Celebrity Splurges
See the cars, bling and other giant purchases stars have made
See the cars, bling and other giant purchases stars have made
When it came to welcoming their little princess, Blue Ivy, into the world in 2012, Beyonce and Jay-Z spared no expense, shelling out $800 per room per night to rent "executive suites" at NYC's Lenox Hill Hospital. Inside: Flat-screen TVs, sofas, brushed-chrome accents, mahogany walls and a kitchenette. Later, when they brought their daughter home, they settled her into a $3500 lucite crib, also owned by Kim Kardashian.
"Gisele and I have eight sisters between us, and there are lots of kids. We built this house as a sanctuary for our family -- a place where we can enjoy being together," Brady tells Architectural Digest of the six-bedroom, 14,000-square foot eco-friendly L.A. home the couple built and moved into in 2013. Perks of the home include a koi-filled moat, walls with three types of Texas limestone and steel doors and window frames.
"Kanye has never been married and wants a big [wedding]," a source tells Us of the rapper, who hired a 50-piece orchestra and rented out San Francisco's AT&T Park to propose to Kim Kardashian in 2013, and intends to hold their nuptials at the Palace of Versailles. Adds another insider: "They are not working with a budget." (Kardashian married Kris Humphries in a $10 million televised wedding in 2012.)
Marrying Joel Madden in 2010 at her father Lionel Richie's Beverly Hills estate, Richie chose three Marchesa looks to wear during her wedding festivities, officiated by rapper-minister Rev. Run and attended by 150 guests including Khloe Kardashian. Also in attendance at the lavish winter-themed affair? An elephant!
Josh Duhamel's wife co-founded Ferguson Crest Wines with her father in 2006. Overlooking California's Santa Ynez Valley, the winery even produces a red blend called Fergalicious. "Not only is it a thrill for me to open a winery, but to do so with my father makes it even more special," Fergie has said.
The A-list couple and their kids -- Maddox, Pax, Zahara, Shiloh and twins Vivienne and Knox -- kicked back on the luxury yacht Ghost II during a 2013 vacation in Sydney, Australia. Renting the vessel for the day, the family had four bedrooms, a saloon, surround sound entertainment and a jet ski at their disposal.
Domesticity sure suits Lively, who married Ryan Reynolds in 2012. When the actress isn't taking cooking classes in Paris, she's busying herself at home -- washing and drying her laundry in just 29 minutes flat with Electrolux's ecofriendly front-loading system that carries a $3,198 price tag.
In 2004, the talk show queen surprised 276 members of her studio audience with brand new Pontiac G-Six cars. Six years later, she kicked off the 25th and final season of The Oprah Winfrey Show by sending the premiere episode's guests on an all-expenses-paid trip to Australia. Facing backlash when car recipients were forced to pay hefty taxes on their prize, Winfrey picked up the tax tab for her Australia winners.
How romantic! Bieber earned major kudos from Selena Gomez in 2010 when the pop star rented out L.A.'s 20,000-seat Staples Center for the duo to dine on steak and pasta court side before catching a screening of Titanic. "Romance isn't dead," Bieber later tweeted. "Treat your lady right fellas."
The NBA great spared no expense when walking down the aisle to marry Yvette Prieto in 2013. Holding his $10 million ceremony in Palm Beach, Fla., Jordan enlisted star wedding planner Sharon Sacks to assist with the fete. "The attention to detail was magnificent," a source told Us. "The tent even smelled beautiful. It looked like the most luscious garden you could imagine. The room was filled with thousands of candles, thousands. It was heavenly."
The Grey's Anatomy star -- a member of the investment group Global Baristas -- purchased Seattle-based Tully's Coffee in 2013 after outbidding Starbucks with $9.15 million during a private auction. "I'm thrilled that we won and I'm even more excited about saving Tully's Coffee and its hundreds of jobs," Dempsey told Us after the chain closed 19 locations and filed for bankruptcy.
Teen Mom's controversial star went under the knife for a $16,000 rhinoplasty and chin implant performed by Florida plastic surgeon Dr. Michael Salzhauer in 2012. The procedures followed a $5,000 breast augmentation that enhanced Abraham's bust from an A to a C cup. "I think it's helped my confidence and for me to feel more like a woman," she explained of the 2011 surgery.