REVEALED: The true cost of movie weddings

Have you ever wondered how much the weddings in movies such as Mamma Mia!, Sex & The City and Bridesmaids would have cost in reality? The wait is over...

Image: Copyright Universal Pictures

Calling on a host of wedding experts, high street retailer Kaleidoscope has unveiled the approximate costs of a host of cinema's best weddings.  

Wedding planner Bernadette Chapman of Dream Occasions; dress designer, Joyce Young of Joyce Young Collections; and cake designer, Jeanette Moorhouse of Boootiful Cakes, all offered their expertise to provide an approximate calculation for the movie weddings. 

Here, we share the costs from least to most expensive, while demonstrating how weddings in films are not always the best example to follow when it comes to your wedding budget.

Mamma Mia!

While many brides-to-be lusted after protagonist Sophie's intimate boho wedding at her Greek family hotel, the real life price isn't as unobtainable as imagined, with the dress, flowers and band costing less than £500 each. 

Estimated cost: £4,095

My Best Friend's Wedding

Julia Roberts (Julianne) stars alongside Cameron Diaz (Kimmy) as 'the other woman' in this classic romcom. The stunning ceremony in Chicago’s Fourth Presbyterian Church would have cost around £5,043, although Kimmy's dress alone would have taken the total up by £11,590. 

Estimated cost: £16,663

I Love You, Man 

Telling the tale of a friendless groom on the hunt for a best man, I Love You, Man is a fun-filled comedy starring Paul Rudd and Jason Segal. Culminating in a simple wedding ceremony, the venue suggests the largest expense at £19,918 while the bridal gown offers a more modest cost at £270. 

Estimated cost: £27,378

Sex and the City

When Carrie and Big finally set a date, SATC fans the world over rejoiced in the news of a wedding set for the silver screen... however, things didn't quite go to plan. While we won't spoil it for those who haven't watched it (where have you been?), we can divulge some of the wedding details; a Vivienne Westwood custom-made gown valued at a staggering £18,462 and the New York Public Library as the venue - totalling £38,463. Only the best for Ms. Bradshaw.

Estimated cost: £57,660

American Wedding

Reuniting the American Pie cast for the third instalment of the 'coming of age' favourite, American Wedding features one of the most lavish venues on this list - The Ritz Carlton Half Moon Bay, which would typically charge £63,080 for a wedding of this scale. And not forgetting the dress, the flowers and the band...

Estimated cost: £76,778

Bridesmaids

When bridesmaid Annie (Kristen Wiig) sees her best friend and bride-to-be Lillian become subject to the sometimes over the top world of weddings, she begins to fight back and hilarity ensues. While all is forgiven at the end of the film, the wedding expenditure is hard to forget with a celebrity performance by Wilson Philips and Lillian's Ellie Saab-inspired gown catapulting the costs. 

Estimated cost: £98,086

Love Actually

This festive favourite opens with the heartwarming wedding of Peter and Juliet and the stories which unfold showcase varying stages of love. While this traditional British church ceremony is one of our favourites, the costs begin to add up - from the Grosvenor Chapel setting in London to the elaborate orchestra performance.

Estimated cost: £166,727

The Godfather

Finally, the priciest of them all... when your father is the head of an infamous New York crime family, your wedding will surely be an unforgettable affair and Connie Corleone's wedding day is no exception. Taking place on the Corleone family estate, the ceremony features a performance by the late Al Martino which is undoubtedly the biggest outlay. 

Estimated cost: £179,340

All images: Kaleidoscope via moviestillsdb.com