The Cost of A Royal Wedding

[Helen88]

Hi there,

does anyone know how expensive the royal weddings were?
Which was the most and less expenisve ones`?

[Henri M.]

Public costs

€ 2.800.000,-- City of Amsterdam (extra cleaning and decorating the city)
€ 1,760.000,-- Government Information Service (Mediacentre)
€ 2.700.000,-- NOS (National Broadcasting Corporation)
€ 5.000.000,-- Amsterdam Police
€ 130.000,-- Decoration of the Berlage Building (including new chairs)
€ 1.000.000,-- Netherlands Railways (enclosures and bypasses of transports)
€ 500.000,-- Government (National Wedding Gift)
€ 2.200.000,-- Various municipalities (selected citizens for free to the national celebration in the Amsterdam ArenA)
€ 2.200.000,-- Royal- and Diplomatic Protection Service (security)
€ 2.500.000,-- Armed Forces (for the ceremonial)

More or less it is assumed that the wedding did cost around € 16.000.000,-- (appr. $ 21,600,000.--) in public costs.

Costs for the royal family

€ ?????????,-- accomodation for approximately 1.700 guests
€ ?????????,-- private parties
€ ?????????,-- pre wedding Ball
€ ?????????,-- transportation for the guests
€ ?????????,-- the wedding gown from the Italian couturier Valentino
€ ?????????,-- the decoration of the church
€ ?????????,-- the wedding banquet in the palace for selected guests
€ ?????????,-- the wedding banquet in various hotels and restaurants for the other guests
€ ?????????,-- the new princely villa, the honeymoon, the gifts, etc.

More or less it is expected that the wedding did cost the royal family some € 9.000.000,-- (= appr. $ 12,400,000.--)

But this is not the whole image. The enormous costs are countered with the profits. The company who makes the chairs. The flowerists who delivers the decorations. The catering for the many guests. The full booked top class hotels for the guests. The rest of the hotels and restaurants crammed with media and public. The Berlage Exchange Building where the civil marriage was celebrated. The Netherlands Railways with top days. The couturiers and the milliners to dress the many, many ladies and gentlemen guests.

Even the costs for the public broadcasting corporation are relative: foreign channels are paying for the live coverage or summaries and they have reached break even with that. Free coverage of beautiful Amsterdam in international media and a top day for the local pubs, restaurants and hotels and all touristic attractions.



Ms Máxima Zorreguieta arrives in a Rolls Royce Landaulette

and....

leaves in a Golden State Carriage as Princess of the Netherlands

[TLLK]

I would believe that the wedding of a King/Queen or the Heir to the Throne would be more expensive than their siblings or other family members. In the case of the European royal families, there are often Heads of State invited to the events, so the need for extra security is very high. Look at the detailed list that Henri M. posted for the wedding of the Prince of Orange. The cost that the federal and municipal gov'ts paid out is quite high.

[LadyK]

I'll have to see, but I think I remember similar lists posted for Mary and Frederik and for Letizia and Felipe.
You do have to remember that a royal wedding, although expensive in the up-front costs, is very profitable! Any money that the government spent in paying for those weddings is usually equalled to in profits by others.

Think about the commemorative items created for these weddings: plates, stamps, mugs, flags, cards, etc. I found some of these things on sale in Spain even a year later!

Then there are the thousands of people who travel to see parts of the wedding- no, not the guests! The people are royal fans, and just want to get a glimpse of the royal on their wedding day. Remember Princess Diana and Prince Charles's wedding day? Hundreds of thousands of people crowded the streets between the church and Buckingham palace. Those people have to eat, have to sleep, have to get something to drink and a place to go to the bathroom. So there are restaurants, hotels, pubs, and even porta-potty companies make big money. And then there are the transportation and parking facilities those people need.
When you add up all the little things, it really is amazing.

[TheTruth]

The wedding of Charles & Diana was probably one of the most expensive. I'll try to get the numbers. It should be quite amazing !

[carlota]

Originally Posted by Henri M.

Ms Máxima Zorreguieta arrives in a Rolls Royce Landaulette

and....

leaves in a Golden State Carriage as Princess of the Netherlands

how interesting and representative it is that she arrives in a car (quite a luxurious but nevertheless a car, many other commoner brides hire rolls royces to go to church as well) and leaves being a princess in the state carriage... :) some monarchies are so fond of detail and it's nice to know such small things are still alive

i was just trying to find information on how much felipe and letizia's wedding cost. so far, i found that for TVE (retransmission of the wedding) it was about 4.5 million euros.

in this article by bbc, they explain how much could have been spent for the wedding. it is also important to know that no official estimates on the cost were given by the royal household:

BBC Mundo | De todo un poco | Real la boda, real el gasto


notes on the costs of the spanish royal wedding:

the budget of the royal house was increased that year by 7 million euros to cover the costs of the royal wedding. they assume 4 million dollars to be associated with direct costs (the dresses, invitations and the menu), which would be paid by the royal house and indirect costs of 21 million euros to include security, cleaning, decoration, etc.

some of the costs are as follows:

decoration of the cathedral: 240.000 euros
flowers: 110.000 euros
wedding dress of letizia: 6.000 euros
invitations: 36.000 euros
screens: 31.200 euros
accommodation of the guests: 350.000 euros
security: 1.200.000 euros
transport of the guests: 25.800 euros
reception: 360.000 euros


it also mentions that charles and diana's wedding was about 52 million dollars.

[leonardinha]

Are you sure you didn't forget a 0? I can't believe Letizia's gown was so (relatively) cheap...

Originally Posted by carlota

wedding dress of letizia: 6.000 euros

[carlota]

Originally Posted by leonardinha

Are you sure you didn't forget a 0? I can't believe Letizia's gown was so (relatively) cheap...

bridal dresses from a local designer or boutique cost up to 1500 really, so i'd say 6000 is quite a normal price for a gown. after all, that's the price of a gala gown from an international designer.

[lula]

Originally Posted by leonardinha

Are you sure you didn't forget a 0? I can't believe Letizia's gown was so (relatively) cheap...

The dress was realized by a Spanish designer, for the one that was an honor to realize it, and his design was a gift, so the price of the dress will limit to fabrics and work of the personnel of the workshop.

[leonardinha]

Thank you for the explanation, lula!

Originally Posted by lula

The dress was realized by a Spanish designer, for the one that was an honor to realize it, and his design was a gift, so the price of the dress will limit to fabrics and work of the personnel of the workshop.

[leonardinha]

That's right, carlota, but wedding gowns are usually more expensive... Many brides in Italy, for instance, spend 7000-8000 euros for their gown. That's why I was wondering about such a low price (see lula's explanation).

Originally Posted by carlota

bridal dresses from a local designer or boutique cost up to 1500 really, so i'd say 6000 is quite a normal price for a gown. after all, that's the price of a gala gown from an international designer.

[lula]

Originally Posted by leonardinha

That's right, carlota, but wedding gowns are usually more expensive... Many brides in Italy, for instance, spend 7000-8000 euros for their gown. That's why I was wondering about such a low price (see lula's explanation).

Probably, on the market an exclusive design, of an important designer, and with work of embroideries as that of the princess, had been more expensive. But often, which increases the price is the exclusive design and the name of the designer. In Spain, Pronovias or Rosa Clará take dresses of wedding, of international designers as this price ... they are dressea with a design wonderful and very well realized ... but they are not exclusive.

[leonardinha]

Right! See Tessy Antony's wedding gown (by Pronovias)...

Originally Posted by lula

Probably, on the market an exclusive design, of an important designer, and with work of embroideries as that of the princess, had been more expensive. But often, which increases the price is the exclusive design and the name of the designer. In Spain, Pronovias or Rosa Clará take dresses of wedding, of international designers as this price ... they are dressea with a design wonderful and very well realized ... but they are not exclusive.

[LadyK]

I expect Letizia's wedding designer made back that money, several times over- she's a fashion icon, and instead of a Major Spanish designer (the major names, the big guys), she went with a lesser known designer and his name got splashed everywhere.

[LadyK]

Originally Posted by leonardinha

Right! See Tessy Antony's wedding gown (by Pronovias)...

And Tessy's wasn't even a custom design- it was from their catologue!

[lula]

Originally Posted by LadyK

I expect Letizia's wedding designer made back that money, several times over- she's a fashion icon, and instead of a Major Spanish designer (the major names, the big guys), she went with a lesser known designer and his name got splashed everywhere.

I create to understand , that you mean that the Princess made this designer famous. All the opposite...

Manuel Pertegaz is a legend of the Spanish fashion… the great teacher… most of the Spanish designers thought that he had to be chosen (more after Infant Cristina did not choose him). After Cristobal Balenciaga, Pertegaz was the great "haute couture" designer of years 50 to 70. Audrey Hepburn or Jaqueline Kennedy dressed his dresses, also the Queen Sofia when she was a princess. He rejected to be the designer of the house Dior, when Christian Dior died, and took the European fashion to The United States with Valentino or Pierre Cardin.

Now he is a man of 90 years, and in the last years only he realizes some designs in his workshop of Barcelona.

[carlota]

Originally Posted by LadyK

And Tessy's wasn't even a custom design- it was from their catologue!

is pronovias just a spanish firm or is it all over europe (or in some countries least)?

[leonardinha]

Pronovias is Spanish, but there are Pronovias shops in many foreign countries and their gowns are sold all over the world...

Originally Posted by carlota

is pronovias just a spanish firm or is it all over europe (or in some countries least)?

[Henri M.]

This absurd amount was regulary figured in the media around the wedding.

The exorbitant costs were due to the long lace veil. It seems that Valentino Garavani had to order a special loom and many ladies had to weave line for line of the very complicated pattern. After this the flowers and tendril motifs were embroidered by hand. This was months of work.

The dress itself (a long-sleeved gown of ivory mikado silk with a cowl neckline, close fit and flaring slightly from the waist and a 5 metres train) was between € 18.000,-- and € 22.000,-- so it was assumed.

This means that the almost 6,3 metres luxuriant point d’esprit veil of silk tulle, decorated with hand-embroidered flower and tendril motifs did cost between € 58.000,-- and € 76.000,--........

See a good picture of the 6, 3 metres veil covering the 5 metres train

[TheTruth]

I can't find the numbers of Charles and Diana's wedding. It's worst than the army, not even an approximation.