Heiress Throws Insanely Lavish $7.7M Wedding

Petra Ecclestone has it all: Rolls Royces, fireworks, the Black Eyed Peas...
By Evann Gastaldo,  Newser Staff
Posted Aug 29, 2011 9:37 AM CDT
Petra Ecclestone's $7.7M Wedding Puts Most Other Celebrity Weddings to Shame
Petra Ecclestone, daughter of F1 boss Bernie Ecclestone, is driven in downtown Rome to marry British businessman James Stunt at the Odescalchi castle, Bracciano lake, Italy, Saturday, Aug. 27, 2011.   (AP Photo/Angelo Carconi)

Petra Ecclestone put most lavish celebrity weddings to shame with her own $7.7 million nuptials this weekend, held at the same Italian castle where Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes got married (for the comparative bargain of just $2 million) in 2006. Ecclestone, 22, is, of course, the daughter of Bernie Ecclestone, founder of Formula One racing, and she also made headlines by purchasing a $150 million home earlier this summer. Her three-day wedding celebration included entertainment by the Black Eyed Peas, Alicia Keys, Andrea Bocelli, and Eric Clapton, and guests ranging from reality TV royalty (Paris Hilton) to actual royalty (Princesses Eugenie and Beatrice).

Adding to the hefty price tag: a $62,000 fireworks display, $1.2 million worth of wine, and food imported from France and Britain. Not adding to the hefty price tag was family friend Clapton, who performed for free “as a big favor,” Bernie said. The Black Eyed Peas, on the other hand, pulled in $2.3 million for their performance. The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra was also on hand for $386,000, Australia’s News Network reports. The Daily Mail adds that Ecclestone, who married 26-year-old James Stunt, was driven to the big event in not one, but two white Rolls Royces (she switched cars midway), and that in addition to the fireworks, there was a performance by acrobats in hot air balloons. If you can stand it, click for a list of more over-the-top celebrity weddings. (More Petra Ecclestone stories.)

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