A wedding cake is often one of the most expensive and luxurious cakes of anyone's lifetime. Made up of many tiers, and usually designed to order - the cake can end up breaking the budget for the big day.
The celebrity world of weddings is quite different. With some estimated wedding costs running over the million dollar mark, the cost of the cake can be considerably more than the average. Here is a breakdown of some of the most expensive celebrity weddings and their cakes.
The 12 Tier Wedding Cake of Liza Minnelli and David Guest
Liza Minnelli and David Guest married in March 2002, having met just six months previously. According to Forbes Magazine, the wedding cost an estimated $3.5m and guests included Michael Jackson, Elizabeth Taylor, Diana Ross, Lauren Bacall and Mia Farrow.
According to an article in the Daily Mail, as Michael Jackson toasted the happy couple, diners feasted on seafood salad and filet mignon, all washed down with vintage champagne. The $40,000 wedding cake (Boston News) was made from sponge, consisted of 12 tiers and towered at around six feet high. Minnelli and Guest were to divorce a year later.
Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes Enjoyed a White Chocolate Wedding Cake
After a high-profile build up in the World's media, Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes married in the Italian Odescalchi Castle, Lake Bracciano in 2006. One of the magazines that covered the wedding, People reported that the bride and groom fed each other pieces of a five-tier white chocolate mousse wedding cake. The cake was studded with white chocolate chips and adorned with marzipan roses.
Guests included Jim Carrey and Jenny McCarthy, Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony and Victoria and David Beckham. People reports that they drank cocktails and feasted on Italian starters before a multi-course wedding meal.
The Wedding Cake of Chelsea Clinton and Marc Mezvinsky
The July 2010 wedding of the daughter of former US President Bill Clinton was a highly publicised affair, despite the couple wanting to keep arrangements private. Despite these pleas for privacy, many details have since emerged, including the £100,000 food and wine bill for the wedding (Daily Mail Online).
According to The Times, guests feasted on a gluten free wedding cake and arrived to find gluten free chocolate cookies in their hotel rooms. The Today Show reports that diners enjoyed a largely vegan menu, except for the organic, grass fed beef that was served to meat-eating guests.
The Mail estimates that the cake cost in the region of £7,000 (around $12,000) and was decorated with sugar flowers and fondants. La Tulipe Desserts, based in the Westchester area of New York,were credited with creating the cake.
Although not all celebrity weddings are highly publicised and extravagant affairs, it is interesting to see the choices made by those when money is not a concern. Many people could not even consider spending $40,000 on a cake - in fact the total cost of many weddings is no where near this figure. Whether it is six-feet tall, 12 tiers, made of mousse or entirely gluten free, the world of celebrity wedding cakes is one subject that is always entertaining.
Sources:
Forbes.com "The 20 Most Expensive Celebrity Weddings" (accessed 4 August 2010)
TheBostonChannel.com "Over The Top Celebrity Weddings No 1" (accessed 4 August 2010)
Daily Mail Online "Liza Minnelli Marries Husband Number 4" (accessed 4 August 2010)
People.com "Tom & Katie's Wedding Photos" (accessed 4 August 2010)
Daily Mail Online "£7,000 for the Cake at Chelsea Clinton's £3.2 million Wedding of the Year" (accessed 4 August 2010)
Jo Romero - Jo is a Freelance Food Writer, Food Blogger and Restaurant Reviewer, based in the UK. Visit her profile to find out more.
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