BREAKING NEWS Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez are pictured arriving at Venice hotel by boat ahead of their elaborate $20million wedding
Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez have been pictured arriving in Venice ahead of their blockbuster wedding.
The multi-billionaire Amazon founder was seen stepping off a boat alongside his glamorous girlfriend at the Aman Hotel earlier today.
Both waved to onlookers and paparazzi as they clambered off a boat onto a purpose-built jetty outside the hotel before quickly being whisked away.
The tech magnate and journalist have reportedly invited about 200 guests to their multi-million dollar nuptials in the Italian city.
The celebrations are expected to kick off on Thursday and end on Saturday.
But the historic venue that Bezos and Sanchez chose for part of their $20 million bash is covered in scaffolding, MailOnline can reveal.
The lavish three-day event will feature a party held within the fabulous 15th-century Madonna dell'Orto church in Venice's quaint Cannareggio district tomorrow night.
Bezos is pictured stepping off the boat
Jeff Bezos And Lauren Sanchez are sighted ahead of their wedding on June 25, 2025 in Venice, Italy
In preparation, security guards have now blocked off entrances to the closure where the party will be held, but what guests will first see when they arrive is the iconic bell tower covered in scaffolding.
This has left locals speculating that Bezos may have booked the venue based on seeing pictures on Google without realising it is being repaired.
The revelation comes just a day after MailOnline revealed how a careless wedding organiser had unwittingly leaked sensitive details of the VIP event to the media by being photographed carrying a printed guest list.
Meanwhile, the fact that the huge wedding is taking place in one of the world's most vulnerable heritage sites has become so controversial that it is being angrily discussed in Italian parliament.
This controversy intensified overnight as council chiefs ordered the blocking off of the canal running in front of the church for around 200 metres, with a landing point for boats closed off with red and white tape.
Access from the Brazzo and Dei Muti canals blocked as well from 6pm tonight - when the wedding festivities kick off with a pyjama party at a secret location - until midnight tomorrow.
Dozens of electrical cables, threading along the ground like spaghetti, are being run from a noisy generator boat moored in the Madonna dell 'Orto canal, which is creating a noisy din.
The venue for the party is the cloister next door to the church, which is where the famous Renaissance artist Tintoretto is buried.
The website for the cloister describes the venue, which is used for the famous Biennale art exhibition in Venice, as 'simple, yet elegant'.
Pictures from previous events show tables beneath the vaulted ceilings, atmospherically lit by candlelight – but this week the scaffolding on the church tower will be clearly visible.
The cloister extends to three sides and is supported by ornate columns with a beautiful herringbone floor.
When MailOnline approached a guard and asked if the cloister was open, we were told: 'No, it's closed, there is a private function.'
The Aman hotel has built a private jetty for the lucky 48 guests who will be staying there for the Bezos wedding.
Sat on the Grand Canal, the hotel has constructed a small pier covered in a blue tent for those who will be arriving by boat and require privacy. The couple have booked out all 24 grand rooms at the hotel from Wednesday.
Extra police and added safety measures have been brought in for the wedding, and local authorities have been holding a series of daily meetings to discuss how to protect the expected 200 VIPs.
According to local media reports, the city will pay overtime to an unspecified number of police officers involved in security for the wedding organisers.
When guests first arrive, they will see the iconic bell tower covered in scaffolding
This has left locals speculating that Bezos may have booked the venue based on seeing pictures on Google without realising it is currently being repaired
Among the assorted billionaires and millionaires on the guest list, there is also Ivanka Trump, who as the US president's daughter has an extra added level of security.
All of this has prompted questions in parliament from furious MPs - mostly from opposition centre left and environmental parties - wanting to know just how much Italian taxpayers' money was being spent.
Angelo Bonelli, an MP with the Italian Green and Left Alliance, angrily demanded that Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi from the ruling Brothers of Italy right-wing party provide cost details.
Mr Bonelli said: 'We need information because from Wednesday until Saturday night the city of Venice will be in a virtual lockdown to allow the Amazon magnate's wedding to go ahead.
'It will be locked down, but it will also be a city bought for three days in a sort of unbridled celebration of luxury that will limit the movement of citizens.
'I am here to ask the Ministry of the Interior to guarantee the freedom to express dissent. How is it possible to buy a city for three days creating a series of inconveniences?'
He added: 'I remember that Amazon is under investigation for the exploitation of workers, Bezos' wealth comes from this. If they can buy Venice for three days, these super rich can pay taxes.'
Bonelli's request was echoed by opposition M5S deputy Antonio Iaria, who said: 'We too, as the Five Star Movement, ask Piantedosi for information.
The venue for the party is the cloister next door to the church – which is where the famous Renaissance artist Tintoretto is buried
Guests and staff were seen arriving at the airport in Venice, Italy, ahead of the highly anticipated wedding of the Amazon founder
'In the Senate as M5S we also proposed an increase in the web tax not to go against a sector but to address a problem of the future.
'This government immediately bows to billionaires, it does not ask itself if in a historical moment like this a public order problem is not created.
'The government shows that Venice must not be a playground for billionaires, tourism is welcome but not to those who rent a city to the detriment of the citizens themselves.'
He added: 'Bezos is getting married. Venice is blocked. And how much does it cost the Italian State?
'We asked Interior Minister Piantedosi. We pay, certainly, for security, for public order, to lock down an entire city and protect a cover wedding.
'But how much does all this cost Italy? Who guarantees security? Who coordinates traffic?
'Who manages the inconveniences for citizens and workers? The answer is always the same: the public machine, with public money.
'And in exchange? Selfies and luxury, while those struggling to pay the rent watch from afar.'
Campaign group No Space For Bezos have already said they plan to disrupt the wedding by blocking canals and have asked activists to 'turn up with snorkels and masks',
They have also been encouraged to bring inflatable crocodiles or other toys to scatter along the canals to impede the dozens of water taxis hired to ferry guests between venues.
Ruling Brothers of Italy MP Salvatore Caiata hit back and said:'We do not agree that Piantedosi should report to the Chamber on this topic also because the Minister of the Interior is not a wedding planner, we cannot ask that the government come to report to the Chamber on every topic, it is paradoxical that every situation is used to exploit.'
No-one from the organisers or Venice town hall who cover the local police budget was immediately available for comment.
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When I first moved to Venice seven years ago, Amazon deliveries weren't really a possibility. Like many aspects of life in this exquisite, maddening, addictive city, 21st-century conveniences like shopping via apps just didn't function here. For many Venetians, their hometown's reputation as a place slightly out of time was one of its charms. Yet the arrival of the billionaire circus that is Jeff Bezos 's wedding to Lauren Sanchez has fixed the eyes of the world not only on Venice, but on the anger felt by residents at the destruction of their way of life. Today, the atmosphere in the world's most beautiful city is distinctly ugly. In my neighbourhood, Zattere, behind the Salute Church on the Grand Canal, the canals and alleyways are eerily quiet. Aside from an unusual number of mega-yachts – with smartly dressed crew bustling about the decks and heavies guarding the gangways – there's almost no one about. 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In the time I've lived here, I've seen Venice become more and more impossibly congested with tourists, with more than 20 million visiting last year. The mayor's much publicised 'entry contribution' – effectively a tariff for entering the city of ¤5 per day – has done nothing to reduce their numbers, but it does mean locals are regularly stopped and asked for proof of a payment they don't have to make. My greengrocer gave up last winter. Like so many small businesses, he was simply unable to cope with rising rents. His stand of beautiful seasonal vegetables has been replaced by yet another tacky souvenir shop selling Venetian masks. When Brugnaro gloatingly announced that Bezos 'didn't choose Venice by chance', he assured locals the wedding would not cause disruption. However the council has (very discreetly), announced the closure of three canals and several streets in the area surrounding Madonna del'Orto. 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As I made my way home over the Accademia Bridge, even the Grand Canal looked strangely empty. Venice feels tense, waiting for something. The Bezos wedding invitation reminds guests that 'This magical place has gifted us unforgettable memories', but from the mood in the city today, they may not be happy ones.
