Vanisha Mittal and Amit Bhatia

　　Vanisha Mittal and Amit Bhatia [File photo]

When businessman and philanthropist Amit Bhatia married the daughter of India's second richest person - Vanisha Mittal - in 2004, 1,000 guests from all over the world received a 20-page silver invitation. Some of the events in the six-day extravaganza took place at the French Palace of Versailles. Guests stayed in 5-star hotels; they watched fireworks over the Eiffel Tower; they listened to Kylie Minogue while eating a reported 100 dishes prepared by a top chef. The wine alone was reported to cost more than US$1.5 million. The couple didn't release an official cost for the whole event, but estimates range from US$60 million to US$78 million. The Bhatia-Mittal wedding was no doubt one of the most expensive in modern history.