When it comes to Meghan Markle and Prince Harry’s wedding, we gotta be honest: No one was really expecting DIY mason-jar vases. But it turns out it’s going to be more extravagant than any of us could’ve imagined. My proof? The reported total cost of the big day, which has me completely shook.
According to Bridebook, a huge British wedding-planning website that used industry figures to estimate the cost of Markle and Prince Harry’s wedding, the big day is estimated to cost around $2,760,974. That’s a lot, no? But that doesn’t factor in the biggest expense of the day: security for all the royals who will be there. That comes in at about—wait for it—$42.1 million, bringing the total cost of the wedding up to about $45 million.
Yep.
The security measures aren’t just guards, either: We’re talking snipers on rooftops, and “the latest military technology,” which apparently involves million-dollar-plus budgets for a counter-UAV system to “deactivate” paparazzi drones and for a “Drone Destroyer,” which kinda sounds awesome.
But—and yes, there is a “but” here—the wedding is also expected to bring in a tonof money for the U.K (specifically, an estimated $680 million). So while this wedding definitely isn’t a business, and the royal family largely serves a symbolic function for the country and all of that, it’s still a lot of money being injected into the country’s economy for a (relatively) small cost.
Interestingly enough, Bridebook also estimates Meghan’s dress at $420,000 to $560,000—which means all signs point to it being freaking gorgeous. In the meantime, we’ll just be keeping our eyes out for any and every detail because we. Cannot. Wait.
From Glamour.com
