Prince Harry and Meghan Markle鈥檚 May 19 wedding is expected to cost a whopping £31,969,873 ($55.5 million), , a U.K. wedding planning app. While the Royal Family has said that it will cover typical wedding expenses like food and flowers, the lion鈥檚 share of that figure -- an estimated $52.1 million -- will go towards security, meaning that British taxpayers could be on the hook for 94 per cent of the wedding bill.
Bridebook has based its estimate on market prices, the Royals鈥� known tastes and costs from the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge鈥檚 2011 wedding. All prices have been listed in Canadian dollars, based on a May 18 exchange rate, and have been rounded to the nearest hundred dollars. It鈥檚 worth noting that none of these numbers are official.
Security: $52,071,100
The single largest expense at the royal wedding will be security. More than 100,000 people are expected to descend on the town of Windsor on wedding day, and they will be met by scores of security personnel, such as uniformed police officers, undercover agents and rooftop snipers. According to Bridebook, this figure is based on the cost of security for the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge鈥檚 wedding in London. British taxpayers will likely be footing this bill in its entirety while nearly everything else (totalling roughly $3.4 million) will be covered by Markle or the Royal Family.
Venue: $893,700
While all of the wedding events will be held on the grounds of Windsor Castle, which of course belongs to the Royal Family, this figure covers a luxurious glass marque to shelter guests during the reception as well as lighting, decorations, furniture and toilet rentals.
Catering: $496,400
This figure is based on per guest rates charged by top luxury London caterers. Six hundred invitations have been sent out for a lunchtime reception while 200 close friends and family are expected to attend an exclusive dinner reception. Snacks and tea will also be served to 2,640 members of the public with invitations to watch the ceremony.
Drinks: $335,000
This number is based on serving guests one glass of champagne every 30 minutes during the reception plus a half a bottle of wine for each dinner guest. That equals roughly 1,700 bottles of champagne and 650 bottles of wine and hard liquor. Expect to see some Royal Family favourites being served, such as Bollinger champagne (about $140 per bottle), 15-year-old Laphroaig Scotch (about $180 per bottle) and Markle鈥檚 favourite wine, Super Tuscan Tignanello (about $470 per bottle).
Other costs:
$772,400 for music and entertainment.
$520,700 for Markle鈥檚 wedding dress and evening gown (she will be paying for this herself).
$208,200 for a honeymoon.
$190,900 for flowers.
$86,900 for a wedding cake.
$34,700 for stationery, such as invitations.
$29,500 for photographers and videographers.
$17,400 for hair and makeup for Markle and her bridal party.
$13,900 for Prince Harry鈥檚 outfits, likely a tailored Royal Air Force uniform for the wedding and a tuxedo for the reception.
$11,600 for bridesmaid, flower girl and page boy outfits.
$10,400 for wedding rings.
$5,200 for wedding trinkets.
$300 for church fees.
With a report from CTV National News Manitoba Bureau Chief Jill Macyshon
