It was probably a joke... Right? Photo / Instagram
It was probably a joke... Right? Photo / Instagram
An heiress whose oligarch grandfather shelled out £3.5million ($6.7million) for Mariah Carey and Sir Elton John to sing at her wedding has said she planned the whole thing to take revenge on an ex-boyfriend.
Irene Belenova, the granddaughter of Russian businessman Valery Kogan, wed Daniel Kenvey last January in London, when they were both 19, reports Daily Mail.
In a video uploaded to Instagram, Irene states her name and then says: "I only got married to p*** of my ex-boyfriend who I'm now back with. Everything works out well."
It was probably a joke... Right? Photo / Instagram
It is unclear whether the video is tongue-in-cheek, but her admission is applauded by the group of friends she was with at Sant Ambroeus restaurant in New York.
While a male-voice is heard calling her an "icon", it is not obvious whether the ex-boyfriend in question was with her at the restaurant because his name is not mentioned, nor is he tagged in the post.
Irene is the daughter of glamorous high flying lawyer Darina Lozovsky, 41, is Head of Capital Markets Practice at law firm White & Case LLP.
Darina's father is Russian oligarch Valery Kogan, who footed the enormous bill for Irene's wedding last year, and is worth around $2bn ($3.8billion). He also owns part of Moscow's Domodedovo Airport.
The couple cut into their cake - a 3-metre, ten-tier sculpture created for the occasion by London-based cake-maker Elizabeth Solaru. Photo / Supplied
The wedding took place at London's Landmark Hotel, where the Presidential Suite costs £1,450-a-night ($2,787) and featured a star-studded bill of performances.
The pair had a traditional Jewish ceremony, as both Irene and Daniel are Jewish. The groom is thought to be from London, although how he met Irene is unclear.
Mariah Carey is said to have been paid £2.5million ($4.8million) to fly in from the US and sing the 2005 ballad We Belong Together to the couple.
The Sun reported that the bride wept when Sir Elton John, who charges no less than £1million ($1.9million), dedicated the song Tiny Dancer to her during a 12-song set.
Actor Antonio Banderas, who now lives in London, also made a speech during the star-studded wedding, which ended with a DJ set from producer Mark Ronson.
Sir Elton John and Mariah Carey (pictured) were paid millions to sing at a Russian oligarch's 19-year-old granddaughter's wedding. Photo / Instagram
The bride wore a dress by one of Britain's most exclusive fashion brands, Ralph & Russo, which made Cheryl Cole's famous black wedding gown.
The fashion house also boasts clients including Beyonce and Angelina Jolie, who wore one of their dresses to meet the Queen.
The dress made for Irene was so extravagant that four people had to help her down the aisle, Cosmopolitan reported.
Nor was any expense spared on the food. A 3-metre, ten-tier wedding cake was created by London-based Elizabeth Solaru.
It cost £100,000 ($192,200) and featured five flavours, more than 10,000 sugar flowers, and contained some 1,000 duck eggs.
The couple with DJ and producer Mark Ronson (centre), who uploaded the photograph to his Instagram and said "Best wedding ever". Photo / Supplied
The nine-course menu from the day shows the luxurious food offered to guests, including tuna tartare, risotto, sea bass with caviar and fillet of beef.
Kogan, 64, who appeared on the Forbes rich list with an estimated £2billion as Russia's 41st richest man in 2014, has an enviable portfolio of properties around the world.
In 2013, Kogan invested at least £80m to build the most luxurious mansion in Israel, designed in a style resembling the White House.
He reportedly tore down seven villas in Caesarea to build his new mansion, where his neighbour is Irsaeli premier Benjamin Netanyahu.
