
Jeff Bezos, Lauren Sanchez celebrity wedding guests take Venice by storm
The stars are aligning for Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez.
On Thursday, celebrities such as Orlando Bloom, Tom Brady and more were seen boarding various water taxis at various luxurious hotels in Venice, Italy ahead of the couple's extravagant wedding celebrations.
Sanchez gave onlookers a wave as she boarded a boat with her soon-to-be husband by her side outside the Aman Hotel.
Vanity Fair reported on Wednesday that the first event of the Bezoz-Sánchez wedding will be a kick-off party in Cannaregio. The outlet noted that the wedding party has water cabs ready to escort guests to the Italian city. A city ordinance has already been sent out, blocking off traffic from 6 PM to midnight between Madonna dell'Orto and nearby streets, the outlet reported.
The party is reportedly being held in the Sant'Alvise complex, which is a 14th century church, monastery, and Barco. Per Vanity Fair, Bezos will be escorted by 10 bodyguards during the kick-off party and the Italian government has recruited reinforcements to maintain the privacy and safety of all attendees amid recent protests.
On Wednesday, the soon-to-be newlyweds were seen out and about in Venice.
According to multiple reports, the couple decided to change one of their wedding venues in Venice because of security concerns and possible protests.
The couple had planned to hold a wedding party at the historic Scuola Grande della Misericordia in the Cannaregio section of the city, but are now said to be moving it to the harder-to-reach Arsenale, a former shipyard, which is completely surrounded by water and only reachable by boat when connecting bridges are raised, BBC News and Reuters reported.
A number of other celebrities are invited to the wedding festivities, which remain a secret but have been expected to kick off on Thursday and end Saturday in the picturesque Italian city.
Despite ongoing protests from local Venetians, Mayor Luigi Brugnaro told The Associated Press that the city is "very proud" to be hosting the couple's wedding.
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