How the massive cost of Bezos-Sánchez wedding compares to average US nuptials

USA Today

5 hours ago

As the world waits for the upcoming extravagant wedding in Venice of Amazon founder and billionaire Jeff Bezos and his fiancee, Lauren Sánchez, brides and grooms in the U.S. are figuring out ways to stretch their more modest wedding budgets amid tariff increases.
The Bezos-Sánchez wedding has been estimated to cost between $23 million to $34 million, as previously reported by USA TODAY and according to Venice regional governor Luca Zaia. That's a far cry from the average U.S. wedding in 2024, which cost $33,000, down slightly from $35,000 for 2023, according to The Knot's Real Weddings 2025 Study.
Sánchez also shared with Vogue that her pink engagement ring was worth $2.5 million. On average, an engagement ring in the U.S. cost $5,200 in 2024, according to The Knot's study. That's down from $5,500 in 2023, $5,800 in 2022 and $6,000 in 2021.
Tariffs are an unwelcomed wedding guest
As a florist, Allison Krivachek is doing her best to navigate tariff increases to imported flowers to keep costs for her brides and grooms down.
As a bride-to-be, Krivachek is also trying to make choices to keep her July wedding budget from increasing.
Brides, grooms and wedding vendors are in similar boats as prices for imported goods and tariffs add costs to an already expensive life event. Many aspects of the wedding day will be affected by tariffs, including alcohol, flowers, the wedding dress and goods such as centerpiece decorations if they are imported, according to The Knot, a wedding website.
As much as 80% of cut flowers are imported from other countries and 90% of wedding gowns sold in the U.S. are imported, according to The Knot, which could hike wedding costs.
Financial costs weigh heavy on minds of brides and grooms
In a survey of 741 engaged brides and grooms users of The Knot, shared exclusively with USA TODAY, 73% of couples said keeping costs within their budget were the top concern, and 46% said economic factors such as inflation were a major concern. Thirty-four percent were concerned about the rising costs of goods that could affect weddings though price changes specifically because of tariffs were less of a concern with 15% of couples mentioning it.
More than half of engaged couples (58%) said they hadn't seen tariffs affect their weddings yet, but 36% said they were making changes to their plans because of economic stress. Of those couples, 22% were adjusting their budgets while 68% said they were increasing their budgets.
Rather than cutting back, many couples responded to the concerns of looming tariffs by taking the proactive steps like booking early and consulting pros.
Vendors are good about helping couples figure out ways to make changes to suit their budget or plan for increases, said Lauren Kay, executive editor of The Knot.
"They want to help you have the best wedding ever and they want to help you pull that off, whether that's avoiding a tariff or making a trade off so your budget isn't terribly impacted," Kay told USA TODAY.
Couples do not seem to be panicking, Kay said, as they deal with another moment in wedding planning.
"It's not so much of a concern about the tariffs, itself, but just thinking about how we are going to plan our weddings and stay within budget with all of the economic factors that we're facing today," she said.
The average U.S. wedding in 2024 costs $33,000, down slightly from $35,000 for 2023, according to The Knot's Real Weddings 2025 Study.
Tariff increases have started showing up
Some vendors, like Krivachek, are already starting to see those increases.
"When they first came out, it was like, oh my gosh, this is going to be really devastating. We were seeing anywhere from 10% to 25%, and when you're talking about a wedding in flowers, when it's $5,000 plus, that 10% to 25% ... really adds up quickly," said Krivachek, referring to the average floral budget for weddings.
Some suppliers have also used the tariff news to unfairly raise prices as much as double, Krivachek said.
A lot of florists and couples have been panicking on how to offset tariff increases and checking contract language, which may allow vendors to raise prices because of market fluctuations, she said.
Krivachek said she and other wedding vendors learned during the COVID-19 pandemic that they had to include a clause in their contracts to allow for unexpected market pricing fluctuations. She added she has communicated with consumers about other options, rather than pass tariff-related prices to prospective brides and grooms.
"They can either up their budget to keep everything the same or we can sub with local varieties, which I've been loving, and it's really been a positive thing for local growers," Krivachek said.
She has told some brides, especially those with winter weddings, that if their heart is set on a particular type of flower that cannot be grown domestically in the winter, they will have to increase their budget.
Florist makes adjustments to her wedding budget
Krivachek also is getting married in July. Her floral budget is the largest portion of her budget at a hefty $36,000, partially because she feels she needs to make a statement as a florist.
She has made some adjustments to keep her budget the same, including using a lot of landscaping plants and bushes.
"I'm excited about that because I want to make that a trend where you use these flowers and bushes that you get to take home and plant and remember your wedding and have it be sustainable," she said.
She has also reduced the number of imported cut flowers she is getting to stay within her budget.
She has not seen any tariff-related increases on other parts of her wedding budget, she said.
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Bridal gowns also seeing tariff price increases
A lot of the components to design and make a gown come from various countries, so between the materials and the execution of the product being made and transported, tariffs affect the price, said Nayri Kalayjian, owner of Lovella Bridal in Los Angeles.
"Price increases are everywhere, so the wedding industry is no different, no matter where the gown is being manufactured," she said.
Some designers are doing a straight price increase while others have added a percentage for the tariffs, she said. Kalayjian said she has seen some tariff surcharges anywhere from 10% to 35%.
But typically bridal boutiques see price increases multiple times a year, regardless of tariffs, Kalayjian said.
Kalayjian said she often tells brides if they see a dress they absolutely love, don't wait too long or it could be discontinued or increase in price.
Bridal gowns are also taking longer to make because they are all custom-ordered, she said. The turnaround time is typically six to eight months.
Kalayjian added, however, there are dresses at every price point for every budget, even with price increases. Brides can often get sample dresses at steep discounts, she said.