Most American weddings are a lot more extravagant than the nuptials of Amazon’s Jeff Bezos

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 clear the canals became in the absence of so many tourists, and how they could see the fish again. How quickly we have forgotten about 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 provide 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.

Meaningless wedding costs

Bezos’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 status. He can afford to go big and go home. Most Americans, even those who look down on such wild conspicuous consumption and who rail against Amazon’s dominance and argue about the sustainability of its business 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. All on one day. That’s not lavish. It’s insanity.

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.S. 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.S. couples.

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. It is life affirming. 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 cultlike about 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 about Jeff Bezos and enjoy it.

More columns 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 million

Recession signs are out of control. When will it end?