The world’s most luxurious weddings

As a prelude to Valentine’s Day, it is timely to discuss weddings, although weddings and love do not necessarily go together. Next to December and June, January and February are the months when most weddings are celebrated.

Last October, my third son got married in a remote island in Coron, Palawan. It was the fourth wedding among my five children. It cost us much, but it was not luxurious, just appropriate for our standing, and means. Actually, one of the sponsors, a foreigner, picked up most of the bills, but it was worth it. The whole family was happy, guests who are all close friends of the bride and groom flew in from Switzerland, US, Australia, Brazil, and the Middle East. I got to sing “Sunrise, Sunset” from the famous musical “Fiddler on the Roof.” In my speech, I reminded them that the marriage is far more important than the wedding. But the wedding itself was far from luxurious.

The most luxurious wedding recorded in history was that between Prince Charles and Lady Diana in 1981, costing no less than $110 million. With 10,000 authentic pearls sewn into the wedding gown that by itself cost $2 million, with 20-foot intricately-handwoven train of gold-plated most expensive lace. The cake was 20-layered. There were 3,500 guests and 5,000 security in and around St. Paul's Cathedral in London. It was watched by people on TV all over the world. The marriage ended in divorce in 1992, after only 11 years and two sons. That’s the meaning of what I told my son in Coron that the marriage is more important than the wedding.

Next was the wedding of the daughter of the king of Saudi Arabia, Shieka Aysha, to Sheik Rashid, a distant cousin, costing $110 million. The wedding of a rich Indian heiress, Brahmani Reddy, to Rajeev Reddy cost $74 million. The bride was dripping in jewelry, and wine and champagne flooded the palace. According to BBC, it was too profligate that it angered the poor people of India. Number four was the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle at St. George Castle that cost $50 million. The wedding gown alone was $1 million. Fifth was the wedding of Sanam Vashwani and Navin Fabriani of UAE, which was held in Austria. Bruno Mars performed live in Palais Ferstil. The wedding cost $35 million.

Next was the wedding of Vanisha Mithal, daughter of India's richest man, to Ahmit Bhatta. Held in the Palace of Versailles, reception at Jardin de Tuileries, with fireworks beside the Eiffel Tower, the whole thing cost $33 million. Another Indian couple, Sanjay Hinduya and Anu Mahtani, the groom is the son of one of Great Britain's richest businessmen (net worth over $12 billion). Jennifer Lopez sang and a thousand guests came mostly from Bollywood. No less than $28 million was spent. Next was the $27-million wedding of Dubai-based Adel Sajan and Sana Khan. It was a wedding aboard a luxury cruise ship and the 500 guests were brought from Abu Dhabi to Barcelona, Spain, Cannes, France, and Savonna, Italy.

We need a part two for these luxurious weddings even as we are outraged at how these crazy rich people could spend millions for weddings, many of which ended in divorce, while half of the world's three billion people are wallowing in hunger, disease, and poverty.