Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez Get Set To Wed in Venice—but Will Billionaire’s $500 Million Property Portfolio Be Hers To Have and To Hold?

Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez have officially touched down in Venice, where they are set to tie the knot in a lavish, star-studded wedding celebration that will span several days—and is expected to see everyone from Ivanka Trump to Kim Kardashian in attendance.

Billionaire Amazon founder Bezos, 61, and former TV correspondent Sanchez, 55, who got engaged in 2023, were seen arriving at the Aman Venice Hotel on June 25, hours before their three-day wedding extravaganza is due to kick off.

The dayslong occasion will see the happy couple—who are understood to have been staying aboard Bezos’ $500 million superyacht, Koru, in recent weeks—taking over a number of very high-profile venues in and around Venice.

The ceremony itself is reported to be taking place on June 27 on the island of San Giorgio Maggiore, which has been transformed into a luxe party space for the occasion by the Giorgio Cini Foundation, according to People.

However, the first of the celebrations will begin on the evening of June 26, when high-profile guests will be treated to a casual night at the Madonna dell’Orto church.

A host of A-listers have already been seen making their arrivals to the Floating City, including Ivanka and her husband, Jared Kushner, as well as fashion designer Diane von Furstenberg and her husband, Barry Diller.

The famous faces are reportedly staying at the most lavish hotels, such as The Gritti Palace, Hotel Cipriani, and the Aman, all which are nearly fully booked this week, despite charging up to $10,000 a night.

The day after the wedding, the power players will enjoy an intimate dinner at the Arsenal of Venice, a historic site that is only accessible by boat when connecting bridges are raised.

The last of the celebrations was initially scheduled to take place at Scuola vecchia della Misericordia; however, it was swiftly relocated this week as privacy concerns heightened.

In March, a spokesperson for the municipality of Venice noted that the historic locale is more than equipped to handle the over-the-top event.

At the time, Luca Zuin, a spokesperson for the mayor of Venice, revealed to CNN that some of the wedding celebrations would be held aboard Bezos’ 417-foot yacht, Koru, which will be anchored in the Venice lagoon, because it is too large to make the trip down the city’s historic Grand Canal.

News of the couple’s chosen venue initially sparked concern among locals over the potential impact of such a large-scale event. Rumors initially circulated that hundreds, or even thousands, of guests could descend upon the tourist hot spot.

However, the municipality has since addressed those concerns head-on, shutting down any and all suggestions that the floating city might struggle to host such a star-studded affair.

“The many speculations and fake news circulating about Jeff Bezos’ wedding are completely unfounded,” the statement read.

“Only 200 guests will have been invited and therefore it will be easy for Venice to accommodate such an event, without any disruption whatsoever to the city, its residents and visitors.

“The [organizers] have categorically not booked large amounts of gondolas or excessive numbers of water taxis and it is their utmost priority to make sure the city functions as normal, for all, with no abnormal disruption to anyone.”

It was then reported that Mayor Luigi Brugnaro and the municipality are “mutually working and supporting the organizers to ensure that the event will be absolutely respectful of the fragility and uniqueness of the city.”

It had previously been reported that Bezos and Sanchez would wed on Dec. 28, 2024, in snowy Aspen. However, after that date came and went with no signs of a ceremony, rumors then surfaced that they were planning to head to the altar in summer 2025.

According to an insider, everything about the special day will be “big” and luxe, with the report noting that Sanchez has already purchased a wedding dress by A-list designer Oscar de la Renta, whose white gowns begin at $9,000 and have been worn by Naomi Watts and George Clooney‘s wife, Amal.

“You won’t miss this one when it happens,” says the source, which comes as little surprise given Bezos’ extraordinary wealth.

When Bezos asked Sanchez to marry him, he proposed aboard Koru, with a sparkling diamond that is estimated to measure 20 to 30 carats and is believed to be worth $2.5 million. Reports suggested the raven-haired beauty “blacked out” when she saw it.

The couple’s decision to tie the knot in Venice put an end to the many rumors suggesting that they may host their wedding at one of Bezos’ numerous luxurious properties—or on-board his yacht, where he hosted one of many engagement parties.

Bezos’ real estate holdings have always been the subject of much intrigue, largely thanks to his incredible net worth.

However, interest in his properties surged in 2023, when he announced that he and Sanchez were moving their primary residence from Washington to Florida, a decision that the Amazon founder said was motivated largely by a desire to be closer to his parents.

However, in February 2024, it was revealed that Bezos enjoyed another perk as a result of his relocation: saving hundreds of millions of dollars in taxes.

According to a report by CNBC, the businessman stands to save “at least $610 million” in taxes that he would have had to pay if he were still living full time in Washington state.

Fresh questions will undoubtedly be raised over what share of Bezos’ many dwellings Sanchez might have a claim to, particularly given reports that the billionaire’s lawyers spent months drawing up an ironclad prenup before the wedding could be held.

According to The Hollywood Reporters, one insider close to the couple claimed that the prenup was so complex that it actually delayed the wedding—alleging that the ceremony had originally been set to take place in the winter of 2024 in Aspen, CO.

While details of the prenup have not yet been revealed, there is plenty of property that could end up on the table in the event of a divorce.

Seattle

Prior to that move, Bezos—whose net worth is currently estimated to be $234 billion, according to Bloomberg—had been largely based at his properties in the tony enclave of Medina, a suburb of Seattle, where he had been buying up homes for many years.

Bezos launched his e-commerce company in Washington state in the mid-1990s and built an enormous compound there. However, he’s since declared that Florida is his new state of choice—and he has the properties to prove it.

Bezos is one of several billionaires who own properties in the ultraexclusive Washington enclave of Medina, which is also home to the likes of Bill Gates and former Microsoft executive Charles Simonyi.

Four years after he founded Amazon, Bezos spent $10 million, along with now-ex-wife MacKenzie Scott, buying up two homes that sit on a 5-acre plot in the town of Hunts Point. In 2010, the duo reportedly spent $28 million to extensively renovate the estate, which boasts 310 feet of private shoreline and a private boathouse.

To maximize space (and privacy), Bezos also purchased an adjacent property that same year—a 24,000-square-foot mansion that was reportedly listed for $53 million. It is unclear whether the Amazon CEO paid that hefty sum or managed to snag a discount.

That home would ultimately serve as the business mogul’s primary residence for the next decade until 2023, when he announced his move to Florida.

Though he still holds the keys to much of his Seattle property portfolio, Bezos did offload one home in April of this year, selling it off for an astonishing $63 million, according to the Puget Sound Business Journal.

Bezos made a very hefty profit on the sale of the 9,240-square-foot home, having purchased it for $37.5 million in 2019, the same year he divorced his ex-wife.

Indian Creek, FL

The billionaire now owns three pricey places on Indian Creek Island—the third, he picked up for a reported $90 million in 2024. According to reports, he plans to raze the other two properties—which he picked up for a combined $147 million—and live in the most recent purchase while awaiting construction to be completed.

Indian Creek Island, which is known as “Billionaire Bunker” because of its residents’ extraordinary wealth, is also home to the likes of Ivanka Trump and Tom Brady. Bezos is understood to be its richest inhabitant.

The neighborhood, which has just 34 homes and 40-odd residents, is guarded by its own police force, ensuring the utmost safety for its wealthy homeowners.

Washington, DC

The owner of the storied Washington Post owns a similarly storied estate in the nation’s capital, a compound that he is said to have dropped $23 million on in 2017. The D.C. property includes two large, historical buildings and a chauffeur’s residence and garage, totaling nearly 27,000 square feet of interior space.

The entire lot measures more than 34,000 square feet, with landscaped gardens and lawns. It had been marketed as “perfect for a school or embassy or an exceptional private home.”

New York City

The Blue Origin founder also has a huge pied-à-terre in New York City. He owns a $16 million, three-bedroom apartment, purchased in 2020. That’s in addition to $80 million worth of units in the building, including a three-story penthouse and two apartments on the level right below it. In 2019, building permits were filed to combine the units.

The lavish spending continued to the West Coast, where, in 2020, Bezos dropped a record $165 million for David Geffen‘s Los Angeles mansion, the Wall Street Journal reported. Known as the Warner Estate, the 9-acre spread was built for Jack Warner, the late former president of Warner Bros.

The parcel features “expansive terraces, sprawling gardens, several guest houses, a tennis court and its own nine-hole golf course,” according to the Journal.

Maui, HI

The Amazon founder reportedly added one more property to his cart in 2021. The billionaire and Sanchez picked up a 14-acre estate on the Hawaiian island of Maui. The cost of the off-market transaction was reported to be in the neighborhood of $78 million.

The offering is said to include a 4,500-square-foot main house, a 1,700-square-foot guesthouse, and a 700-square-foot pool. The holding encompasses seven parcels of land and a fish pond with a private, white-sand beach.

Beverly Hills, CA

The lavish spending continued to the West Coast, where, in 2020, Bezos dropped a record $165 million for David Geffen‘s Los Angeles mansion, the Wall Street Journal reported. Known as the Warner Estate, the 9-acre spread was built for Jack Warner, the late former president of Warner Bros.

The parcel features “expansive terraces, sprawling gardens, several guest houses, a tennis court and its own nine-hole golf course,” according to the Journal.

West Texas

The lovebirds also hold the keys to an expansive ranch in West Texas, just north of Van Horn.

Bezos purchased the property in 2004 because it reminded him of his childhood on his grandfather’s land in Cotulla, TX.

It is unknown how much he splashed out for the 400,000-acre property.

The ranch is home to the 10,000-Year-Clock, which is designed to keep time for 10,000 years and helped Sanchez think about her future with Bezos, according to Vogue.

His fiancee also revealed to the outlet that Bezos has a space-themed bar dubbed the Kármán Line Bar located on the West Texas ranch.