Eli Manning and Abby McGrew Tie the Knot

As flowers bloom and the grass turns green, we find ourselves back in the season for weddings. Celebrity weddings have long set the precedent for spectacular weddings. Not wanting to fall behind, Eli Manning married his longtime girlfriend Abby McGrew in a beachfront ceremony in Mexico last Saturday. The wedding was estimated to cost $500,000 and took place at a resort in Mexico along the Sea of Cortez. The ceremony lasted sixteen minutes, which would break down to over $31,000 per minute.

In a much longer affair, NBA center Yao Ming married Ye Li in Shanghai on August 6, 2007. Ming, known for his great height, had courted Ye Li since they were teenagers. The superstar’s ceremony lasted around three hours, even though it was considered to be a low key affair compared to other celebrity weddings. Only seventy people attended the event at a five star Shanghai hotel.

Tony Parker and Eva Longoria went to France for their nuptials. Prior to the public ceremony on July 7, 2007 Parker and Longoria were legally married in a civil ceremony. The wedding was a celebrity filled affair, with both athletes and actors alike in attendance. While the couple remained tight lipped regarding the ceremony, glimpses inside have shown that the couple spared no expense in creating the perfect wedding.

November 14, 1998 saw an entirely different kind of wedding. On that day, Chicago Bulls bad boy Dennis Rodman walked down the aisle with model Carmen Electra. The two married in Las Vegas, and the legality of the marriage was quickly in dispute. Rodman initially claimed to have been intoxicated at the time of the ceremony and indicated that he would like to get the marriage annulled. Rodman and Electra’s wedding and marriage was not a show of love.

Golf great Colin Montgomerie’s wedding could not have been further from that of Rodman and Electra’s. Montgomerie’s ceremony on April 20, 2008 had class, and even included members of the royal family. Prior to the nuptials, Montgomerie played a round of golf with wedding guests. It has been speculated that singer Robbie Williams performed in front of the celebrity filled crowd during the ceremony.

A celebrity wedding shows the style and inner workings of a celebrity. When Dennis Rodman and Carmen Electra flew to the altar, and then almost as quickly to the divorce court, most of the public was not surprised. Both of their personalities indicated that they were capable of such behavior. Eli Manning’s ceremony, cheap by celebrity standards, showcased his low key attitude. Manning is used to being in the shadow of his older brother and his father, and he is not known for showmanship. While $500,000 is incredibly expensive, it is not that much money in accordance to what Manning makes during a year in the NFL. Parker and Longoria showed the importance of romance in their relationship by picking France as the location of their nuptials. Few could find a more romantic place than France. Montgomerie showed that he had matured and had class by his friendly pre-wedding golf outing and his private affair.

Even though celebrities have their bankbooks in common, their taste is much different. That is proven when dissecting the different kinds of weddings celebrities have. Some believe that bigger is better, while others feel that the importance of the day lies with the bride and groom.

Jo Piazza, “Giant’s Eli Manning Married in Mexico,” Daily News

Mu Xuequan, “NBA Star Yao Ming Marries Longtime Girlfriend Ye Li,” China View

The Assoc. Press, “Housewives’ Longoria Weds NBA’s Parker in Paris Church,” cbc.ca

Carla H., “Dennis Rodman and Carmen Electra,” lifetime.com

Andrew Alderson, “On Her Wedding Day, the Second Mrs. Colin Montgomerie Teed Up As Golf Widow,” Telegraph