kelly’s gown is a piece of fashion, art and Hollywood history.

Kim Kardashian

• The price: Approximately AU$1 million
• The designer: Givenchy by Riccardo Tisci
• The silhouette: Figure-hugging with a crew neckline, long sleeves and cut-out panels at the waist.
• Standout details: Crafted entirely from French lace, with a floor-length lace-trimmed veil.

If Kanye West can be credited with anything during his marriage to Kim Kardashian, it was introducing her to the right designers. Among them was then-creative director of French fashion house, Givenchy, Riccardo Tisci. The pair struck up a friendship, so it was unsurprising that she tapped him to design the dress for her wedding to Ye. Wearing Givenchy Haute Couture, the dress was made from French lace and featured sheer panelling. “French lace in general is costly,” Trowbridge says. “I use it for a few of my own designs because it’s the most beautiful and delicate lace, but it’s very intricate and a lot of time goes into making sure the lace meets up and drapes perfectly.”

Kate Middleton

• The price: Approximately AU$901,531
• The designer: Alexander McQueen by Sarah Burton
• The silhouette: A sweetheart strapless bodice with a long-sleeve plunge lace overlay and an A-line skirt.
• Standout details: Made from French Chantilly and English Cluny lace, 58 gazar- and organza-covered buttons and hand-cut lace motifs crafted by the Royal School of Needlework.

Few dresses in recent history can be credited with being as influential in shaping the bridal trend cycle as Kate Middleton’s Alexander McQueen gown for her wedding to Prince William in 2011. Designed by Sarah Burton, the dress featured hand-cut lace motifs crafted by the Royal School of Needlework using traditional Carrickmacross techniques, and was covered in an overlay of French Chantilly lace and English Cluny lace. 58 gazar- and organza-covered buttons lined the back of the bodice, fastened by Rouleau loops. In a statement, Burton said, “I hope that by marrying traditional fabrics and lacework, with a modern structure and design, we have created a beautiful dress for Catherine on her wedding day.” 

Princess Diana

• The price: Approximately AU$811,235
• The designer: David and Elizabeth Emanuel
• The silhouette: A fitted bodice with a V-neckline with a ruffle collar, puffed three-quarter sleeves and a full taffeta skirt.
• Standout details: Crafted from silk and taffeta and hand-embroidered with mother-of-pearl sequins and an estimated 10,000 pearls.

Of all the dresses on this list, Princess Diana’s silk and taffeta gown is the most emblematic of its time. Its puff sleeves, frill neck ruffle and bow detail are pure ‘80s (she was wed in 1981) while her 7.6 metre train was the longest in royal history. The dress was designed by husband-and-wife duo, David and Elizabeth Emanuel, and was made from silk and taffeta, and hand-embroidered with mother-of-pearl sequins and an estimated 10,000 pearls.

Salma Hayek

• The price: Approximately AU$742,000
• The designer: Balenciaga by Nicolas Ghesquière
• The silhouette: A plunge neckline and fitted bodice with a full ballgown-style skirt.
• Standout details: A richly embroidered bodice with satin belt and pleated tulle skirt.

To marry Francois-Henri Pinault (heir to the Kering conglomerate fortune), actress and producer Salma Hayek wore a gown designed by Nicolas Ghesquière, who at the time was the creative director of French couture house Balenciaga. For her ceremony, she wore a dress with a plunge neckline, an embroidered bodice and a full tulle skirt. It looks like she also had a second dress — a corset bodice dress with a voluminous ruffled skirt — though details on that one are sparse. 

Amal Clooney

• The price: Approximately AU$729,827
• The designer: Oscar de la Renta
• The silhouette: An off-the-shoulder neckline fitted through the bodice and extending into an A-line skirt.
• Standout details: Made with 13 metres of Chantilly lace appliqué which was hand-embroidered with pearls and diamanté stones.

When Amal and George Clooney tied the knot in 2013, one question loomed larger than all others: what would she wear? The answer to that was Oscar de la Renta, the beloved American designer famed for his sweeping Old Hollywood-style gowns. For Clooney’s dress, though, the designer erred more romantic than dramatic, fashioning a fitted off-the-shoulder lace gown from 14 yards of Chantilly lace appliqué and hand-embroidering it with pearls and diamanté stones. Speaking to Vogue, Clooney said, “George and I wanted a wedding that was romantic and elegant, and I can’t imagine anyone more able than Oscar to capture this mood in a dress.”

Sofia Richie

• The price: Approximately AU$575,845
• The designer: Chanel by Virginie Viard
• The silhouette: A halter neckline and figure-hugging shape to the floor with a dramatic train.
• Standout details: Inspired by a look from Chanel’s autumn/winter 2023 collection, embroidered with iridescent white sequins and beads.

Some brides have one dress, Sofia Richie had three, and all of them were designed by former creative director of Chanel, Virginie Viard. For the main event, though, Richie’s dress took inspiration from a look shown at Chanel’s autumn/winter 2023 collection, and featured a halterneck bodice and sweeping train, embroidered with iridescent white sequins and beads. A frothy tulle veil completed the look. 

Chiara Ferragni

• The price: Approximately AU$574,000 (combined cost of two gowns)
• The designer: Dior by Maria Grazia Chiuri
• The silhouette: A high-neck, long-sleeve crochet romper worn underneath a removable full tulle skirt.
• Standout details: The skirt was crafted from tulle of various tones and sheerness, while the reception dress featured personalised imagery embroidered onto the gown.

If Princess Diana’s dress takes the (wedding) cake for being most “of its time,” Chiara Ferragni’s two Dior Haute Couture looks are a very close second. Designed by Maria Grazia Chiuri at the peak of her Dior supremacy, the Italian blogger-turned-businesswoman’s two dresses encapsulated the punk-ish femininity that became Grazia Chiuri’s signature. Ferragni’s ceremony dress was actually a high-necked, long-sleeved crochet romper, worn with a full tulle skirt made from tulle of various tones and sheerness.

Ferragni’s reception dress was inspired by the tarot ball gowns Dior showed in its spring/summer 2017 collection and was embroidered with personalised imagery and words, including a lion after her son, Leone, and words from a song her husband, the Italian rapper Fedez, wrote for her. All up, the two gowns took over 1,600 hours of work. 

Meghan Markle

• The price: Approximately AU$472,862
• The designer: Givenchy by Clare Waight Keller
• The silhouette: A boat-necked three-quarter-sleeve bodice and slightly flared A-line skirt with a long train.
• Standout details: Crafted from a custom-made double-bonded silk cady material featuring only six seams in its entirety.

Meghan Markle’s wedding dress for her nuptials to Prince Harry was undeniably elegant, but don’t be fooled by its simplicity. The dress, designed by Givenchy under creative director Clare Waight Keller, was crafted from custom double-bonded silk cady material with a triple silk organza underskirt and featured only six seams throughout its entire construction. The most dramatic element of the gown was its five metre-long silk-tulle embroidered veil. 

The post These Are The 15 Most Expensive Celebrity Wedding Dresses Of All Time appeared first on ELLE.

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