Many celebrities have over-the-top weddings that the rest of us could only dream of, but some really take it to the next level. For these celebs, it wasn’t enough to have an extravagant wedding – they had to have a fantasy-themed one.
Kris Humphries and Kim Kardashian
In case you haven’t been keeping up – see what we did there? – with the Kardashians, you may not remember that while Kim Kardashian is now married to Kanye West, she was previously married to NBA player Kris Humphries. The pair decided to go with a classy black-and-white theme for their big day. The marriage didn’t last, but the simple beauty of this lavish wedding is still dazzling today.
Joel Madden and Nicole Richie
Ever since she was a little girl, Nicole Richie had wanted her wedding day to feature a dress inspired by Grace Kelly’s gown and to have an elephant for good luck. In 2010, she was able to make it all happen when she married Good Charlotte’s Joel Madden. Richie wore three custom-made Marchesa gowns, and there was indeed an elephant present under a Versailles-themed tent. Richie called the wedding “magical.”
Aaron Paul and Lauren Parsekian
How do you get married when you’re an actor who’s loved for his famous portrayal of a drug dealer’s bad boy assistant? For Breaking Bad star Aaron Paul, the choice was obvious: class things up. A lot. Paul and Laren Parsekian went with a Great Gatsby theme that included such 1920s staples as opera gloves, fringed frocks and tuxes with tails.
Pete Wentz and Ashlee Simpson
Fallout Boy frontman Pete Wentz and singer/songwriter/actress/whatever else she’s going by these days Ashlee Simpson chose an Alice in Wonderland theme for their 2008 wedding. The cake featured a top hat, teapot, stopwatch and pot of flowers from the Disney movie adaptation. Later, the couple would even pay a permanent homage to The Jungle Book by naming their son Bronx Mowgli.
Seal and Heidi Klum
This next one is a bit weird, but it’s also pretty funny, which was the intent. Every year until their 2012 divorce, Seal and Heidi Klum renewed their vows in ceremonies with totally bonkers themes. What was the most ridiculous one? That would be their “trailer trash”-themed wedding from 2009. Seal rocked a fake mullet, and Heidi did her hair in corn rows and smoked a cigarette. An Elvis impersonator officiated the ceremony.
Channing Tatum and Jenna Dewan
Most women would consider marrying Channing Tatum to be fantastical enough in its own right, but for Jenna Dewan, things had to go a bit further than that. When she and Tatum were wed in July 2009, the couple exchanged vows outdoors at a private Malibu estate that paid tribute to the couple’s love of fairies – even the flower girls had wings! Guests received crystals as wedding favors, and there was a magic castle-shaped cake that was filled with flavored fairies.
Russel Brand and Katy Perry
Actor and comedian Russel Brand and pop star Katy Perry chose a traditional Hindu theme for their 2010 wedding, tying the knot in secret in Ranthambore, India. The couple sat on thrones while a Hindu priest blessed them. The wedding included traditional Hindu rituals such as reciting Sanskrit mantras and tying a wedding scarf together and walking seven times around a scared fire.
Nick Canon and Mariah Carey
Canon and Carey originally wed in the Bahamas in 2008, but they celebrated their fifth wedding anniversary by shutting down Disneyland for a fairy-tale-themed event. Carey and daughter Monroe wore princess garb and showed up in a horse-drawn pumpkin-shaped carriage. Canon and the couple’s son, meanwhile, sported Prince Charming suits.
Keri Jamal Lewis and Toni Braxton
This one is a bit of an oldie but a goodie. Back in 1998, Lewis and Braxton went all out with color coordination. Their entire wedding was done up with items from Tiffany & Co., meaning everything was in Tiffany’s signature blue. Even the cake was made to look like a stack of blue Tiffany’s boxes, while the tablecloths, carpets and chairs were all died to match the brand’s color.
Sean Parker and Alexandra Lenas
There may be only one ring that truly matters to you – your beautiful cubic zirconia engagement ring – but for Napster founder and former Facebook president Sean Parker and musician Alexandra Lenas, there were quite a few more rings he wanted to highlight during his June 2013 wedding:
“Three Rings for the Elven-kings under the sky,
Seven for the Dwarf-lords in their halls of stone,
Nine for Mortal Men doomed to die,
One for the Dark Lord on his dark throne
In the Land of Mordor where the Shadows lie.
One Ring to rule them all, One Ring to find them,
One Ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them
In the Land of Mordor where the Shadows lie.”
In case you haven’t figured out the reference, Parker decided to theme his insanely lavish Big Sur, California wedding around J.R.R. Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings. The big day was so wildly opulent that Parker referred to it as “a performance-art project.” Made to look like an enchanted forest, the wedding cost a cool $4.5 million and counted numerous celebs and tech billionaires among its guests. Further, all of them were dressed in Lord of the Rings-esque garb designed by the movies’ costume designer, Ngila Dickson.