Jeff Bezos weds Lauren Sánchez in lavish Venice ceremony
The sky itself is no limit for billionaire Jeff Bezos and fiancée Lauren Sánchez, who have travelled into space, and expectations were about as high ahead of their wedding in Venice on Saturday.
One of the world's most enchanting cities as backdrop? Check.
Star-studded guest list and tabloid buzz? Of course.
Local flavour? You bet.
And then, time to tie the knot. The couple held their wedding ceremony Friday night (local time), and Sánchez posted to Instagram a photo of herself beaming in a white gown as she stood alongside a tuxedo-clad Bezos, the world's fourth-richest man.
ADVERTISEMENT
It was the second day of events spread across the Italian lagoon city, which added complexity to what would have been a massive logistical undertaking even on dry land.
Dozens of private jets had flocked to Venice's airport, and yachts pulled into the city's famed waterways. Athletes, celebrities, influencers and business leaders converged to revel in extravagance that was as much a testament to the couple's love as to their extraordinary wealth.
The heady hoopla recalled the 2014 wedding in Venice of actor George Clooney to human rights lawyer Amal Alamuddin, when adoring crowds lined the canals and hundreds of well-wishers gathered outside City Hall.
Not so for these nuptials, which became a lightning rod for small, colourful protests. But any desire to dampen the prevailing fever pitch hadn't materialised as of Saturday. Instead, the glitterati were partying, and the paparazzi jostling for glimpses of the gilded gala.
And the bride wore a classic mermaid-line gown, featuring Dolce & Gabbana's signature Italian lace. A traditional tulle-and-lace veil completed her look.
"Not just a gown, a piece of poetry," she wrote on Instagram, where her name now appears as Lauren Sánchez Bezos.
ADVERTISEMENT
Logistics and costs
Venice is famed for its network of canals, where gondoliers croon for lovestruck couples and even ambulances are aquatic. But water transport of everything from bouquets to guests makes Venice among the world's most challenging cities for a party, according to Jack Ezon, CEO of Embark Beyond, a luxury travel advisory and destination event service.
"It's a very tight-knit community; everyone there knows everyone, and you need to work with the right people," said Ezon, whose company has put on a dozen high-end events in Venice. "There's very tight control, especially on movement there with boats."
It at least triples the cost versus staging the same soiree in Rome or Florence, he said.
Veneto Gov. Luca Zaia was first to give an estimated tally for the Bezos/Sánchez bash: He told reporters this week the most recent total he saw was between 40 million and 48 million euros (NZ$77 million and NZ$92 million)
It's an eye-popping, jaw-dropping figure that's over 1000 times the US$36,000 (NZ$69,000) average cost of American couples' weddings in 2025, according to wedding planning website Zola's annual report.
Bezos' team has been tight-lipped about where these millions are going. When the youngest son of Asia's richest man married last July, performances by pop stars Rihanna and Justin Bieber pushed up the price tag.
ADVERTISEMENT
Jeff Bezos leaves a hotel ahead of the anticipated wedding celebrations with Lauren Sanchez, in Venice, Italy, Friday, June 27, 2025 (Source: Associated Press)
"How do you spend $40 million on a three- or four-day event?" Ezon said. "You could bring headliners, A-list performers, great DJs from anywhere in the world. You could spend $2 million on an incredible glass tent that's only there for 10 hours, but it takes a month to build," or expand the celebration to local landmarks.
There's no sign Sánchez and Bezos, the former CEO of Amazon, intend to take over any of Venice's tourist-thronged hotspots. Still, intense hand-wringing about the prospect prompted their wedding coordinator, Lanza & Baucina, to issue a rare statement calling those rumours false.
Earlier, Sánchez emerged from her hotel wearing a silk scarf on her head and blew a kiss to journalists before stepping into her water taxi. It carried her through the canals to San Giorgio island, across the lagoon basin from St Mark's Square, where the couple held their ceremony. Bezos followed two hours later.
Then, in a string of water taxis, came their illustrious guests — Oprah Winfrey, Kim Kardashian, Ivanka Trump, Tom Brady, Bill Gates, Queen Rania of Jordan, Leonardo DiCaprio, and more. Paparazzi trailed on their own boats, trying to capture them all on camera.
Vogue magazine, to which the couple granted exclusive access, reported that the Dolce & Gabbana-designed gown took 900 hours to complete. Inspired by Sophia Loren's wedding dress in the 1958 film Houseboat, it featured a high-necked, hand-appliqued lace and 180 silk chiffon-covered priest buttons.
A police officer rides in front of the boat, center, carrying Lauren Sanchez as it travels past St. Mark's Square ahead of the anticipated wedding celebrations of Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez, in Venice, Friday, June 27, 2025. (Luigi Costantini/AP)
ADVERTISEMENT
'No Space'
There are some who say these two shouldn't have been wed in this city.
They characterise the wedding as a decadent display of wealth in a world with growing inequality, and argue it's a shining example of tourism taking precedence over residents' needs, particularly affordable housing and essential services. Venice is also one of the cities most vulnerable to rising sea levels from climate change.
"Venice is not just a pretty picture, a pretty postcard to please the needs and wants of the elite or of mass tourists, but it is an alive city, made of people who want to actually live there," Stella Faye, a researcher at a university in Venice, said.
About a dozen Venetian organisations — including housing advocates, anti-cruise ship campaigners and university groups — are protesting under the banner "No Space for Bezos", a play on words referring to his space exploration company Blue Origin and the bride's recent space flight.
Greenpeace unfurled a banner in St Mark's Square denouncing Bezos for paying insufficient taxes. Activists floated a bald-headed Bezos-inspired mannequin down Venice's Grand Canal atop an Amazon delivery box, its hands clenching fake cash.
Authorities — from Venice's mayor to the nation's tourism minister — have dismissed the outcry, saying it ignores the visibility and economic boost the wedding has brought.
ADVERTISEMENT
"There will be photos everywhere, social media will go wild over the bride's dress, over the ceremony," Italy's tourism minister, Daniela Santanchè, told the AP.
"All of this translates into a massive free publicity campaign. In fact, because they will spend a lot of money, they will enrich Venice — our shopkeepers, artisans, restaurateurs, hotels. So it's a great opportunity both for spending and for promoting Italy in the world."
Jeff Bezos waves as he arrives at San Giorgio island ahead of the anticipated wedding celebrations with Lauren Sanchez, in Venice, Italy, Friday, June 27, 2025. (Source: Associated Press)
Philanthropy
As Amazon's CEO, Bezos usually avoided the limelight, frequently delegating announcements and business updates to his executives. Today he has a net worth of US $234 billion (NZ$386 billion), according to Forbes.
In 2019, he announced he was divorcing his first wife, MacKenzie Scott, just before the National Enquirer published a story about an affair with Sánchez, a former TV news anchor. Sánchez filed for divorce the day after Bezos' divorce was finalised.
He stepped down as CEO in 2021, saying he wished to spend more time on side projects, including Blue Origin, The Washington Post, which he owns, and his philanthropic initiatives.
ADVERTISEMENT
Sitting beside Sánchez during an interview with CNN in 2022, he announced plans to give away the majority of his wealth during his lifetime.
Last week, a Venetian environmental research association issued a statement saying Bezos' Earth Fund was supporting its work with an "important donation." CORILA, which seeks protection of the Venetian lagoon system, said contact began in April, well before any protests.
Local media have reported a reception Saturday in the Arsenale, a former navy base best known as a primary venue for the Venice Biennale.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Spinoff
an hour ago
- The Spinoff
Inside the rise of injectables and the new age of cosmetic tweaks
From TikTok facelifts to 'baby Botox', cosmetic fixes are booming. What's driving the quest for perfection, asks Catherine McGregor in today's extract from The Bulletin. An age-old industry, a new face Devoting a Bulletin to cosmetic procedures might seem a bit left-field, but with Alex Casey's cover story on Botox leading The Spinoff this morning, it's the perfect chance to take stock of how – and why – so many New Zealanders are choosing to change their faces. From a few discreet units of 'baby Botox' to the full ordeal of a surgical lift, cosmetic medicine is broader and more accessible than ever. Just look at the global fascination with Kris Jenner's new face, or the TikTok shockwaves caused by Michelle Wood, the American woman who recently went to Mexico for a frankly incredible face lift that cost her just US$14,000 (NZ$23,000). It's no wonder 'cosmetic tourism' is booming, with places like Thailand luring New Zealanders seeking cheaper fixes than they can get at home. But as plastic surgeon Chris Adams told The Project in 2023, bargain shopping for your face comes with serious risks. 'I have seen patients who've come back, who've had much greater costs managing complications than they would've had if they'd funded the surgery in New Zealand,' he says. Is everyone using Botox? While a Mexican face lift is a step too far for most of us, Botox is firmly in the mainstream – as Alex discovered firsthand. At 33, she's decades away from needing (or wanting) major surgery, but the sight of lines starting to etch themselves onto her face led her to a cosmetic nurse's office. 'Also, every day on Instagram I see women twice my age with foreheads that look 10 years younger than mine and it makes me feel insane so yeah, no wonder I have fucking frown lines,' she writes. In her piece, Alex talks to women who swear by injectables, women who recoil from them, and women – like herself – who feel both tempted and furious about the prospect. As she leaves the injector's office, 'I am bubbling with an incandescent fury that I don't know where to direct,' she writes. 'I am angry at the nice nurse for hurting my feelings, but I am angrier at myself for asking her to.' Selfies, filters and 'Instagram face' What's driving this collective obsession? Part of the answer is in our pockets. As Julia Coffey wrote for The Conversation, selfie-editing apps like FaceTune and FaceApp give people a glimpse of a new and improved version of themselves with smoother skin, bigger eyes or sharper cheekbones. Cosmetic procedures offer a chance to make that fantasy self a reality. And as Jia Tolentino explored in The New Yorker (paywalled), all those subtle digital edits are helping to create a new beauty monoculture: 'Instagram Face', which Tolentino described as 'a single, cyborgian face… young … of course, with poreless skin and plump, high cheekbones. It has catlike eyes and long, cartoonish lashes; it has a small, neat nose and full, lush lips … it's distinctly white but ambiguously ethnic.' What began with the Kim Kardashians of the world has trickled down through celebrities, influencers and selfie-editing apps to become an achievable (if expensive) aesthetic standard for women everywhere. Social media – or something else? While social media is an easy villain, the real driver could be more basic: it's simply easier than ever to buy a better face. As Martha Gill puts it in The Guardian, 'it is more affordable, more widespread and more advertised. Another huge barrier to treatment is meanwhile falling away: stigma.' That new openness is something Alex's piece lays bare. For many women she spoke to, the deciding factor wasn't a celebrity's wrinkle-free forehead, but a friend's. One got her first injections after complimenting a pal: 'She said, 'thanks, I get Botox' – then I looked into it and started getting it too.' One user summed up how many of us feel: 'So many of my friends get it, and it makes you feel like you're in this race against time – and everyone else.'
1News
4 hours ago
- 1News
Protesters fill Venice's streets on final day of Bezos' wedding parties
Hundreds of protesters marched through Venice's central streets today to say 'No' to billionaire Jeff Bezos, his bride and their much-awaited wedding extravaganza, which reached its third and final day amid celebrity-crowded parties and the outcries of tired residents. On Friday (local time), the world's fourth-richest man and his bride Lauren Sanchez Bezos tied the knot during a private ceremony with around 200 celebrity guests on the secluded island of San Giorgio. The wedding, however, angered many Venetians, with some activists protesting it as an exploitation of the city by the billionaire Bezos, while ordinary residents suffer from over tourism, high housing costs and the constant threat of climate-induced flooding. As the two newlyweds prepared for the final party Saturday evening (local time), hundreds of Venetians and protesters from across Italy filled Venice's tiny streets with colourful banners reading 'Kisses Yes, Bezos No' and 'No Bezos, no War'. Venice has around 50,000 residents. The demonstration contrasted with the expensive wedding bonanza, seen by critics as an affront to the lagoon city's fragile environment and its citizens, overwhelmed by throngs of tourists. ADVERTISEMENT 'We are here to continue ruining the plans of these rich people, who accumulate money by exploiting many other people … while the conditions of this city remain precarious,' said Martina Vergnano, one of the demonstrators. The protest organizers claimed that their planned protest had forced the relocation of Saturday's party (local time) from a supposed initial location to a former medieval shipyard, the Arsenale. Bezos donated 1 million euros (NZ$1.93 million) each to three environmental research organizations working to preserve Venice, according to Corila, the Venetian environmental research association. But many protesters blasted the move as a clear attempt to appease angry residents. 'We want a free Venice, which is finally dedicated to its citizens. … Those donations are just a misery and only aimed at clearing Bezos' conscience,' said Flavio Cogo, a Venetian activist who joined Saturday's protest (local time). Details of the exclusive wedding ceremony Friday night (local time) were a closely guarded secret, until Sánchez Bezos posted to Instagram a photo of herself beaming in a white gown as she stood alongside a tuxedo-clad Bezos. Athletes, celebrities, influencers and business leaders converged to revel in extravagance that was as much a testament to the couple's love as to their extraordinary wealth. ADVERTISEMENT The star-studded guest list included Oprah Winfrey and NFL great Tom Brady, along with Hollywood stars Leonardo Di Caprio and Orlando Bloom, tech entrepreneur and philanthropist Bill Gates and top socialites, including the Kardashian-Jenner clan. Ivanka Trump, her husband Jared Kushner and their three children also joined the celebrations. The bride and groom stayed at the Aman Venice hotel on the Grand Canal, where Bezos posed for photos and Sanchez Bezos blew kisses to the press. 'The planet is burning but don't worry, here's the list of the 27 dresses of Lauren Sánchez,' read one protest slogan, a reference to the bride's reported wedding weekend wardrobe. It featured a mermaid-lined wedding gown by Dolce & Gabbana and other Dolce Vita-inspired looks by Italian designers, including Schiaparelli and Bottega Veneta. The city administration has strongly defended the nuptials as in keeping with Venice's tradition as an open city that has welcomed popes, emperors and ordinary visitors alike for centuries.
Otago Daily Times
16 hours ago
- Otago Daily Times
Venice protests target lavish Bezos wedding
Mass tourism, impossibly high rents, worker exploitation, inequality and elitism: Venice protests in recent days against Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez's high-profile wedding have highlighted growing global grievances. Bezos, 61, the fourth richest person in the world, and 55-year-old journalist Sanchez left their luxury hotel on the Grand Canal on Saturday for a final night of partying, crowning a three-day star-studded wedding extravaganza. The couple exchanged rings on Friday evening on the small island of San Giorgio, across the water from Saint Mark's Square, accompanied by singing from Matteo Bocelli, son of Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli. Bill Gates, Leonardo DiCaprio, Orlando Bloom, Tom Brady, Jordan's Queen Rania, Oprah Winfrey, Kris Jenner and Kim and Khloe Kardashian, as well as Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner were among the A-listers present. Saturday's evening bash - wrapping up celebrations for 200 to 250 guests estimated to have cost some $US50 million ($NZ82 million) - was to take place in the Arsenale, a former medieval shipyard in an eastern district of the lagoon city in Italy. Around 1000 people marched against the event on Saturday, groups of activists and residents who object to the wedding and to seeing Venice being gift-wrapped for the uber-wealthy. But local politicians dismissed protesters as a fringe minority. Bezos's fame and Venice's stunning visual backdrop have offered them international visibility which they effectively exploited. "No Space for Bezos" banners draped over the iconic Rialto Bridge and a huge canvas laid out on St Mark's Square urging the tech billionaire to pay more taxes have been seen all over the world. Concerns of greater disruptions forced Bezos and his bride to move their final and biggest celebrity party from the central district to a more isolated venue in the eastern part of the lagoon city. "The idea that the city should be seen as a set, a stage, or an amusement park has been highlighted like never before by Bezos' wedding," Tommaso Cacciari, a frontman for the No Space for Bezos movement, told Reuters. PROTESTS Alice Bazzoli, a 24-year-old university student, called Bezos a "hypocrite" for donating €3 million ($NZ5.8 million) to Venice while flooding its fragile ecosystem with high-polluting private jets and yachts. Bezos and Sanchez have given €1 million each to three Venetian institutions: CORILA, an academic consortium that studies the lagoon, UNESCO's local office, and Venice International University. "I'd love Venice to be tailored for citizens, not for tourists, with affordable housing," Bazzoli told Reuters, complaining that students were being priced out of the market, with the best accommodations offered to visitors. Andrea Segre, a 49-year-old Italian film director born in Venice, said the city was also pushing out ordinary residents. "People aged 25 to 35 - the age group that starts families - cannot afford to live in Venice. The consequence is a lack of diversity and social liveliness." Venice is rapidly depopulating, largely because of the cost of living crisis. Its historic city centre now has fewer than 50,000 residents, compared to more than 100,000 some 50 years ago. The city has hosted scores of other VIP weddings, including that of actor George Clooney and human rights lawyer Amal Alamuddin in 2014, but the latest luxury nuptials have attracted far greater resentment because of Bezos' corporate and political role. Bezos, the founder of Amazon, has developed ties with United States President Donald Trump. "Bezos is the embodiment of the most absolute wealth gained through the exploitation of everything around you," 28-year-old student Giulia Cacopardo told Reuters in the run-up to Saturday's march. In Italy, the e-commerce giant has faced criticism and strikes from trade unions over labour practices, and scrutiny over tax compliance. Reuters reported in February that Italian prosecutors were investigating alleged tax evasion worth $US1.2 billion. "I would have protested against Bezos even if he had come on a rowboat with just a handful of people ... because he contributed practically, materially and politically to Donald Trump's re-election," protest leader Cacciari said. LAVISH WEDDING At the ceremony the bride wore a high-necked silhouette dress and a tulle and lace veil by Dolce & Gabbana, which she told magazine Vogue was based on Sophia Loren's dress to marry Cary Grant in the 1958 film, Houseboat . Sanchez was also wearing a pair of diamond earrings by Dolce & Gabbana, which, according to Vogue , was lent to her in keeping with the tradition that it brings good luck for a bride to wear something borrowed. Bezos, who is No 4 on Forbes' global billionaires list, donned a black tuxedo and bow tie over a white shirt. Friday's ceremony had no legal status under Italian law, a senior city hall official told Reuters, suggesting the couple may have previously wed legally in the United States to avoid the bureaucracy associated with an Italian marriage. While some residents and activists raged against Bezos as a symbol of inequality and arrogance, Venetian businesses and political leaders welcomed the luxury nuptials, hailing them as major boost for the local economy. "Those who protest are in contradiction with the history of Venice, which is a history of relations, contacts and business," Mayor Luigi Brugnaro told Reuters. "Bezos embodies the Venetian mentality. He is more Venetian than the protesters," the centre-right mayor said. Bezos got engaged to Sanchez in 2023, four years after the collapse of his 25-year marriage to novelist and philanthropist MacKenzie Scott.
