Amazon multi-billionaire founder Jeff Bezos waves as he leaves by boat an hotel in Venice, Italy, on Wednesday, June 25, 2025, ahead of festivities in the lagoon city reportedly linked to his wedding with Lauren Sanchez. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)
Billionaire Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, the world’s fourth-richest person with a net worth of $223.7 billion, is set to marry longtime girlfriend Lauren Sánchez in a three-day Venetian wedding extravaganza starting June 24, estimated to cost over $10 million. Dubbed the “wedding of the century,” the nuptials have sparked widespread interest, not only for their opulence but also for the intricate legal protections surrounding the union.Bezos and Sanchez, a former news anchor and founder of an aerial production company, announced their engagement in 2023. However, their wedding plans were reportedly delayed from an initial winter 2024 date in Aspen due to prolonged negotiations over a prenuptial agreement, according to The Hollywood Reporter. An insider claimed Bezos’ legal team insisted on finalizing the prenup before proceeding, though Bezos denied the Aspen wedding rumor via a post on Twitter. According to a report in Vanity Fair too, some lingering financial trauma from Bezos’ first divorce pushed the couple’s wedding by few months.
One of the most-expensive divorce in the history
The prenup is a focal point given Bezos’ costly 2019 divorce from MacKenzie Scott, his wife of 25 years and Amazon’s first employee. That split, one of the most expensive in history, saw Scott receive over $38 billion in Amazon shares. e divorce included explosive cheating allegations that accused Bezos of having an affair with now-fiancée Sanchez. The absence of a prenup in Bezos’ first marriage has made legal safeguards a priority this time around.The Venetian celebration marks a new chapter for Bezos and Sánchez, whose relationship began under public scrutiny but has since blossomed into a high-profile romance. As the couple prepares to say “I do,” their legal agreements ensure that Bezos’ vast fortune remains protected, underscoring the complexities of love and wealth at the pinnacle of global finance.
Sexts that ended Jezz Bezos first marriage
Jeff Bezos and his first wife, the novelist MacKenzie Scott, were married back in 1993; Scott is said to have helped get Amazon off the ground, but their 25-year marriage ended in 2019 after the tabloid The Enquirer published leaked sexts between Bezos and Sanchez — revealing their romantic affair. The Bezos-Scott separation became one of the highest-dollar divorces in history, fracturing the pair’s fortune and leaving Scott with tens of billions of dollars and Amazon shares.
What divorce lawyers say
High-profile divorce attorney Robert Cohen, who has represented clients like Melinda French Gates, told Fortune that billionaires like Bezos often seek prenups after experiencing contentious divorces. “They’ve likely been through a nightmare before… and they don’t want to do that again,” Cohen said.Sánchez, who was previously married to Patrick Whitesell until 2019, also signed a prenup in her first marriage, which facilitated a smooth division of assets. She shares two children with Whitesell, while Bezos has four children with Scott. 