3. Paul McCartney and Heather Mills, Ireland
How can a union that begins in an idyllic Irish castle go so wrong? Clearly a wedding does not a marriage make. The former Beatle heartthrob and his model-turned-amputee-advocate bride put on an impressive $3.2 million spread at picture-perfect Castle Leslie in Glaslough, County Monaghan in June 2002. It seemed like their commitment might go the distance, considering Paul’s first marriage lasted 29 years until Linda’s untimely death. However, somewhere along the way the tides turned, followed by an acrimonious divorce in 2008. Heather’s settlement? A cool $48.6 million, but a mere fraction of Sir Paul’s estate. I guess that wedding venue did not impart the luck of the Irish.
4. Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes, Italy
Tom and Katie had one of the most famous and elaborate destination weddings in recent celebrity history. The November 18, 2006 ceremony and reception were held at the stunning fifteenth-century Odescalchi Castle in Bracciano, a small town near Rome. The star-filled guest list included big names like Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith, David and Victoria Beckham, Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony (perhaps a bad omen). Renowned tenor Andrea Bocelli serenaded the newlyweds with Italian love songs and fireworks capped off the magical night. By all reports this was the wedding of the year, but the marriage barely lasted half a decade.
