Iconic Movie Weddings and Their Cost Breakdowns

It’s October, and you know what that means — cozy sweaters, hot apple cider, Halloween and our personal favorite: fall wedding season. 

It’s no secret that we get excited about weddings no matter the time of year, but in honor of all of the couples that get to experience the joy (and the beautiful foliage) that comes with getting married in autumn, we decided to do something extra special to celebrate. 

We decided it would be fun to look into how much some of our favorite iconic movie weddings would cost in real life. We estimated the cost of the venue, dress, catering, floral arrangements and, of course, the engagement ring to determine the most and least expensive movie weddings. From Melanie’s southern Sweet Home Alabama wedding to Carrie’s New York Public Library wedding in Sex and the City the Movie, our findings are sure to pique your interest.

Consider yourself warned: They may also prompt you to binge-watch wedding movies all season long.

27 Dresses

If you’ve seen 27 Dresses, you know just how perfect Jane and Kevin’s wedding was. But how much does it cost to throw a New York beach wedding, you ask? Allow us to give you the breakdown. 

The priciest facet of Jane’s wedding was the venue. Assuming their wedding was followed by an off-screen catered reception, they likely shelled out around $12,000 on the location and food. And it’s no surprise — given that Jane has a closet dedicated solely to dresses — that one of the priciest items on her wedding bill was her sleeveless Amsale Aberra gown, which costs about $7,000. 

When you pair the venue and dress costs with the cost of the minimalist floral arrangements ($545) and engagement ring ($7,718), Jane and Kevin’s wedding comes to a total of $27,735, which, when compared to some of the other weddings on our roster, is pretty affordable. 

Bride Wars

It may not come as a shock that tying the knot at the Plaza Hotel isn’t the way to go if you’re looking to keep your wedding cost low, but Emma in Bride Wars didn’t seem to be too concerned with price. 

When you account for the location ($12,000), the custom-made Vera Wang gown ($11,200), the catering ($50,000) and the florals involved ($1,362), Emma and Fletcher’s wedding likely cost just shy of $75,000. When you add Emma’s 1.50-carat brilliant round diamond engagement ring to the mix, the total wedding cost is $85,000. 

But the question remains: Did Emma spend enough to out-do her best friend Liv’s wedding? 

Bridesmaids

In Bridesmaids, Lillian’s over-the-top couture wedding gown definitely stole the show. 

And while you can’t get the exact dress for yourself — it was custom-made for Maya Rudolph’s character — you may be able to get your hands on one of the Elie Saab gowns that inspired the outrageous dress. Back in 2011, Saab’s gowns went for around $30,000. 

When you pair Lillian’s dress cost with the $3,500 cost of renting out space in the Los Angeles County Botanical Garden, catering for 200+ guests ($30,000), florals ($1,720), and a 2.00-carat brilliant round engagement ring ($20,000), the grand total for Lillian and Doug’s wedding amounts to over $85,000. 

Love Actually

Peter and Juliet’s London wedding is the only international wedding on our roster. They were married in the Grosvenor Chapel, an Anglican church built back in the 1730s. At only $783, their venue didn’t break the bank. 

Juliet’s dress, worn by British actress Keira Knightley, was the most expensive wedding cost at $7,245. All in all, with the venue, lace wedding gown, modest florals ($737), catering ($5,029), and engagement ring ($1,850), Peter and Juliet’s special day is estimated to have cost $15,644. Now that’s what we call an affordable wedding!

Sex and the City

At nearly $160,000, Carrie and Big’s New York Public Library wedding amounted to be the most costly of all those we priced.

When you account for their $60,000 venue, Carrie’s $15,700 Vivienne Westwood gown, the $70,000 catering bill, the $9,000 they shelled out on florals, and the $5,000 round black diamond engagement ring*, it’s a shame Carrie didn’t even get to walk down the aisle. 

All we have to say is, we hope Mr. Big agreed to foot the bill … unless it’s permissible to pay in Manolo Blahniks. 

*We opted to include the ring from Carrie and Big’s second engagement as it is most memorable. 

Sweet Home Alabama

There’s nothing quite like a southern wedding, and when it comes to fictional southern weddings, Andrew and Melanie’s is difficult to beat. From the charming historic venue to the beautiful outdoor space to Melanie’s gorgeous sleeveless mermaid-style gown, everything about the Sweet Home Alabama wedding was perfect — aside from the mismatched couple. 

But what we discovered about this perfect Sweet Home Alabama wedding is that Andrew and Melanie paid for this perfection, especially the engagement ring. The venue, Oak Hill & The Martha Berry Museum, is estimated to have cost about $7,500, with the dress costing $1,233, catering at $5,250 and flowers coming in at $525. Melanie’s $125,000 cushion cut Tiffany engagement ring brings the total from $14,528 to a whopping $139,528. That’s one pricey diamond!

The Proposal

Andrew and Margaret’s barn wedding, albeit fake, was still one of the loveliest of the bunch. 

But did you know it technically wasn’t held in Sitka, Alaska? As it turns out, the “Paxton family home” belongs to a family in Massachusetts. Since homeowners are typically compensated about $2,500 per day to allow their home to be used as a filming location, this is how much Margaret and Andrew’s wedding venue cost. When added to the other associated costs — the vintage wedding dress (similar dresses go for $265 on Etsy), catering ($3,000), florals ($625), and the engagement ring ($7,718) — the total comes out to $14,108.

Wedding Crashers

Christina and Craig’s Maryland wedding reception was held at The Inn at Perry Cabin, which costs about $29,000, including catering. Though it’s unclear where Christina’s dress is from, tulle princess gowns similar to Christina’s go for around $450. As for the happy couple’s florals, they’re estimated to cost just over $1,100. 

When you account for the aforementioned costs and the $6,893 engagement ring, Christina and Craig’s wedding comes to a grand total of $37,345.

Grand totals

All in all, at nearly $160,000, Carrie and Big’s New York Public Library wedding turned out to be the most expensive, followed by Melanie and Andrew’s in Sweet Home Alabama ($139,528), and Lillian and Doug’s in Bridesmaids ($85,220). 

As for the most wallet-friendly wedding, Margaret and Andrew’s in The Proposal takes the cake. At just $14,108, they spent about $15,000 less than the national average. But, if you ask us, $15,000 is still a lot to shell out for a fake marriage. 

Now that you have the scoop on movie wedding costs, we’d love to hear from you. What is your favorite movie wedding? How much would you be willing to shell out to experience it in real life? Feel free to email social@shaneco.com or message us on social media (@shanecompany) to share your comments and send us pics of your own wedding inspo!