Details About Donald And Melania Trump's Incredibly Lavish Wedding

There have been rumblings about the state of Donald and Melania Trump's marriage, particularly since she was a no-show at his hush money case and Melania skipped Donald's first 2024 presidential debate. However, more than two decades ago at their January 2005 wedding in Florida, they seemed to be a picture-perfect vision of a happy — and very rich — couple. From the celebrity-filled guest list to Melania's glamorous wedding dress to the elaborate reception, it was quite the event.

It sounds like Melania and Donald's wedding was definitely a see and be seen type of event, with over 350 guests, many of them well-known. Singers Billy Joel, Paul Anka, and Tony Bennett were there, and Elton John performed — John would later decline to play at Trump's inauguration. From the media world, Barbara Walters, Katie Couric, Kathie Lee Gifford, and Matt Lauer all showed up. Future "America's Got Talent" judges Heidi Klum and Simon Cowell attended, as did Mohamed Al-Fayed, father of Dodi Al-Fayed.

As for politically-minded guests, there was Rudy Giuliani, who was at the time known as "America's Mayor," not as one of Donald's lawyers. And while the 2016 presidential election seems to have cemented Hillary Clinton and Donald as adversaries, back in 2005, Hillary and Bill Clinton both attended Donald's third wedding. She was a New York senator and he was a former president at the time, making them quite prestigious guests.

When it came to style, Melania Trump delivered. The 34-year-old Slovenian model wore a voluminous Christian Dior dress, which cost $100,000. The custom strapless gown was made from nearly 300 feet of white satin with detailed embroidery that took 550 hours to complete. It had a 13-foot-long train plus a 16-foot-long veil. The dress was so big and heavy that she had a specially designated bench, not a chair, to sit on, and she was told to keep her strength up to be able to wear it for the entire ceremony. Given the weight of the dress, Melania had a second outfit ready for the afterparty at the pool. That dress was a silk tulle Grecian style dress by Vera Wang. 

Melania's jewelry on the big day included her emerald cut 15-carat diamond ring from Graff Diamonds, worth $1.5 million. However, she skipped carrying a bouquet as she walked down the aisle; instead, she held a collection of family rosaries.

Melania got to show off her wedding gown to the world on the February 2005 cover of "Vogue." The 14-page feature article about Melania was titled "How To Marry a Billionaire," and it tracked her journey through Paris couture fashion to pick out her incredible bridal attire for her wedding to Donald Trump.

Donald Trump has made bold claims about marriages that take place at Mar-a-Lago — namely that they are long-lasting — but he and Melania Trump didn't actually get married there. Instead, their ceremony was held at the Episcopal Church of Bethesda-by-the-Sea. However, the reception afterwards was held in the Donald J. Trump ballroom at Mar-a-Lago. The ballroom had recently been built with a $35 million price tag and featured crystal chandeliers and lots of ornate gold. It was decorated with 10,000 flowers, including roses and orchids.

The food at the reception was top-notch, and there was apparently quite the battle behind the scenes for who was going to be the ones to cater the event. Melania was the one who picked Chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten, a chef at Trump branded hotels in New York, to create the menu for the big day. He put together an elaborate spread with caviar, beef tenderloin, and mini chocolate wedding cakes for each guest along with Cristal champagne.

The event could have been even more over the top. However, the permit for fireworks was denied.