Where the Wealthy Wed: One Percent Wedding Venues

Once upon a time even celebrities were satisfied with a simple church wedding or with tying the knot at their family’s home.

But according to the everything-weddings website The Knot,one in four engaged couples now opt for a “destination” wedding: a venue in an exotic, increasingly distant locale that is a tipoff of social status as much as it is a romantic backdrop.

“If you’re in that sort of circle, everyone has an amazing wedding. How you stand out is going to be your location,” said Knot senior editor Kristin Koch.

The cost of “keeping up with the Joneses’ wedding,” naturally, is rising. Fairy tale weddings include custom fireworks, private plane rides, orchestras, medieval knights, safari tours or scuba lessons, with prices more suited to millionaires than your average newlyweds.

Adding to the expense is the growing length of a destination wedding, which now typically last three or more days.

Click ahead to see the most exclusive spots to take the plunge. Note that venue prices vary depending on wedding date and headcount.

By Jennifer Leigh-Parker, Special to CNBC
Posted 3 Oct. 2012

Weddings are limited only by the couple’s imagination, and of course, pocketbook at this 87-room hotelthat The Knot regards as its favorite venue. It was ranked the No. 1 hotel in Asia by Travel & Leisure in 2011.

Price: One night in a luxury suite with private pool is $1,166.

When guests arrive by boat, they are greeted by open-air colonnades flanked by 450 hand-carved stone columns, domes covered in gold leaf, landscaped terraces and acres of white marble. A trip to the Oberoi Spa is, shall we say, extra.

Devise your own “Sex and the City” event in the space where Carrie Bradshaw planned her long-awaited wedding to Mr. Big.

Price: Begins at $50,000

Events in this Fifth Avenue landmarktypically fill Astor Hall and the Celeste Bartos Forum, both home to impressive marble interiors, candelabras and towering ceilings.

Perfect for hitching up uniformed personnel, this 15th century Roman castledoubles as a military museum and offers entertainment involving knights and archers.

Price: The flat fee starts at $50,000

Set on the shores of Lake Bracciano, Odescalchi’s Castle was the site for Tom Cruise’s wedding to Katie Holmes and for the wedding of star journalist Christiane Amanpour to former State Department spokesman Jamie Rubin in 1998.

Cruise and Holmes spent $750,000 for exclusive use of the Odelscalchi Castle in 2006, according to Brideuniverse.com. Factor in the fireworks and reception for 150 of Hollywood’s A-list, and the final price tag was closer to $2 million.

The “Sunset Wedding Package” includes a custom wedding cake, a master of ceremony, a candlelit dinner, and a just-married golf buggy decorated with flowers.

Price: $3,950 for the wedding package; $5,785 per night for the Grand Water Villa bridal suite.

Situated on its own 109-acre island, the Reethi Rahis home to 130 private villas, many with their own private pool, along the shore. Thirty-two hover above the clear lagoon waters.

Nuptials-meet-adventure camp on a tropical resort, for up to 80 guests.

Price: $150,000

Laucalais home to an equestrian center, various luxury watercraft for blue-water fishing excursions, kite-surfing and other water sports, and an 18-hole championship golf course. Most of the food, including the coffee, is indigenous to the island.

Three nights, with accommodation for 14 guests, wine not included.

Price: $9,715

Nestled in the Western Cape wine lands, Stellenboschis a perfect venue for wine connoisseurs. Two hours by car from the Aquila Safari Park game reserve, Stellenbosch can also serve as a jumping off point for honeymooners and guests for “Out of Africa” style adventures.

A standard wedding package, with a five-night minimum for up to 24 guests.

Price: $262,500

One of the most secluded spots on Earth, Masha Caynonetheless can provide a five-piece jazz band and fireworks for the reception, as well as perks like massages and scuba diving trips for your guests, who can choose to arrive by helicopter for an added $20,000 — one way.

The “ultimate takeover” package allowing exclusive use of the hotel’s 50 rooms and suites.

Price: Estimated at $430,000

Hotel Carusostands atop the cliffs along the Amalfi Coast south of Naples, one of the most breathtaking landscapes in the world.

A favorite among Italian politicians and others seeking privacy, it is a familiar venue to the best local florists, musicians, decorators, lighting designers, and caterers in the country.

Laura Frappa, wedding director for Exclusiveitalyweddings.com, says their services, with food and drink for 100 people would run a couple 300,000 to 350,000 euro.

Exclusive, five-hour rental of this lavish 17th century French château 35 miles from Paris.

Price: About $64,000, depending on exchange rate. The chateau’s brochure cautions that this is an “à partir de” sum – French for “starting from.”

Vaux-le-Vicomteis fit for a king, which led to trouble for the French nobleman who owned it. Louis XIV promptly seized the estate after attending its coming-out party and had his palace Versailles modeled after it.

More recently, American royalty, like actress Eva Longoria and basketball star Tony Parker, who celebrated their fête de mariage here in 2007, have had the run of the place.

The 3-Day “Exclusively Yours” wedding package, with run of the entire island.

Price: Starts at $500,000

Little Palm,a small private island in the Florida Keys, is only accessible by seaplane or boat—including your own: There is dock space for up to 10 yachts.

Little Palm is best for intimate weddings — there are only 30 suites on site for a wedding party of up to 60 guests — but for a little more bang for your buck, you can order your very own fireworks show.