Don't expect Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez to get traditional wedding gifts

Business Insider

26-06-2025

By almost any material standard, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos has it all — or at least everything money can buy. As the third-richest man in the world, he owns multimillion-dollar homes in Beverly Hills, Washington state, New York City, DC, and on Indian Creek Island in Florida; he sails the world in a $500 million superyacht, and can go to space on his very own rocket ship.
So the A-list guests celebrating Bezos' marriage to Lauren Sánchez may understandably be at a loss when it comes to what to buy the newlyweds. Surely they already have multiple KitchenAids and china sets, and any reasonably-sized check would still get lost in Bezos' 12-figure bank account.
If the couple says 'no gifts,' you may want to ignore it
Bezos and Sánchez are encouraging their guests not to give wedding gifts at all. Instead, they are asking guests to donate to multiple Venetian causes, multiple outlets have reported.
In the guests' honor, Bezos made a "very important donation" to a Venetian preservation organization, Sebastiano Costalonga, Venice's councilor for trade and productive activities, told Business Insider. (The move is philanthropic and also provides a counterbalance to the calls of protesters taking to Venice's streets.)
It's not uncommon for the ultrawealthy to request guests forgo gifts, but that doesn't mean they won't get any.
"When it says 'no gift,' ignore it," Winston Chesterfield, the founder of Barton, a consulting firm focused on luxury and the wealthy, told BI.
Not requesting gifts "is a sort of 'test,'" Brian Daniel, who runs a staffing agency for the ultrawealthy, said. "They want to see how thoughtful their 'friends' are when giving them gifts."
In order to pass that test, guests should eschew the classic items on a wedding registry or even luxury goods from the likes of Louis Vuitton and Hermès in favor of something custom or one-of-a-kind, like a piece of art or furniture. (Writing a check is also a no-no, though Chesterfield heard of one instance of gifting bitcoin.)
"It doesn't necessarily need to be astronomically expensive, just very unique," Daniel said.
Rare, custom, or sentimental gifts
In the past, Daniel has sourced items such as a fossilized fish — its last meal was shrimp, which could still be seen in the fish's stomach — and documents handwritten by Leonardo da Vinci as wedding gifts.
Oftentimes, the gift holds some sort of sentimental value — a customized padel racket for your billionaire padel partner, Chesterfield suggested.
The reason, he added, has less to do with heartfelt admiration and more to do with ego.
"There is this kind of fear for these people who are below that tier," he said of the gift givers. "They just want to be remembered at a really important VIP wedding."
Other gift options could include commissioned art that features the couple's home or wedding venue, or a rare, first-edition print of a book that aligns with their interests, according to Roberta Camille Lione, a luxury wedding planner and founder of Italian Knot.
As for ideas that would be especially fitting for Bezos and Sánchez, Billy Folchetti, the luxury wedding planner and founder of Luxe, said a rare timepiece would be great for Bezos, a known watch enthusiast.
Or a group of guests could go in on purchasing the rights to name several stars for the couple, gifting the space-exploring newlyweds their own constellation. The name wouldn't be officially recognized by a government body, but could be a nice sentimental gesture.
He also said the famous friends of Bezos and Sánchez could lean on their talents and create an original song about their love story that would only ever be available to them.
The planners also said donating to a charity in the couple's name is often a good option, especially for a cause they care about.
Guests can also expect to receive gifts
No matter what they bring their hosts, the guests won't walk away empty-handed.
Cameron Forbes, a luxury event planner based in New York, said gifts for guests at ultra-luxury weddings are typically more about quality than quantity. Think custom-made goods rather than off-the-shelf items.
"People go really bespoke rather than bought," she said, especially for weddings with a seven-figure budget or higher.
That could mean custom champagne flutes or sabers engraved with the initials of each guest, or a water-color print of the wedding venue, which is especially popular for a destination wedding.
While the contents of Bezos and Sánchez's gift bags have not been confirmed, luxury event planner Sarah Haywood said they might send guests home with something "tasteful" that references the wedding's locale, like a piece of coveted Murano glass.
"Our clientele is conscious of not looking too showy," Haywood said. "It would be a quality gift, but it's not like a corporate gift bag with an iPad in it."
Lione said that guests at a luxury wedding in Venice could also receive a box of high-end goods from a local pasticceria or a custom fragrance meant to capture the romance of a Venetian night.
Guests at Anant Ambani and Radhika Merchant's wedding last year, for example, received candles from local artisans and custom duffel bags that nodded to the wedding venue.
"It's really just all about the kind of storytelling behind the gift," Forbes said.
Billionaires like Bezos also have the opportunity to go all out in taking care of their guests during their stay in order to show their appreciation.
Folchetti said that could include anything wellness-related to make their stay more comfortable, like unlimited services at the hotel spa, automatic daily room service for breakfast, or an option to get an IV drip in their rooms to hydrate after the festivities.
"I think there's something nice about a gift that's not 'bling bling,'" he said, and instead, "something that really means that you're being cared for."
Of course, he said there is one other option the couple could consider: Amazon gift cards.