After five years of dating, Justin Timberlake, 31, and Jessica Biel, 30, tied the knot Friday at the Borgo Egnazia resort in the southern Italian city of Fasano.
"It's great to be married, the ceremony was beautiful and it was so special to be surrounded by our family and friends," the couple confirmed in a statement to People.
But the ceremony five years in the making was no small — or cheap — affair.
E! Online is reporting that the overseas wedding could have put the Hollywood couple back over $6.5 million.
If the reported figure is real, "it's definitely a lot," Bridal Bar founder Harmony Walton tells E! Online. "Especially if this is an intimate affair, which it is rumored to be. However, with celebrity destination weddings in places like Italy, there are things that come into play that can jump a wedding budget dramatically."
"If they've booked out a whole hotel — and chances are, they have — they're probably footing the bill for all of their guests," Walton explains. "And if those guests are there for five to seven days, that could be a million alone, depending on the hotel."
A standard rate for a regular room at the Borgo Egnazia resort, where the Timberlake's held their affair, costs €310/night.
It's also common for stars to spend "as much on a rehearsal dinner as they do on a wedding," Walton notes.
Timberlake and Biel's guests had no idea they were heading to Italy. "Guests flew out on Monday and landed in Frankfurt with no further instructions,” a source told Celebuzz. “Upon their arrival, they were all given itineraries and tickets to the south of Italy, where the wedding festivities will take place.”
"The celebrations began earlier this week, with an evening bash at the beachfront resort of Riva Dei Ginepri. During the soiree, partygoers — which included guests like Saturday Night Live alum Andy Samberg and Biel’s former 7th Heaven co-star, Beverly Mitchell — soon took in the majestic Southern Italy scenery, traditional Neapolitan music and a dazzling 10-minute fireworks display," reports Celebuzz.
"Events leading up to a destination wedding tend to be experiential," Walton continued to E! Online. "Maybe they're renting vintage cars for 75 of their closest friends so they can do a car rally up the coast of Italy. If they're getting helicopter tours for their guests to take tours of the neighboring islands, that's going to cost."
But Timberlake and Biel aren't the first celebs to drop the big bucks on their wedding. Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes spent a reported $2 million on their Italian affair, while former couples Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston and Madonna and Guy Ritchie both dropped around $1.5 million for their nuptials.
Here's to hoping the newlyweds have better luck than their pricey party predecessors.
SEE ALSO: Inside Justin Timberlake's ex-girlfriend Britney Spears' $32M conservatorship >
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