Most American weddings are a lot more extravagant than the nuptials of Amazon’s Jeff Bezos
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Americans spend an average of $33,000 on their big day, which amounts to between 25% and 50% of their annual household income.
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June 27, 2025
05:17 PM
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Advanced ➔ Results The MoneyistMost American weddings are a lot more extravagant than the nuptials of Amazon’s Jeff BezosAmericans spend an average of $33,000 on their big day, which amounts to between 25% and 50% of their annual household incomeLast d: June 27, 2025 at 1:17 p
ETFirst Published: June 26, 2025 at 11:11 a
ETResizeListen(6 min)The Amazon founder’s wedding may be ludicrously over the top by many people’s estimation, but it pales in comparison with the habits of Americans in love
Photo: AFP via Getty ImagesThis weekend is bably not a good time to visit Venice
The fabled city’s residents — some of them, at least — are in an uar over the wedding of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and his partner, Lauren Sanchez, a former TV reporter
A prenuptial “foam party” on Bezos’s $500 million yacht didn’t help dispel the disdain of grass-roots campaigners who loathe Silicon Valley billionaires and their impact on both the environment and mom-and-pop es
The happy couple covered in suds was Jay Gatsby goes to Party City, but their lavishness pales in comparison to most U
Not so much, especially given media scrutiny of the couple’s excesses
But I was in Venice during the waning days of 2020, after the first wave of COVID-19 had swept the world and we were wondering whether it was OK to finally exhale
The only accents to be heard on the streets were European
Hoteliers longed for the days of rich tourists, restaurateurs stood on the steps of their empty venues and gondoliers sat canalside, doomscrolling on their mobile phones
Locals marveled at how the canals became in the absence of so many tourists, and how they could see the fish again
How quickly we have forgotten those days
If Bezos earns an estimated $8 million an hour, his wedding accounts for 0. 0714% of his annual earnings
The contrast between the images of A-list celebrities gathering in a city that is so reliant on visitors — and that is also sinking, both culturally and literally, from the effects of rising seawater and overtourism — is stark. (The city banned large cruise ships from passing through the Giudecca Canal and St
Mark’s Basin in 2021. ) An estimated 90 jets will bring members of the wedding party along with 200 to 250 guests to the area before the festivities begin, in addition to 30 water taxis, Reuters reports
Suites in the city’s five-star hotels will fill up
That doesn’t include what’s required to vide security and manage the various wedding events over the weekend
But the hard truth is that most Americans are actually more ludicrously extravagant when they marry than this shiny, happy couple
Bezos, while he earns a relatively modest $80,000 salary from Amazon, reportedly makes roughly $8 million an hour from his Amazon stock, giving him a net worth of more than $220 billion
If he spent an estimated $50 million on this wedding — reports have put the cost at anywhere from $10 million to nearly $80 million — that would represent 0. 0227% of his net worth
If Bezos does earn $8 million an hour, then this wedding would only account for 0. 0714% of his annual earnings
It’s a tiny drop in the ever-rising, ever-warming ocean
Bezos and Sanchez wave from a taxi boat as they arrive at the Aman Hotel in Venice on Wednesday
Photo: AFP via Getty ImagesMeaningless wedding costsBezos’s wealth is so vast that the cost of his wedding — with official parties beginning on Thursday, the exchange of vows on Friday and a grand finale on Saturday — is virtually meaningless relative to his financial
He can afford to go big and go
Most Americans, even those who look down on such wild conspicuous consumption and who rail against Amazon’s dominance and argue the sustainability of its model, spend a massive chunk of their annual earnings — anywhere from 25% to 50% — on their own big day, if we are to believe estimates from the wedding industry
The average cost for a wedding was $33,000 last year, according to the wedding site the Knot — slightly lower than the $35,000 average in 2023
The cost rises to nearly $40,000 for a destination wedding
With the median household income at $80,600, according to calculations from the U
Census Bureau, that means the average American spends more than 40% of their annual household income on their big day
That includes $12,200 for the venue, $2,900 for the photographer, $2,700 for the florist, $1,700 for the DJ and $2,100 for the bride’s dress
Those figures may seem high, but the Knot says it polled nearly 17,000 U
It’s debatable if this was the right venue
But the Venice Biennale attracts 700,000 people during its six-month run
I love a good wedding
What is the point of working five days a week if we can’t take a moment to make room for joy and celebrate our love for each other
But there’s something cult being cajoled by society, the wedding industry and our peers to invest so much importance in one day
Couples are encouraged to go big on flowers, big on dresses, big on the cake, big on the Rolls Royce to take them to the church
My least favorite wedding slogan: “Say yes to the dress. ” My favorite weddings — and the most stylish — have been shoestring affairs that took place in backyards and town halls
The Knot acknowledges that there are many kinds of weddings: “Whether it’s a garden soiree filled with beautiful botanicals, a sophisticated ballroom affair or a cozy backyard gathering, a wedding is the perfect opportunity for a couple to celebrate with loved ones. ” For their part, Bezos and Sanchez have said they’re making contributions to local conservation and charitable organizations and have asked their guests to do the same in lieu of gifts
Venice is a crumbling, romantic medieval city
It’s debatable if it was the right venue for this event
But to put things in perspective, the Venice Biennale attracts 700,000 people during its six-month run
The biggest day of your life is today
Forget Jeff Bezos and enjoy it
The people of Venice — some of them, at least — are in an uar over the wedding of Jeff Bezos and his partner, Lauren Sanchez
Photo: AFP via Getty ImagesMore from Quentin Fottrell:What on Earth is going on with the American consumer
We’re living in ‘end times’ when you can’t retire on $1 millionRecession signs are out of control
When will it end. the Author Quentin FottrellQuentin Fottrell is MarketWatch's Managing Editor-Advice and The Moneyist columnist
You can him on Twitter @quantanamo
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