- Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's upcoming wedding is estimated to cost about $2.8 million.
- Despite the bride's family traditionally being the ones to pay, Queen Elizabeth will likely cover most of the bill like she did for Prince William and Kate Middleton.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s royal wedding will likely be one for the record books. At the very least, it will be one for the accounting books as it comes with a seriously hefty price tag.
Like any bride and groom will tell you, the costs associated with getting hitched can really add up. Though, to be fair, the average wedding doesn’t usually include an 800-person guest list and a slew of alleged celebrity performers. (We assume the Spice Girls and Elton John aren’t performing for free.)
According to the British wedding planning website Bridebook, Harry and Meghan’s nuptials could cost the couple a cool £1,969,873, or about $2.8 million. That, Bridebook noted, is more than 100 times the United Kingdom national average.
Here is the breakdown of Bridebook's estimates:
- The wedding dress – $420,000
- Flowers – $155,000
- Photography and videography– $24,000
- Cake – $70,000
- Stationery – $28,000
- Music – $420,000
- Trumpets – $127,000
- Decoration and production – $183,000
- Wedding rings – $8,500
- Bridesmaid outfits – $7,500
- Flower girl and page boy outfits – $2,400
- Church fees – $250
- Groomswear – $11,000
- Hair and makeup – $14,000
- Entertainment – $21,000
- Wedding favors – $4,000
- Toilets for guests – $49,000
Though traditionally a bride’s family foots the bill, the Queen has insisted on paying for the couple’s big day just as she did for William and Kate.
In January, the palace released a statement that read, “As was the case with the wedding of The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, The Royal Family will pay for the core aspects of the wedding, such as the church service, the associated music, flowers, decorations, and the reception afterwards.”
It sounds fair when you consider that the Windsors are likely inviting far more guests than Meghan anyway. And really, the Queen may be relieved at the price of her second grandson’s wedding. After all, she reportedly had to shell out $34 million for William and Kate’s 2011 nuptials.
However, it’s also key to note that British taxpayers will be paying for at least a portion of this wedding. According to CNN, taxpayers will be covering many costs for security, again, just like they did with Kate and William. The British government is giving police a £3.6-million ($4.8-million) grant to cover overtime pay, CNN reported. But, that may be OK, as the royal wedding is expected to return about $800 million to the UK economy.
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