Considering that Forbes places Jeff Bezos (61) in fourth place as the richest person on the planet with 237.000 billion dollars, what he has spent on his wedding could be considered a bit 'stingy' at first glance.
It is estimated that the three days of celebrations have cost the Amazon founder around 42.6 million euros, which would represent almost 0.018% of his total fortune. To put this into perspective, in 2024 Mukesh Ambani (68), Asia's richest man with 116 billion dollars, spent 600 million dollars on the wedding celebrations of his son Anant Ambani (30) with Radhika Merchant (30).
However, Bezos' investment does not mean there were no luxuries. In fact, Stefano Visintin, the abbot of San Giorgio Maggiore, where the wedding took place this Saturday, described it to Il Corriere della Sera as "excessive worldliness," choosing the location "like a postcard for the rich," and commented that although "it is not prohibited, there are many events here, but done like this, in this way, it can be a bit shocking because it is an ostentatious frivolity that clashes with the nature of the island, more cultural and spiritual."
Let's break it down. To accommodate the 200 guests, including 70 family members, the five most luxurious hotels in Venice were reserved, such as Aman Venice, Danieli, Gritti Palace, The St. Regis Venice, and the Belmond Hotel Cipriani, where prices for the simplest room start at 1,200 euros per night. Among the VIPs who could be photographed were Rania of Jordan with her son Hussein and daughter-in-law Rajwa, Bill Gates, the Kardashian clan, Oprah Winfrey, Orlando Bloom, Leonardo DiCaprio, Tom Brady, Ivanka Trump with her husband Jared Kushner and their three children, etc.
What caught attention was the absence of the businessman's mother, Jacklyn Gise, although his father, Miguel Ángel, was seen, and also the absence of the four children he had with Mackenzie Scott.
The first haute couture dress worn by Lauren Bezos last Thursday - the first day of the festivities - in the cloister Della Madonna dell'Orto was an Elsa Schiaparelli from the spring/summer 2025 collection in turquoise satin costing around 92,000 euros. The Dolce & Gabbana wedding dress in Italian lace with a high neck, mermaid cut, sweetheart neckline, a five-meter train, 180 chiffon-covered priest buttons, and a veil could reach 300,000 euros. Not to mention the jewelry, as Lauren wore a 30-carat engagement diamond valued at five million euros.
This Saturday is the third and final day of the celebrations. To book the Arsenale, Bezos has invested 200,000 euros per day, as being a fortified enclosure, everyone would be safe from the protests that have been plaguing Venice due to the event. During the dinner, Lady Gaga will perform, and while her exact fee is unknown, considering that Katy Perry pocketed 1.5 million dollars for a couple of songs at Holly Valance and Nick Candy's wedding or that Rihanna charged between six and nine million dollars for a mini-concert at Anant Ambani's wedding... you do the math.
To transport all attendees, 30 water taxis were hired at a price between 180 and 250 euros per hour, with a 12-hour daily circulation, totaling between 194,000 euros and 270,000 euros. Additionally, according to The Sun, the Amazon founder spent around 7.5 million euros to reserve moorings in the marina for those arriving by yacht and another five million euros to cover parking and security for private planes.
Given the high-ranking executive guests, Hollywood actors, and socialites with several billion dollars in fortune (see the case of the Kardashian-Jenners), security has been of vital importance. Kenneth Bombace, CEO of Global Threat Solutions, who has provided protection at numerous Bezos events, told Forbes that for an event of this magnitude, between 40 and 50 professionals who have been working for months in advance would have been needed. The bill? "Several million dollars," Bombace stated.
The wedding menu held this Friday was prepared by chef Fabrizio Mellino, from the three-star Quattro Passi restaurant, which charges a little over 1,500 euros per person, including staff and transportation. That is, a total of 300,000 euros. It is said that they also served menus for the other two days, so the total amount would rise to 900,000 euros. In fact, the restaurant was closed for four days.
As reported by The Sun, during the three days of celebrations, 20 chefs were hired at a rate of 4,200 euros per day, resulting in an expenditure of 252,000 euros. These figures should be added to the 40 sous chefs and assistants who earned 1,700 euros per day, totaling 204,000 euros.
The visual presentation of the event with designer furniture, silk tapestries, chairs, tables... amounted to 3.8 million dollars; the floral decorations of roses in six colors by Munaretto Flowers amounted to 1.5 million euros; the three-day contract for 150 waiters and waitresses - who passed a test with 1,500 applicants - amounted to 1.5 million euros, and among the beverages served, 50 bottles of Petrus Pomerol from 1964 - Bezos' birth year - for 128,000 euros and 20 bottles of Giacomo Conterno Barolo from 1969 - Sánchez's birth year - for around 25,500 euros shone.