Lady Gaga's wedding to actor Taylor Kinney sound like it will be swinging joint, as her Cheek to Cheek costar Tony Bennett has confirmed that he'll be performing at the event when it occurs later this year. One benefit to being a celebrity is having the connections and money to book amazing nuptial entertainment. Check out how The Royal Couple, Kanye West and Rush Limbaugh celebrated their big days.
Bill Gates books Willie Nelson (1994)
Guys, never get the idea that your role in being a romantic ends at the proposal (and also don't assume your wife's family will foot the bill, especially if you're a billionaire). The Microsoft CEO went farther than picking a meaningful song for his first dance with Melinda, but booked one of her favorite musicians, Willie Nelson, to fly out to Hawaii and give a short performance during the after party. The romantic gesture must have worked to some degree, as the pair remains happily married.
Liza Minnelli books Tony Bennett and Natalie Cole (2002)
Bennett's gig at the Gaga estate won't be his first time at the wedding rodeo. Liza Minnelli's 2002 nuptials to producer David Gest was case-and-point that nothing beats having industry connections. Before kids these days only knew her from Arrested Development, Minnelli was one of the most sought after vocalists on Broadway, a field that meshes heavily with traditional pop vocalists. Two of the headliners at the event were Bennett and Natalie Cole, but she also booked some more modern pop acts...including Paula Abdul and Shaggy (the latter was a much more hip choice in 2002).
Andrey Melnichenko books Christina Aguilera, Whitney Houston, and The Iglesias Family (2005)
Bill Gates' wedding, despite probably costing millions, was still a relatively small and tasteful event. Another billionaire, Russian industrialist Andrey Melnichenko, had no such delusions about his own wedding. Among the entertainment he booked for the party was Whitney Houston and BOTH Julio Iglesias and his son Enrique Iglesias. Considering those two acts, Christina Aguilera was probably the cheapest one to pay off, and reports of her payday for the event range from $1.8 million to $3.6 million. Either way, that sounds like a good sum for singing two songs.
Rush Limbaugh books Elton John (2010)
When we think of who Rush Limbaugh would book for his wedding entertainment, Elton John is one of the last names that comes to mind. After all, the former is staunchly anti-gay marriage and the latter is the most prominent gay man in entertainment. The two share a love of one thing however: capitalism. The conservative talk host was willing to shell out for the pianist to perform and John was willing to take the check. Naturally, however, gay-rights organizations had a cow when they found out about the performance. Can't say we blame them, but Elton has a history of teaming up with controversial figures, such as his Grammys performance with Eminem.
The Royal Couple book Ellie Goulding (2011)
Most of the aforementioned performances shouldn't be too big of a thing for those performing: You show up, do your bit, collect the paycheck. Not too much pressure after a life of touring major arenas. Ellie Goulding had reason to sweat however, when she was selected by Prince William and Kate Middleton to perform her version of Elton's "Your Song" for their first song (why John, himself a Brit, was unable to perform is unknown). So not only is she asked to perform at the most hyped wedding in the world since William's parents got hitched, Goulding was asked to sing during what's generally considered the second biggest moment of any wedding. She pulled it off.
Kimye books Andrea Bocelli and Lana Del Rey (2014)
Kanye West has some seriously experimental taste in music. He played it smart when it came to planning his wedding however, landing Lana Del Rey for the more mainstream entertainment and booking legendary tenor Andrea Bocelli for the more romantic moments. What's even more impressive than the amount that the couple had to pay for such vocal contributions is how they managed to keep it under wraps. The wedAdam Levineding went off without any paparazzi awareness, despite the couple being the most popular pair in the tabloids.
Adam Levine books Stevie Nicks (2014)
Up until this point we've avoided listing couples that got relatives or themselves to perform. It's cute that Justin Timberlake sang an original song to Jessica Biel, but it also didn't take too much planning on his part. Adam Levine gets a break on this front for performing at his own wedding because he brought Stevie Nicks to duet with him. It was a great plan: Nicks is probably too old for him...his wife Behati Prinsloo might have taken it the wrong way if he invited The Voice costar Aguilera for a romantic collaboration, even if his intentions were pure.
