The Most Extravagant Real Housewives Weddings Of All Time

If there's one thing that usually comes with a Real Housewife, it's money. Bravo's "Real Housewives" franchise in all its forms has given fans a peek into the lives of some super rich ladies, showing how they spend their days (and how they spend all that crazy cash).

It's no wonder then that so many of the show's cast members have hit the headlines for some lavish purchases over the years, like when "The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" star Erika Jayne (aka Erika Girardi) revealed to InTouch in 2017 that she would spend a whopping amount every month on her glam team to keep her looking her best. "It's a lot. Maybe $40,000 a month on clothes, shoes, and accessories," she said. Of course, all that was before Jayne's notorious legal issues. But that's far from the only frivolous purchase a Real Housewife has flaunted in front of us. In another extravagance from the "RHOBH" gang (well, what else would we expect from Beverly Hills?), Diana Jenkins showed off one of her prized possessions on the show in January 2022, a $250,000 (yes, you read that right) Birkin bag with a diamond clasp that essentially had Kyle Richards drooling, per Bravo.

So, if the Housewives are willing to spend that much on a hair and makeup or a bag, they're sure to spend an eye-watering amount of cash on a once-in-a-lifetime (or twice, or three times, in some cases) event like a wedding, right? Right!

In one of the most extravagant examples of splashing the cash in the Real Housewives franchise (and that's saying something), "The Real Housewives of Dallas" star LeeAnne Locken set the bar for lavish weddings in April 2019 when she tied the knot with Rich Emberlin. According to People, the duo spent $4.5 million overall on their big day, welcoming 400 guests to celebrate their love.

So, where did all that cash go? The reality star dropped $3 million just on her jewelry, as she was adorned in diamonds and emeralds. When fans weren't blinded by the sparkle of her jewels, they saw during the November 2019 episode "My Big Fat Dallas Wedding" that everything was stunningly decorated. Locken donned the walls of the cathedral they married in with silk, and the pair had two 24-foot-tall Cherry Blossoms, a 12-foot wedding cake, and 80 candles to set the mood. Not only that, but the happy couple even hired a model to wear a dress made entirely out of napkins that had their custom wedding logo emblazoned on them. See? We told you it was lavish.

But it sounds like it was all worth it. Locken proved she still wasn't over the big day three years later, sharing a wedding video on Instagram to celebrate her and Emberlin's anniversary. "A HUGE THANK YOU to our friends who worked so hard to help make this THE MOST MAGICAL DAY EVER!!!!" she wrote in part.

"A million-dollar princess wedding," anyone? Well, that's exactly how Joanna Krupa's very own representative described it to Us Weekly when she tied the knot with Romain Zago in 2013. And it sounds like that's probably pretty accurate. "The Real Housewives of Miami" star brought plenty of glam to her big day, reportedly spending $30,000 on her dress alone. Her over-the-top gown was covered in Swarovski crystals and even featured a six-foot-long detachable train, while she paired it with a silk tulle veil featuring plenty of crystals and rhinestones.

But that was hardly the only extravagance. C'mon, this is a Real Housewife we're talking about. The couple had a floating aisle custom-built over a swimming pool, which stretched 90-feet and was surrounded by candles, according to Inside Weddings. The whole thing was set off with thousands of flowers, including roses and peonies, which they chose as a nod to their European roots (Krupa is originally from Poland, while Zago was born in France, but spent some of his childhood in Italy).

But that's not quite all, oh no. Guests were entertained on the big day with dancers, while the twosome hired two very special guest to sing for them. Havana Brown performed and did a DJ set for the couple and their nearest and dearest, while "The Voice" Season 4 finalist Sarah Simmons sang to them.

When former "The Real Housewives of Atlanta" star NeNe Leakes married the late Gregg Leakes in 2013, she spent an eye-watering $1.8 million, according to Life & Style. With 400 guests in attendance and nine bridesmaids, NeNe and Gregg pulled out all the stops, including treating their loved ones to a custom 10-tier wedding cake (well, they'd need 10 tiers with all those guests).

This was actually their second marriage, as the two previously tied the knot in 1997, but divorced in 2011 — and their second big day aired on Bravo as the special "I Dream of NeNe: The Wedding." NeNe dressed to impress, rocking two wedding dresses, with her main mermaid gown coming with a price tag $50,000 and her reception look costing $20,000. When guests sat down for said reception, their tables were adorned with three-foot-tall floral centerpieces.

The extravagance wasn't without controversy though, as NeNe was hit with a $2.5 million lawsuit from her supposed wedding planner, Tiffany Cook, as reported by the Michigan Chronicle. The wedding planner alleged that NeNe owed her a fee of $270,000 for planning the event, plus $889,900 in design charges, and $1,750 to fly to Atlanta. Cook further claimed that NeNe had only paid her $18,700, and she wanted the remaining amount plus damages. NeNe appeared to deny the claims, however, sharing a photo from the wedding on Twitter showing herself and Gregg with Tony Conway, who she claimed was her actual wedding planner.

Teresa Giudice took Dolly Parton's advice of the bigger the hair, the closer to God very seriously when she married Luis "Louie" Ruelas in the summer of 2022. She made quite the statement with her locks, as her longtime hairstylist, Lucia Casazza, told Andy Cohen on "Radio Andy" that Teresa's hair cost a whopping $10,000 in total. Yes, you read that right: $10,000 for her hair alone. "The Real Housewives of New Jersey" stalwart's hairdresser explained that included $7,000 worth of extensions made from real human hair, plus another $2,500 that was spent just on styling products (including 1,500 bobby pins that took two hours to take out).

YouTube channel "Up and Adam!" claimed, in total, Teresa and Ruelas' wedding likely cost them around $1 million. For her part, Teresa revealed one of her biggest costs came when she had to pay more to expand the security team after "The Real Housewives of New York City" alum Ramona Singer accidentally shared the invitation (including full details of the location and time) on her Instagram Story, per Page Six. After all that, Singer reportedly didn't end up attending the nuptials.

In true "Housewives" style, there was plenty of extravagance before the big day, too, as for her second wedding (Teresa was married to Joe Giudice from 1999 until 2020), she sent her guests boxes filled with roses as an invitation and wedding favor. "Instead of them bringing them home, I sent them to their house. But it cost me extra money for postage," she revealed.

Here's comes the bride, all dressed in ... two dresses and a jumpsuit. The ever-glamorous Kim Zolciak-Biermann spared no expense when it came to her wardrobe for her and Kroy Biermann's big day in 2011, wearing three wedding ensembles the Daily Mail reported to have set her back around $92,000. Her main ceremony dress (a ballgown with a tiered skirt) reportedly cost her a whopping $58,000, before she then changed into an $18,000 mermaid gown that was covered in Swarovski crystals. Also amongst her wedding wardrobe? A $16,000 bridal jumpsuit, made up of white lace roses.

But it wasn't just Zolciak-Biermann's over-the-top outfits that had the couple splashing the cash. They're also thought to have forked over $14,000 for an 11-layer wedding cake, which reportedly pushed the price of the whole day up to a cool $1 million. Fans got a good view of the event though, as it aired on TV as part of the reality star's spin-off "Don't Be Tardy," which was then known as "Don't Be Tardy for the Wedding." "The Real Housewives of Atlanta" stars also shared their wedding album with Bravo, giving fans a good look inside their lavish big day with stunning photos.

Just like frenemy NeNe Leakes' big day, Zolciak-Biermann's wedding wasn't without money drama. Radar claimed that she ended up owing wedding planner Colin Cowie $200,000, though The Jasmine Brand alleged she believed that Bravo was covering the fee (via Madame Noir). Zolciak-Biermann denied the allegations on Twitter.

As one of the most popular Housewives, "The Real Housewives of Atlanta" star Kandi Burruss had plenty of people to invite when she tied the knot with Todd Tucker in 2014. 300 people, in fact. The two had the lavish day dreams are made of with their guests, with the Xscape singer wowing in a custom wedding dress featuring a whopping 12-foot train that reportedly cost $20,000, according to InTouch, who got the first look at the wedding snaps. In typical "Real Housewives" style, Burruss emerged from behind a wall of ostrich feathers to make a very grand entrance, while the couple also forked out for an open bar and, according to Bravo, spent a reported $2,500 on a seven-tier wedding cake. When it came to entertainment, Burruss' musical connections obviously came in handy, as they enjoyed performances by the likes of Musiq Soulchild, Doug E. Fresh, and Bell Biv Devoe.

All in all, the wedding is thought to have cost Burruss and Tucker a total of $400,000, though perhaps the most impressive part of all is the fact that Burruss threw it all together in just one month. "I didn't know if I was going to be able to pull this all together," she told InTouch. "I couldn't wait around hoping things would get better. I just had to do it and hope for the best."

By her own admission, Eva Marcelle blew her wedding budget wide open when she headed down the aisle with Michael Sterling in 2018. The former "The Real Housewives of Atlanta" star opened up about just how much she spent on the big day to Essence, explaining, "I was naive enough to think that I can plan a wedding for $80,000 to $100,000. I spent well over $350,000."

She also dished on all the cash she splashed on "The Real Housewives of Atlanta" in February 2019, admitting she was worried about all the bills stacking up. "I spent so much money on this wedding. I was supposed to have 150 guests, my count is 220. I still got to pay the rest of the venue, now I got to pay all of this overage — food, get more floral, get more everything," she said (via People). According to the Daily Mail, Marcelle dropped a whopping $20,000 on flowers (including 12,000 white roses and a huge flower wall), had not one but two wedding cakes, and wore fancy Gucci sneakers under her massive dress.

Marcelle was later forced to defend the cost of her big day after rumors swirled that she had put herself into debt, as she clarified she paid around $1,000 a person and didn't go for the cheapest options available. "Let's be very clear — I paid for my own wedding," the star hit back (via The Shade Room). "There were no loans. Nothing was done on barter."

Tamra Judge (then known as Tamra Barney) married Eddie Judge at the St. Regis Monarch Beach in Orange County in 2013, and the star spared no expense on her third marriage (she was first married to Darren Vieth from 1985 to 1990 and then Simon Barney from 1998 until 2011). And it sounds like third time was the charm. The wedding cake alone cost $2,500, according to Bravo, featuring lavish edible diamonds and pearls. Inside Weddings revealed the cake was actually suspended from the ceiling on a pink flower-covered platform and surrounded by oversized faux pearls. Now that's lavish.

But the over-the-top extras didn't stop there. "The Real Housewives of Orange County" star wore three custom wedding dresses throughout the day, including super glitzy high heels that cost $6,000 and featured plenty of rhinestones (seriously, what would a "Real Housewives" wedding be without the rhinestones?). Fans got to see the whole thing, too, as the wedding aired as the spin-off "Tamra's OC Wedding."

As for the reception space, Inside Weddings reported that the latter part of the day was decorated with plenty of chandeliers, while Tamra also didn't scrimp on the other Real Housewife wedding staple — the flowers, of course — with each table at the reception featuring large cherry blossom trees. In a cute and unique moment, Tamra even opted to surprise her new husband with a chandelier that included a bicycle made of crystals. Adorable.

Cynthia Bailey didn't let the coronavirus pandemic stop her from marrying Mike Hill in October 2020, bringing 250 guests together at Georgia's Governor's Towne Club to celebrate their love, per Bravo. And don't think this "RHOA" veteran was going to make things any less lavish just because of the restrictions put in place for social gatherings at the time. Photos from the big day shared to Instagram showed that Bailey and Hill still decorated to the nines, including placing a long cascade of silver balloons up a staircase.

As for her ensembles, Bailey didn't disappoint. The reality star wowed in a gorgeously opulent beaded blush gown and stunning headpiece, per People, though snaps and videos from the nuptials showed that she later changed into a more traditional white dress with (not quite so traditional) sheer panels down either side embellished with rhinestones. 

But unlike the other "Real Housewives" weddings on our list, a whole lot of money had to go into COVID safety protocols in this case. People reported that the couple hired a team of cleaners to deep clean the venue before their event took place, while some guests were spotted sporting face masks and visors for the gathering. Clearly, even a global pandemic can't keep the lavishness of a "Real Housewives" wedding at bay!