Some are million-dollar weddings!
Nothing lights up social media like a celebrity wedding. Whether it’s small and intimate or big and eventful, every detail is scrutinized from every angle. And one of them—at least for travelers—is the venue. It’s a herculean task to pick a hotel with so many dazzling contenders in the race, but choose they must. From an Italian palazzo to a starry haunt in the hub of Hollywood, celebrities have tied the knot at beautiful properties around the world and we can’t stop hearting these 10 grand arrangements.
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Taj Umaid Bhawan Palace
WHERE: Jodhpur, India
Actress Priyanka Chopra and musician Nick Jonas got married in 2018 in a private ceremony at Umaid Bhawan Palace in Jodhpur. The couple planned multiple functions over four days, including mehendi, sangeet, and two wedding ceremonies (Hindu and Christian). The venue alone cost them $461,000—reportedly three months’ revenue for the hotel.
This heritage hotel was commissioned as the private residence of the Maharaja of Jodhpur, Umaid Singh, and the royal family still lives here. It’s the sixth-largest private residence in the world. With 70 gilded rooms and suites set amidst 26 acres of gardens, it’s a magnificent piece of the city’s heritage and a unique place to host an extravagant affair.
Priyanka Chopra and Nick Jonas are far from the only high-profile guests this hotel has hosted. Liz Hurley and Arun Nayyar also tied the knot at Taj Umaid Bhawan Palace and Prince Charles and Camilla, Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt, and Bill Gates have stayed here, too.
Luttrellstown Castle Resort
WHERE: Castleknock, Ireland
A 15th-century castle set on 567 acres of private estate in Ireland conjures dreams of a forgotten time, but wraps its guests in modern luxuries. It features 20 bedrooms with an old world charm, a championship golf course, and an alpine-style clubhouse and bar. Beautiful location, discreet hospitality (a private helipad on site), multiple venues, and tons of activities for guests—the sprawling estate is perfect for a high-profile event.
Is it any surprise then that Spice Girl Victoria Adams and football royalty David Beckham chose this Irish castle for their glam wedding in 1999? It was an intimate wedding with just 29 family members and friends. It was quite glamorous with Victoria donning a Vera Wang dress and gold tiara, flower girls becoming angels for the event, and the pair taking a seat on matching gold thrones. The star-studded reception is infamously remembered for the couple’s matching purple outfits. It reportedly cost them $800,000 ($1.2 million today).
Ed Sheeran has also stayed at Luttrellstown Castle Resort and it was home away from home for Queen Victoria in the 19th century, too.
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The Plaza New York
WHERE: New York City
The Plaza is a lavish address. Opened in 1907, it is an icon in New York. The Fifth Avenue hotel has welcomed Hollywood stars, artists, writers, dignitaries, and world leaders. Frank Sinatra, Elizabeth Taylor, President Clinton, the Kennedy family, and the Beatles have all graced these gilded halls. It has been captured in movies and immortalized book plots. Even now, you’re very likely to spot a wealthy businessman or a celebrity here.
The luxury of living in one of its 282 palatial guestrooms comes at a cost, and Catherine Zeta-Jones and Michael Douglas happily footed the bill when they hosted their headline-grabbing wedding here in 2000. The security detail of the ceremony was such that guests had hologrammed invitations and no one could take any pictures. The couple had an exclusive deal with OK! Magazine and sold their pictures for $1.4 million. The wedding allegedly cost them somewhere between $1.5-2 million and the dress alone was $250,000.
The Breakers Palm Beach Hotel
WHERE: Palm Beach, Florida
It’s the distinctive Italian renaissance influence of the hotel that sets it apart. The 538-key hotel stretches along the Atlantic, with an impressive line-up of facilities including two championship golf courses, an indoor-outdoor spa, four swimming pools, a private beach, 10 tennis courts, a variety of high-end boutiques, and 10 restaurants and bars.
The Palm Beach hotel originally opened its doors in 1896, but had to be rebuilt twice after the fires in 1903 and 1925. It’s a celebrity favorite, and was the venue of Modern Family star Sofia Vergara and Magic Mike‘s Joe Manganiello’s $4 million wedding in 2015. The instrumental version of The Rose by Amanda McBroom was playing as she walked down the aisle with her son in a custom Zuhair Murad gown with six pounds of pearls. The couple stood under a beautiful floral arch as they said their vows and the venue was decorated with orchids and roses. Some 400 guests celebrated with them, including their co-stars, and Pitbull performed live.
If you need inspiration for your own wedding, head to Sofia’s Instagram—she posted pictures all through her wedding weekend and invited her social media followers to take a peek virtually.
Aman Venice Hotel
WHERE: Venice, Italy
In 2014, Hollywood sweetheart and famous bachelor George Clooney married humanitarian and barrister Amal Alamuddin in Venice. The Floating City was blinded by the stars that assembled for the occasion, including Matt Damon, Emily Blunt, John Krasinski, Bono, and Cindy Crawford.
The couple picked a 16th-century palace hotel on the Grand Canal for their sunset wedding and Amal also celebrated the wedding eve here with her friends and family. The canals were lined up with paparazzi who went shutter-happy on every glimpse of the wedding party. The hotel is a romance-lovers dream with Murano chandeliers, a roof terrace and private gardens, a grand staircase, and views of the Grand Canal. Guests at this 24-room hotel (price start at $1,000 per night) arrive in style on a boat or gondola and this is as private as it gets.
Necker Island
WHERE: British Virgin Islands
Virgin Group boss Sir Richard Branson has a private island resort in the Caribbean that brings celebrities from every part of the world. Princess Diana, Kate Winslet, the Obamas, Bill Gates, Harry Styles, Mariah Carey, and Kate Moss are just a few big names who’ve stayed at this 34-room island. The resort has suffered natural tragedies too—in 2011 lightning struck the Great House and caused a fire, and in 2017, it was destroyed by Hurricane Irma.
The 74-acre private island is a billionaire’s playground. Hiring the island for a night costs $77,500. Individual rooms can only be booked during Celebration Weeks at a not-so-modest price of $4,500 per night.
Richard Branson got married here—he made quite an entrance clinging to a helicopter as he arrived. His daughter, too, followed his cue (sans the stunt) and tied the knot on the island. Other celebrities who have picked this as their wedding destination are Jimmy Fallon and Nancy Juvonen and Nick Lachey and Vanessa Minnillo.
Ventana Big Sur
WHERE: California
Bride Wars actress Anne Hathaway had a seemingly enchanted wedding at Big Sur in California (unlike the movie where things went south). She and beau Adam Shulman hosted their rehearsal dinner at Alila’s luxury hotel nestled in the redwoods with undiluted views of the Pacific. The 59 secluded rooms and suites on the 160-acre property was a great spot for the privacy the couple demanded. They got married on a private estate in attendance of 100 guests, who were picked up from the hotel in a minibus.
For those who want to get married at the gorgeous property with scenic views of the mountains and the ocean, Ventana Big Sur has multiple spaces, so you can get married in a rustic, romantic setting at the Redwood Cathedral or at Sur Vista, the outdoor terrace with vistas of the boundless ocean.
San Ysidro Ranch
WHERE: Santa Barbara, California
In the foothills of Santa Barbara, San Ysidro Ranch has been touched by nature at every corner. Under a canopy of sycamore, olive, eucalyptus, lemon, orange and oak trees, the 500-acre ranch has 38 individually-designed cottages. Each has a private entrance, fireplace, outdoor shower, and oversized sunken spa. Couples can get married in the landscaped gardens blooming with jasmine, lavender, and roses, or the Upper Estate Lawn with views of the Pacific Ocean.
It’s an easy escape from the limelight and that’s one reason celebrities flock to the ranch. In 1940, actors Sir Laurence Olivier and Vivian Leigh married here after their whirlwind affair. JFK and Jackie Kennedy had their honeymoon here. Audrey Hepburn and Winston Churchill have stayed here. And more recently, Chris Martin and Gwyneth Paltrow, Chris Pratt and Katherine Schwarzenegger, and Jessica Simpson and Eric Johnson have exchanged vows here.
Cromlix Hotel
WHERE: Scotland
Scottish tennis superstar Andy Murray bought a hotel close to his home for £1.8million ($2.4 million) in 2013. Three years before that, his brother Jamie Murray, also a tennis player, had married Alejandra Gutierrez at this property. When it went up for sale, Andy snatched it up and turned it into a luxury hotel with 10 rooms and five suites, an award-winning restaurant, and of course, a tennis court. When Andy got married to his wife Kim Sears in 2015 at Dunblane Cathedral, they hosted a private reception at Cromlix Hotel.
Sunset Tower Hotel
WHERE: Los Angeles, California
Built in 1929, Sunset Tower Hotel is a landmark in Hollywood. It boasted a long list of high-profile clientele in its heyday, from Frank Sinatra and Elizabeth Taylor to gangster Bugsy Siegel. According to legend, John Wayne had a cow on his balcony to offer fresh milk to his guests! The once glam hotel lost its shine and the beat-up memory was polished by hotelier Jeff Klein. Now it’s back in the good books of celebrities—George and Amal Clooney, Katy Perry and Orlando Bloom, Jaden Smith, Jennifer Aniston, and Selena Gomez have been photographed here. Chances are that you will see an A-lister hanging out at The Tower Bar, so if you want to go celeb-spotting, book one of its 81 rooms.
Last year, Schitt’s Creek actress Sarah Levy got married to actor Graham Outerbridge at the hotel. Stylist Taryn Shumway also said “I do” at the L.A. hotel in 2021.