What happens at a billionaire’s wedding?

A billionaire’s life is shrouded in mystery. What does a typical day look like? Do they jump on private jets and flit off all over the world? And when a billionaire gets engaged, we ask the ultimate question: “What on earth happens at a billionaire’s wedding?”

When billionaires get married, there’s one thing that’s safe to say – it’s a little bit more of an extravagant experience than the pre-drinks, wedding day, and recovery day that we’re all used to. Think private islands, custom couture gowns, Michelin-starred chefs specifically flown in for the day, and a guest list with more stars than the Met Ball. 

All eyes were recently on the dot-com billionaire and Amazon founder, Jeff Bezos, in his recent wedding to Lauren Sanchez. As the festivities unfolded, the rest of us were pondering what really happens at a phone’s off, billionaire’s wedding?

Quiet luxury is out

The saying goes, “money talks, wealth whispers”. But it’s been two years since the queen of quiet luxury, Sofia Richie, wed her record exec beau Elliot Grainge. And the quiet, subtle, some might say classy wedding style is on the out, and conspicuous consumption is in. Well, if you want to look to the Bezos-Sanchez union as a guide for your wedding,

Coming in at a staggering estimated US$76 million (AUD$116 million), the festivities were a bumper-to-bumper long weekend in, of course, Venice. Perhaps just a tad “let them eat cake”, as the world watched on from our lifestyles adjusted to the rising living costs, it became a fanfare, for better or worse, for fans or snarkers. Everyone was curious how a man worth $236 million would celebrate his second wedding, usually a wedding reserved for a smaller celebration.

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The billionaire’s guest list

For billionaires, the umming and ahhing around who to invite doesn’t revolve around whether or not the great aunt should make the list. Instead, it’s deciding between philanthropists, Oscar winners, and royalty. 

You can expect to see the classics: Leo DiCaprio finds his way into most weddings alongside Oprah Winfrey. The Kardashians will often make the cut, whether it’s one, two, or all of the sisters, along with their momager Kris. Sometimes, even political figures make the cut, brushing shoulders with the A-listers over some cocktails. It’s less about your mum’s co-worker’s cousin, and more about securing billion-dollar partnerships over champagne.

That’s right, billionaires’ weddings aren’t just about celebrating love, but consider it a bit of a networking opportunity.

Gifts: a little more than a toaster

When we attend our friend’s weddings, we saunter around the homewares section, looking at the Smeg toasters, Maison Balzac glassware or even a restaurant voucher. For the guests of a billionaire, a new knife just isn’t going to cut the mustard.

For Indian heir Anat Ambani, when he wed his wife Radhika Merchant in 2024, he was given a Lamborghini, a private jet and a Dubai mansion. Chinese billionaire heiress Jamie Xie keeps Hermes serving trays as her go-to gift when attending weddings of her fellow billionaires. In some cases, gifts are symbolic rather than material, like naming a star after the couple or commissioning bespoke sculptures.

@easyweddings Top 10 most INSANELY expensive gifts at the Ambani wedding 👀 Who’s inviting these guests to their wedding 🙋‍♀️ #weddinggift #ambaniwedding #weddingtiktok #weddingvibes #weddingtok #weddingplanner #easyweddings ♬ original sound – Easy Weddings

The menu: Private chefs, caviar, and a wine list you cannot pronounce

When you’re worth billions, catering is not an afterthought — it’s a centrepiece. Multi-course menus curated by world-renowned chefs are standard, often featuring exclusive delicacies: truffle everything, aged Wagyu beef, oysters shucked to order, and desserts that look more like fine art than food. 

The wine list? Expect bottles older than the internet. Guests might sip on a vintage Domaine de la Romanée-Conti or a rare champagne from a diamond-encrusted tower.

The entertainment: Pop stars emerge from retirement

There’s not much that will bring Rihanna back on stage. The Super Bowl, to simultaneously announce her pregnancy (and use it as an ad for her own beauty brand Fenty) and the $6.3 million paycheck that came with performing for the pre-wedding celebration of the Ambani wedding. 

At Bezos’ wedding, whispers of private performances by A-list artists swirled — and that wouldn’t be unusual. Although the wedding was a no phones allowed affair, those of us who didn’t make the guest list have little inside information on who got the dance floor pumping. Think surprise sets from music legends, firework shows timed to live orchestras, or a dance floor that turns into a nightclub designed by the team behind Coachella. A billionaire’s wedding is part love story, part once-in-a-lifetime entertainment event.

So, what happens at a billionaire’s wedding?

A billionaire wedding isn’t just a celebration — it’s a showcase of influence, artistry, and often, understated (or significantly overstated) power. It’s about love, yes — but also spectacle. Guests leave with monogrammed keepsakes, stories for a lifetime, and perhaps even a few new business deals in their back pocket. One thing’s for sure: when you have more money than most countries, your wedding is anything but ordinary.

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