The Most Expensive Wedding Gifts Ever Given.
From diamond necklaces and private yachts to extraordinary estates, discover some of the most extravagant wedding gifts ever reported.
What do you give the couple who truly has everything?
For most newlyweds, the answer might be beautiful glassware, a treasured heirloom or a contribution towards the honeymoon. But in the rarefied world of royalty, Hollywood and billionaire weddings, the gift list can look a little different. Think one-of-a-kind diamonds, private yachts and homes with more rooms than most boutique hotels.
These are some of the most extravagant and potentially most expensive wedding gifts ever given.
An $80 million villa on Palm Jumeirah
When Anant Ambani and Radhika Merchant married in 2024, almost every detail made headlines. Among the most spectacular was a reported wedding gift from the groom’s family: a luxury villa on Dubai’s Palm Jumeirah, widely valued at around US$80 million.
The 3,000-square-foot residence sits on one of the world’s most recognisable man-made islands. It is less a first home than a private resort and a rather unforgettable way to begin married life.
Gulita: a 50,000-square-foot home in Mumbai
Ahead of Isha Ambani and Anand Piramal’s 2018 wedding, the couple were given Gulita, a remarkable sea-facing residence in Mumbai, by the groom’s parents.
The five-storey property spans approximately 50,000 square feet and features a sculptural glass façade, expansive entertaining areas, gardens and a swimming pool. The Piramal family reportedly purchased the property for around US$62 million in 2012, before an extensive transformation was completed for the newlyweds.
For a couple whose wedding celebrations took place across several cities, only an architectural landmark would do.
The US$55 million necklace that became wedding legend
Few jewels inspire intrigue quite like Mouawad’s L’Incomparable. Centred on a 407.48-carat, internally flawless deep-yellow diamond and surrounded by 90 white diamonds, the necklace was valued at US$55 million and recognised as the world’s most valuable necklace.
It has frequently been reported as a wedding gift from Nita Ambani to her daughter-in-law Shloka Mehta following her marriage to Akash Ambani in 2019. The necklace’s record-breaking value is documented by Mouawad; the gifting story is more difficult to verify independently. Consider it the crown jewel of wedding folklore spectacular, widely repeated and wrapped in a little mystery.
The Nizam of Hyderabad necklace
For her 1947 wedding to Prince Philip, Princess Elizabeth was invited by the Nizam of Hyderabad to choose a gift from Cartier in London. Her selection was an extraordinary platinum necklace set with approximately 300 diamonds.
There is no official market value for the piece, and its royal provenance makes any estimate largely academic. The necklace went on to appear in some of Queen Elizabeth II’s best-known portraits.
Some gifts are expensive. Others become part of history.
A flawless pink diamond fit for a future queen
Another extraordinary present received by Princess Elizabeth was a 54.5-carat rough pink diamond from Canadian geologist Dr John Thorburn Williamson. The rare stone was later cut to 23.6 carats and set by Cartier into the now-famous Williamson Diamond Brooch.
Its value has never been officially declared, but the combination of size, colour, clarity and royal provenance places it in a category where an ordinary price tag feels almost meaningless. In 2022, a separate 11.15-carat pink diamond from the same mine sold for US$57.7 million, an indication of just how exceptional such stones can be, though not a direct valuation of the royal jewel.
A 147-foot yacht for Grace Kelly and Prince Rainier
When Hollywood icon Grace Kelly married Prince Rainier III of Monaco in 1956, Aristotle Onassis reportedly gave the couple a 147-foot yacht named Deo Juvante II.
The newlyweds sailed aboard it for their seven-week Mediterranean honeymoon before using it to entertain guests along the French and Italian Rivieras. Today, the restored vessel is known as M/Y Grace and continues to cruise the Galápagos Islands.
Diamonds may be forever, but a yacht with a royal love story comes impressively close.
A private country home from the Queen
Following the 2011 wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton, Queen Elizabeth II gave the couple Anmer Hall, a ten-bedroom Georgian country house on the Sandringham Estate in Norfolk.
Its monetary value has never been formally published, but the real luxury is easy to understand: privacy, space and a beautiful place to retreat with family. It is a gift measured not only in property, but in the life that can unfold there.
