There’s something Jeff Bezos and Mukesh Ambani have in common. While one is known for his $221 billion fortune, the other, Asia’s richest man, is celebrated for the way he spends his billions. Mukesh Ambani, chairman of Reliance Industries, showed the world what a wedding could look like when he spent nearly $600 million on the pre-wedding celebrations of his youngest son, Anant Ambani. Yes, that’s just 0.625% of his $96 billion net worth, but it was still an extravaganza for the ages.
As for Amazon’s co-founder, who is set to marry his helicopter-flying fiancée Lauren Sánchez, $600 million accounts for only 0.27% of his fortune. But while The Ambanis chartered an entire cruise ship for his 600 guests during a four-day Mediterranean celebration, Bezos already has a venue at sea: his $500 million megayacht, Koru. The world’s largest sailing yacht has been at the heart of his personal milestones since its delivery in May 2023.
Rumors are swirling about a wedding finally taking place, two years after Bezos proposed aboard Koru. The tech tycoon is reportedly planning his XXL wedding in Venice. According to Puck News, the couple is expected to tie the knot aboard Koru off the coast of Venice.
As per Morgen Post, the guest list includes names like Bill Gates, Leonardo DiCaprio, and Queen Rania of Jordan. The ever-stylish Sánchez, who is also set to go to space with an all-female crew, will reportedly wear a gown by Oscar de la Renta, the designer behind her white ensemble for President Donald Trump’s inauguration. Let’s take a look at their journey and how Koru has been the spectacular third wheel all along.
Koru: the half-a-billion-dollar yacht of dreams
Bezos popped the question to his Emmy-winning journalist girlfriend aboard Koru in 2023, during their first cruise since the yacht’s delivery, off the coast of Cannes. That inaugural voyage of the 416-foot superyacht became unforgettable when the centibillionaire proposed with a 30-carat diamond ring. While Koru symbolizes Bezos’ immense wealth and status as the world’s second-richest man, it also feels like a monumental gesture of love.
Not only has Bezos traveled to the most exotic destinations hand-in-hand with Sánchez, but he’s also hosted family and friends aboard the luxury vessel. The Oceanco-built beauty is trailed by a $75 million support yacht, Abeona, complete with a helipad and hangar, ideal for watching his helicopter pilot fiancée soar.
Koru even features a wooden figurehead that bears a strong resemblance to Sánchez. While she’s clarified it isn’t modeled after her, romantics would like to believe otherwise. Watching this love-struck couple say “I do” aboard a yacht with triple masts towering over 230 feet sounds like a fairytale finale.
Venice, the place where the ultra-wealthy tied the knot
One of the world’s most romantic cities, Venice, with its centuries-old palazzos and Grand Canal sunsets, feels straight out of a storybook. Add Koru to the backdrop, and Bezos has the perfect setting surrounded by ornate churches and Renaissance charm. Venice has long captivated the rich and famous. In 2014, George Clooney and Amal Alamuddin chose the city for their glamorous wedding, drawing Hollywood and fashion royalty.
In 2021, the city played host again, this time for Alexandre Arnault (son of LVMH CEO Bernard Arnault) and Géraldine Guyot, with Beyoncé, Jay-Z, and Pharrell Williams among the star-studded guests.
Not just Venice, but even the rest of Italy casts a spell on the ultra-rich. The flamboyant Ambanis booked the entire town of Portofino for the pre-wedding celebrations of their youngest son, Anant, where none other than legendary tenor Andrea Bocelli serenaded him and his bride-to-be, Radhika Merchant.
Now, with Jeff Bezos following in the footsteps of the world’s wealthiest and most glamorous, with Lauren Sánchez on one side and Koru on the other, it’s safe to say this wedding will either outshine them all or at least take its place among the most talked-about unions of the century (especially after one of the most publicized divorces in recent history).
