Kim Kardashian Cashes In Big on Wedding to Kris Humphries With Deals, Steals and Gifts
The deals she made to get paid for her big day!
Aug. 22, 2011 — -- Celebrity entrepreneur and reality TV star Kim Kardashian said "I do" to professional basketball player Kris Humphries on Saturday in a highly anticipated, black-tie affair attended by more than 450 of their closest friends and, of course, cameras from the E! news network to document it all.
Dressed in a classic, full princess-style ivory Vera Wang gown, Kardashian, 30, walked down the aisle on the arm of her stepfather, Olympic great Bruce Jenner. This was her second wedding, and Humphries' first.
"The moment she turned the corner and she was on Bruce's arm, everyone was stunned," Jen Garcia of People magazine told "Good Morning America" today.
Humphries, 26, met Kardashian at the altar in a white lapel tuxedo jacket, shirt and bow tie with black pants -- all by Ermenegildo Zegna.
Kardashian's sisters, Kourtney, 32, and Khloe, 27, stood by as the maid and matron of honor, respectively, while her younger half-sisters, Kendall, 15, and Kylie Jenner, 14, along with Humphries' sister Kaela, served as bridesmaids.
All five wore ivory, silk organza mermaid gowns, according to E!.
Kourtney's 21-month-old son, Mason Disick, stole the show as the ring bearer, working the crowd as he walked down the aisle.
The approximately 30-minute, outdoor ceremony, led by Humphries' family's pastor, was held at a lavish, Montecito, Calif., estate reportedly owned by former Google executive Eric Schmidt.
People.com reported that Kardashian paid homage to her late father, attorney Robert Kardashian, who died of cancer in 2003, in the wedding program. The message read, "I so wish my dad could be here today to walk me down the aisle. But I know in a way he is here, and I feel his loving presence all around me. I love and miss you, Dad."
"I did hear that it was an emotional, three-hankie situation, which, you know, you can't pay for," celebrity wedding planner Mindy Weiss told "GMA."
After the 'I Do's,' the Party
Kardashian changed clothes immediately after the ceremony, donning the second of three dresses she would wear by night's end, all custom-made by family friend Vera Wang.
"For the reception Kim then changed into sort of a mermaid dress with organza leaves, petals on the skirt," Julie Dam, assistant managing editor at People told "GMA" in an interview on Sunday. "And then later on she changed, yet again, into a V-neck dress with a circle skirt."
Plenty of celebrities were in attendance on Saturday too, all dressed in black-and-white, per strict instructions from the bride.
Among the guests were Kathie Lee Gifford, a close friend of Kardashian's mom, Kris Jenner, as well as Justin Bieber, Christina Aguilera, Serena Williams, Demi Lovato, George Lopez, Mario Lopez, Eva Longoria and boyfriend Eduardo Cruz, Avril Lavigne, Lindsay Lohan and her mom, Dina, and, of course, Humphries' New Jersey Nets teammates. But there was apparently some last-minute drama with the list.
"Basically, she invited too many people and the space couldn't fit [them] so the fire marshall stepped in and said you're going to have to narrow your numbers or you can't have your wedding," said Juliette Izon of Life & Style Weekly.
Those who made the list were treated to a gourmet, four-course meal prepared by Hollywood chef to the stars Wolfgang Puck. Reception entertainment included performances by Robin Thicke, who sang his hit "Angels" for the couple's first dance, and the legendary R&B band Earth, Wind and Fire.
To top it off, guests were treated to a towering cake from famed Los Angeles bakery Hansen's, a $15,000 creation inspired by the real royal wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton. The reportedly 6-foot tall cake included 10 layers and a decadent, chocolate chip frosting, the bride's favorite.
Raking In Deals for Her 'I Do's'
Continuing in the tradition that started when exposure through a reality TV show turned into a family business empire, Kardashian is cashing in -- big time -- on her weekend wedding to Humphries.
She wore white down the aisle, but Kardashian is being so well paid for her lavish nuptials that she'll end up in the black.
The wedding cost an estimated $500,000, but according to The Hollywood Reporter, the bride was paid $1.5 million by People magazine for exclusive rights to photos of the event.
The magazine apparently paid the pair an additional $300,000 for exclusive rights to pictures of their engagement announcement earlier this year.
And OK! magazine reportedly paid $100,000 for exclusive rights to photos of the bridal shower.
And that's not all. Here are a few other ways the reality TV family is saving, and earning, on the wedding:
The bride wore a $20,000 Vera Wang bridal gown. She didn't pay for it, reports say.
Her 20-carat Lorraine Schwartz diamond ring, valued at a reported $2 million, apparently cost the groom a fraction of that.
Posh Los Angeles' bakery Hansen's Cakes apparently gave Kardashian and Humphries their $15,000 wedding cake.
"She's certainly not the first (celebrity) to capitalize on her wedding and photos and the press to get everything paid for and more," marketing expert Ryan Schinman, chief of Platinum Rye Entertainment, told the Associated Press.
"It's the first that feels a little commercial," he said. "But from what everyone sees, she's very much in love, as long as her fiance doesn't mind one of the most special moments in their lives being followed and shared with the rest of the world."
So why does Kardashian have so many luxury brands and top merchants lining up to give her free stuff?
Celebrity event producer Tony Schubert told The Hollywood Reporter that because Kardashian is viewed as a "tastemaker" by so many brides-to-be, many are eager to be associated with her.
The wedding will be broadcast on E!, the network that airs the family's hit reality show, "Keeping Up With the Kardashians," as well as hit spin-offs featuring her sisters, Kourtney and Khloe.
E! will air "Kim's Fairytale Wedding: A Kardashian Event" Oct. 9 and 10, and the network is expecting it to be a ratings bonanza. After all, the wedding was one of the most talked-about events of the social calendar this year, right up there with the royal weddings in Britain and Monaco.
Some have even dubbed Kim Kardashian America's reality TV princess.
The Kardashian women are so popular that they have parlayed their reality TV success into fashion lines, fragrances and television endorsements that are worth millions. Under mother Kris' savvy management, they reportedly earned $65 million last year.
E!'s airing of Khloe Kardashian's 2009 wedding to Lamar Odom was then the most-watched broadcast in the network's history, drawing more than 3 million viewers.
On Sunday morning, the newlyweds were spotted leaving their hotel and will reportedly head to Bora Bora for their honeymoon.
ABC News' Meg Oliver contributed to this report.