Just seven months ago, fans declared Sofia Richie’s wedding to husband Elliot Grainge as the wedding of the year. Now, it seems that a new supreme has risen with what the internet is calling the “wedding of the century”.
A rehearsal dinner at the Palais Garnier, an overnight stay at the Palace of Versailles, a private lunch at Chanel, and a bachelorette week at a five-star luxury resort in Utah. Up until now, many social media users were unaware of 26-year-old Madelaine Brockway, who tied the knot with fiancé Jacob LaGrone in Paris, France, on 18 November.
As videos of Brockway’s lavish wedding flooded TikTok feeds over the weekend, one person dubbed the event as “the most stunning wedding in the world”. Many others gushed over Brockway’s lush floral arrangements and her private Maroon 5 concert, but a majority of users couldn’t help but wonder: Who is Madelaine Brockway and how much did the nuptials cost?
“The most stunning wedding in the world is happening right now,” declared TikTok user and event planner Lauren Zigman, in a video with nearly 200,000 views. “Sofia Richie’s was the ‘it girl’ wedding of 2023? No, this one is. Madelaine Brockway’s wedding is it.”
The celebrations began with a “bachelorette week” at luxury resort Amangiri in Canyon Point, Utah, where the lowest price for a one-night hotel room stay is $3,150. For three nights, each evening included a theme, the first one being “Pretty In Pink”. In videos posted to TikTok, Brockway and her bridal party were dressed in all-pink as they danced to a private DJ set. For night two, which was themed “Aliens Amongst Us”, the attendees dressed in intergalactic-themed wigs and sparkly attire while sipping on personalised cocktails. Her third bachelorette evening - titled “Golden Hour” - included abundant yellow bouquets lining the dinner table, while the final event was themed “Marie Antoinette’s Last Halloween” - as Brockway fully channelled the 16th century in a petticoat and a powdered wig.
Following the bachelorette week in Utah, Brockway and her wedding guests travelled to Paris, where she documented the lead-up to the big day. Five days before the nuptials, Brockway and her friends were given a private lunch at the Chanel Haute Couture Suite, where they even weaved their own pouches. This was followed by an overnight stay at the Palace of Versailles courtesy of Le Grand Contrôle, the hotel in the Château de Versailles. Le Grand Contrôle is the only hotel at the Palace, with 11 rooms and two suites designed in 18th century style. Guests are also given a complimentary tour of the Domaine de Trianon and access to the gardens of Versailles. The lowest price for a one-night stay is €2,200 ($2,409), while the luxury suites cost as high as €13,000 ($14,235).
Three days before the wedding, Brockway and her fiancé took the opportunity to explore well-known attractions in Paris. They posed for pictures outside the Eiffel Tower, where Brockway was seen wearing a white, diamond-studded suit jacket and shorts set from Libertine. She accessorised the look with Dior sunglasses and jewellery, a pair of white Prada loafers, and a fluffy white coat.
In a video posted to TikTok, Brockway and her team took a ride on to the top of the Eiffel Tower for mimosas and croissants. That evening, her family and friends had dinner on a boat along the River Seine and docked for drinks at the top of the Arc de Triomphe.
Brockway expressed her excitement over the upcoming wedding in the clip, but admitted that she still has some last-minute items to check off her list. “I still haven’t written my vows,” she told the camera. “I think I honestly, probably will just say them to him. I’m just gonna speak from my heart.”
The 26-year-old shared with her followers that content from the wedding was still on the way, but that didn’t stop her wedding guests from posting videos of the rehearsal dinner and the subsequent ceremony. The rehearsal dinner took place at the Palais Garnier, one of the most famous opera houses in the world. As attendees made their way through the entrance, the Palais Garnier’s grand staircase was adorned with hundreds of pink flowers and female violinists dressed in floor-length gowns. Tulipina, a floral design company led by Kiana Underwood, spearheaded the floral arrangements for Brockway’s extravagant wedding. In a video posted to Instagram, Underwood revealed that it took an entire week and 25 team members to decorate the Palais Garnier leading up to the rehearsal dinner.
While Brockway has yet to disclose the venue for the actual wedding, videos posted to TikTok hinted that the outdoor ceremony occurred on the grounds of an old mansion. The garden was decorated with a white arched pergola, a flowing fountain, and white flowers hanging from the outdoor ceiling. As footage captured Brockway and LaGrone’s first dance as husband and wife, the camera panned to show none other than Maroon 5 frontman Adam Levine serenading them on stage.
The elaborate wedding celebration has since captured everyone’s attention on TikTok, with people flooding the comments section inquiring about the lavish nuptials.
“Paris opera house, gardens, stunning decor AND Maroon 5,” wrote one user on TikTok. “WHO ARE THESE PEOPLE?”
“Why is no one talking about how Maroon 5 is just casually their wedding band,” commented someone else.
“This is hands down THE most beautiful wedding my eyes have ever been blessed to see,” a third person said.
According to her LinkedIn, Brockway is a self-employed entrepreneur based in Fort Worth, Texas. Her father, Robert “Bob” Brockway, is the chairman and CEO of Bill Ussery Motors - the parent company of Mercedes-Benz of Coral Gables and Mercedes-Benz of Cutler Bay in Florida.
As videos of Brockway’s wedding went viral on TikTok, it didn’t take long for people to discover her wedding gift registry was just as lavish as the nuptials - a miniature lion figurine priced at $580, an $860 gravy boat, and a 19-inch butterfly house for $12,500.
The Independent has contacted Madelaine Brockway for comment.
