Jeff Bezos And Lauren Sanchez Marry Today: What We Know About Venice Extravaganza
Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and former journalist Lauren Sánchez will exchange vows on a small Venetian island Friday, the centerpiece of what is expected to be a star-studded, and controversial, multi-day ceremony hosted in Venice, Italy, with protests by angered locals having already interfered with some of the billionaire's party plans.
Lauren Sanchez and US founder of Amazon, Jeff Bezos, leave the Aman Hotel in Venice on June 25, ... More 2026. Photo by STEFANO RELLANDINI/AFP via Getty Images
Bezos and Sánchez will tie the knot on San Giorgio Island on Friday, multiple outlets reported, a small locale off the coast of Venice's St. Mark's Square which contains a centuries-old church known for its bell tower.
Though the couple will hold their wedding in Italy, city officials told CNN they have not received an official marriage request from the couple, indicating their celebrations are ceremonial and that they may already have married in the United States.
Friday's wedding celebration will feature a performance by Matteo Bocelli, the son of opera singer Andrea Bocelli, Reuters reported.
The wedding began its 'multi-day celebration' Thursday and is expected to last until Saturday, costing the billionaire tech mogul and his soon-to-be wife tens of millions of dollars, according to multiple outlets.
Venice Mayor Luigi Brugnaro, who has spoken out against protesters demonstrating against the wedding, told Italian daily newspaper Corriere della Sera the wedding 'will have economic repercussions worth millions of euros for our city.'
Protests by locals, who are upset with overtourism and Bezos' links to President Donald Trump, have threatened to disrupt the wedding, and sources told Reuters the threat of protests prompted Bezos to move a wedding party from a central nightlife area to the more secluded Arsenale, which is surrounded by water and impossible to reach by land when bridges are raised.
Forbes has reached out to Bezos for comment.
Get Forbes Breaking News Text Alerts : We're launching text message alerts so you'll always know the biggest stories shaping the day's headlines. Text 'Alerts' to (201) 335-0739 or sign up here . How Many Wedding Celebrations Are Jeff Bezos And Lauren Sánchez Planning?
Festivities kicked off Thursday night, after many of Bezos and Sánchez's celebrity guests arrived, with a party at the Madonna dell'Orto, a 14th-century cathedral, CNN reported. Guests appear to be adhering to strict social media rules, CNN reported, as some of the most social media-savvy guests, like the Kardashians, have not posted any pictures from inside the venue. After Friday's wedding ceremony, celebrations are expected to conclude with a wedding reception Saturday at the Arsenale, a shipyard and armory that is now the site of an annual Venetian cultural festival. The Saturday reception was initially set to take place at the Scuola Grande Della Misericordia, a 14th-century building, but the event was moved because of concerns over protests, the Wall Street Journal reported, though protests are still planned for the new location. Reuters reported Lady Gaga and Elton John may perform at Saturday's party, though The Hollywood Reporter said this week Gaga was not asked to perform. Bezos and Sánchez first appeared in Venice on Wednesday, where they had dinner at the home of billionaire Barry Diller and his wife, fashion designer Diane von Furstenberg, the New York Times reported.
Some locals in Venice, which has dealt with overtourism that has strained the city's infrastructure and services for years, have staged protests under the name 'No Space for Bezos' over concerns the wedding's scale will worsen some of the issues created by excessive tourist crowds, with more demonstrations planned to disrupt this week's festivities. Protesters are planning a march on Saturday, according to posts by the 'No Space for Bezos' group on Instagram, which will start at the Stazione di Venezia Santa Lucia train station, located roughly 1.5 miles away from the Arsenale venue. The group has already held multiple demonstrations. On Monday, the Greenpeace environmental activist organization joined 'No Space for Bezos' in Venice's St. Mark's Square, unveiling a banner with Bezos' face that read: 'IF YOU CAN RENT VENICE FOR YOUR WEDDING YOU CAN PAY MORE TAX.' Police quickly took the banner away, the Associated Press reported. They previously hoisted a banner that says 'Bezos' with an 'X' through it on the San Giorgio Maggiore church's bell tower. Federica Toninelli, a Venetian activist with 'No Space for Bezos,' told Reuters the wedding is also a 'symbol of the exploitation of the city by outsiders.' Protesters have threatened to block access to canals and city streets in an effort to block wedding attendees from reaching party venues in the city, according to Variety. Oliviero Cassarà, a lead organizer and activist, said in a statement 'No Space for Bezos' has zero issue with Americans or people getting married in Venice, instead criticizing Bezos for his links to Trump and blasting the president's controversial trade policies. 'Bezos supported Trump economically and politically and is consequently co-responsible for this drift against us Italian and European citizens,' Cassarà said. Brugnaro has spoken out against the protesters and tried to reassure them the city is capable of handling the event, citing its hosting of the Venice Film Festival and G7 Summit. Brugnaro said he was 'ashamed of those who behave like this,' Variety reported. How Many People Are Attending The Wedding And Who Is On The Guest List?
Venice officials have said the guest list for Bezos and Sánchez's wedding is limited to 200 people. On Tuesday afternoon, Ivanka Trump and husband Jared Kushner, who were rumored to attend, were photographed arriving in Venice. Other celebrities so far spotted in Venice for the festivities include Kylie and Kendall Jenner, Kim Kardashian, Oprah Winfrey, Tom Brady, Gayle King, Orlando Bloom, Leonardo DiCaprio and Sydney Sweeney. Investor Michael Kives has also been seen in Venice in addition to Dolce & Gabbana founder and billionaire Domenico Dolce and Queen Rania of Jordan, wife of the country's King Abdullah II. Bezos invited President Donald Trump to the wedding, the Journal reported, though Trump will not make the trip due to scheduling conflicts. How Much Will The Wedding Cost?
Multiple reports have said the wedding will predictably cost millions of dollars. Reuters reported an estimated total cost of $46.5 million to $55.6 million. The Journal reported a luxury wedding with 200 guests such as Bezos' costs about $4 million, citing Jamie Simon, director of events at luxury planning firm Banana Split, which organized the multiday wedding between Sofia Richie Grainge and Atlantic Records CEO Elliot Grainge in 2023. Who Is Organizing The Bezos-Sánchez Wedding?
The Journal reported Lanza & Baucina, a London-based group that planned George and Amal Clooney's 2014 wedding in Venice, has been hired by Bezos and Sánchez. A representative for the group told the Journal its principles and the instructions of Bezos call for the 'minimizing of any disruption to the city, the respect for its residents and institutions and the overwhelming employment of locals in the crafting of the events.' The 2014 wedding had a generally positive perception, with locals lauding Clooney for his consideration and respect for Venice. Cassará even compared Bezos to Clooney in his statement, saying Bezos 'is not George Clooney with his romantic aura.'
We estimate Bezos' net worth at $234.9 billion as of Friday, making him the fourth-wealthiest person in the world behind Mark Zuckerberg ($252.1 billion), Larry Ellison ($256.1 billion) and Elon Musk ($410.1 billion). Key Background
Bezos and Sánchez met almost 10 years ago and began making public appearances together around 2019, when the two began dating. They became engaged in 2023 aboard the Koru superyacht, with Bezos offering Sánchez a 30-carat cushion cut pink diamond set in platinum, according to Vanity Fair.
Venice Residents Protest Entry Fee For Tourists Amid Concerns City Will Turn Into A 'Theme Park' (Forbes)
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Forbes
an hour ago
- Forbes
Here's How Much The Bezos-Sánchez Wedding Extravaganza Really Cost
L ove is lavish-er the second time around. Amazon billionaire Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez are celebrating their nuptials in a star-studded, and controversial, three-day celebration in Venice—and most of the focus has been on how much the affair cost. More than six months ago, rumors started circulating that the Bezos-Sánchez wedding (the second time each has said, 'I do.') would be held in Aspen and cost $600 million. 'Unless you are buying each of your guests a house, you can't spend this much money,' hedge fund billionaire Bill Ackman joked on X in December. Bezos himself reposted the comment, stating 'this whole thing is completely false—none of this is happening.' Instead, the happy couple opted for what is reportedly an 'intimate' 200-person ceremony presumed to be much less expensive than the rumored Rocky Mountain hijinks. And that doesn't include a pre-wedding foam party the 61-year-old groom and 55-year-old bride reportedly threw for one of her son's last weekend aboard Bezos' superyacht, Koru . Based on conversations with a dozen sources, including Venetian wedding industry insiders and multiple local vendors involved in or with knowledge of the event, Forbes estimates that the Bezos-Sánchez wedding will cost at least $20 million - but could be closer to $25 million or even more, depending on what surprises the hosts have in store for their guests. (A representative for Bezos has not yet replied to a request for comment.) This week, a handful of media outlets cited Luca Zaia, president of the Veneto region (which includes Venice), saying that the wedding would cost upwards of 40 million euros, or $46 million. But that number looks like a wild guess. A member of Zaia's press office says that Zaia was using 'online sources' and does not have any insider information from the Amazon cofounder or his representatives. Another number that's been cited is the wedding's economic impact on the Queen of the Adriatic. According to Italy's Ministry of Tourism, the wedding could generate an economic impact of more than $1 billion, equivalent to some two-thirds of the city's annual tourism number. How that is calculated is unclear, but there is no doubt officials are hoping for a boost after a nearly 7% decline in overnight stays so far in 2025. The $20-plus million Forbes estimates for the celebration, based on confirmed costs, is more than 600 times the cost of an average American wedding—which the wedding site The Knot puts at $33,000 or about $284 a guest—but won't exactly make a dent in Bezos' estimated $237 billion fortune. Bezos and Sánchez's multi-day affair kicked off with a welcome party held near the Madonna dell'Orto church on Thursday night; it was reportedly cut short due to a thunder storm. The actual ceremony was held at the 16th century San Giorgio Maggiore Basilica on one of Venice's islands on Friday night, though the couple don't appear to be getting legally married—they never applied for the necessary license from the city, suggesting they may have wed ahead of the very public celebration. Matteo Bocelli, son of Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli, reportedly performed at the ceremony, followed by a reception on the island. On Saturday, another party is planned at Arsenale, a massive complex of former armories and shipyards first built in the 12th century. The party was supposed to be held at the Scuola Grande Della Misericordia, in the center of Venice, but was moved on Tuesday for security concerns—a last-minute inconvenience that likely added significantly to the weekend's costs. The couple's A-plus guest list—which ranged from billionaires Bill Gates and Oprah Winfrey to Leonardo DiCaprio and Tom Brady, as well as a vaporetto-load of the requisite Kardashians—have been spotted at five-star hotels across Venice in recent days, including at the Gritti Palace, the St. Regis and the Aman, where the bride and groom are staying. (The couple reportedly bought out the entire hotel for the three nights, which required relocating guests who had coincidentally booked the Aman to other luxury properties in the city at the Bezos' expense.) The average cost of a room at the luxury hotels in June, based on the rack rate on several hotel sites, is about $2,000 per night. That adds up to some $900,000 for three nights, assuming around 150 rooms were booked. It's not clear whether the couple are paying for guests' rooms, but two wedding planners say it's standard for ultra-luxe events like this. Billionaire Sam Altman, the CEO of Chat GPT maker OpenAI, is one of a handful of billionaire guests at the Bezos-Sanchez wedding. MARCO BERTORELLO/AFP via Getty Images The couple's wedding planners also commissioned about 30 private water taxis to escort guests around the city, according to a source in Venice. Each taxi costs between $210 and $290 per hour, according to the Venice consortium of water taxis, the largest in the city. All told, assuming 12-hour days, the cost would be at least $270,000 spent on water transport alone. The wedding was catered by three-Michelin-star chef Fabrizio Mellino of Quattro Passi, a restaurant in Nerano—near Naples–which Bezos has been known to frequent, according to Italian newspaper Corriere della Serra. The restaurant charges around $1,800 per person, including staff and food transport, to cater weddings of this level, according to former clients. That's at least $360,000 in food-and-beverage costs for the one night—but it is likely a three-day contract, adding up closer to $1.1 million. Quattro Passi is reportedly closed for four days. The floral arrangements were provided by Munaretto Flowers, according to a source within Venice's luxury wedding planning industry, who estimates the cost to be hundreds of thousands of dollars. Munaretto did not reply to a request for comment. In addition, the couple is giving each guest an arrangement of local goods and pastries, including hand-blown Murano glass from Laguna B–a Venice luxury staple, and fresh-baked treats from Rosa Salva, one of the oldest bakeries in the city. A simple Murano wine goblet starts at around $220, making the estimated cost per box hundreds of dollars. Antonio Rosa Salva, owner of the Rosa Salva bakery, was commissioned to produce 'about 200' small assortments of the bakery's products, which is known for its typical Venetian cookies, including buranelli and zaleti . Rosa Salva tells Forbes the level of secrecy surrounding the nuptials has been such that he himself didn't know the order was intended for Bezos until two weeks ago, and that it was placed through a third-party agency. "We make our product with love,' he says. 'The real satisfaction comes from receiving recognition in that regard—from a financial standpoint as well, but it's much more important to be recognized for the quality.' The island of San Giorgio Maggiore in Venice, where the ceremony between Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez was held on Friday, June 27. STEFANO RELLANDINI/AFP via Getty Images Given the number of high-profile and ultra-wealthy guests, security has been paramount all week. 'The security posture there must be massive,' says Kenneth Bombace, CEO of Global Threat Solutions, who has provided private security for multiple events that Bezos attended in the past. Bombace says that for an event of this caliber, he would have hired 40 to 50 agents, including members of the local police force, and would have begun preparations months in advance. Bombace estimates the total security cost for the event, including travel and preparations, at 'a few million dollars.' A source with knowledge of the events confirmed that at least 30 members of the Italian police have surveyed the island of San Giorgio Maggiore with a canine unit and other security forces have swept the hotels. To spread good will in Venice—which has not exactly returned the kindness to the couple, including dumping a dummy of the groom clinging to an Amazon delivery box in the canal—Bezos has donated nearly $3.6 million to three organizations in the city: $1.2 million (or 1 million Euro) to Corila, an agency that coordinates research for the care of the Venetian lagoon; $1.2 million to UNESCO's Venice office, which promotes culture and the natural sciences; and an estimated $1.2 million to Venice International University. 'They did a blood test and an X-ray on us,' joked Pierpaolo Campostrini, general director of Corila, who says he was pleasantly surprised to receive the donation. Bezos had been struck by the beauty of Venice's lagoon during a previous visit and asked about its management, he tells Forbes . 'We didn't fill out an application or do anything of the kind.' Campostrini says he was first contacted by representatives for Bezos in April, before protests denouncing the lavishness of the event picked up, adding, 'It wasn't greenwashing.' A spokesperson for UNESCO Venice confirmed the group plans to use the funds to 'support UNESCO's activities in managing and preserving the cultural heritage of Venice and its lagoon.' A representative of Venice International University did not respond to a request for comment. Despite the media frenzy and lavish details, the weekend extravaganza is hardly the most expensive recent wedding among the billionaire set. In 2004, Indian steel tycoon Lakshmi Mittal, then the country's second richest person, sprang for an opulent six-day wedding celebration in Paris for his daughter Vanisha. Mittal spared no expense on the nuptials, flying 1,000 guests by private jets to France, where festivities included fireworks at the Eiffel Tower, a performance by Kylie Minogue and an engagement ceremony at the Palace of Versailles. The estimated tab for the week was around $60 million. That amount was modest compared to the 2024 marriage celebration of Anant Ambani, the son of India's richest person, Mukesh Ambani. Believed to be the most expensive of all-time—costing between $400 million and $500 million—it included multiple events stretching over several months, including a Mediterranean cruise and performances by Rihanna and Justin Bieber. One event alone had more than 10,000 guests. Not all billionaires or their heirs want such spectacles when they walk down the aisle. Alex Soros, son of hedge fund billionaire George Soros, recently tied the knot with Huma Abedin, a longtime advisor to Hillary Clinton, at a private ceremony 'at home' in their Water Mill, New York mansion. Still even a low-key billionaire wedding brings out a roster of A-list guests, this one including everyone from Clinton and Kamala Harris to Jennifer Lawrence and Mariska Hargitay. Plus there was a performance by Boyz 2 Men, a band well past their heyday and with a price tag that could have been as little as a few hundred thousand. Bezos and Sánchez are reportedly going for much bigger pop stars for their Saturday bash-–Lady Gaga and Elton John, according to several media outlets. And if those two don't show, Usher and Elie Goulding have already joined the Venetian party. The joy rushing through the canals has been palpable. From Bezos and Sánchez waving at crowds to the new bride already posting a glamorous photo of her in a Sophia Loren-inspired Dolce & Gabbana gown and changing her name to Lauren Sánchez Bezos on Instagram, there is no doubt they want to shout the news from the gondolas. Here's hoping it lasts longer than the marriage of Bezos' ex-wife MacKenzie Scott and her second husband, who divorced after less than two years — and that in this case, the second time is really the charm. More from Forbes
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Jeff Bezos, Lauren Sánchez officially tie the knot in high-profile Venice wedding
Amazon and Blue Origin founder Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez, a journalist, author and helicopter pilot, are officially married. Sánchez shared an update on Instagram with a photo of the the couple in their wedding attire from their star-studded wedding in Venice, Italy. Ahead of the wedding, the couple and some of these celebrity guests were photographed on Friday, leaving luxury hotels in Venice for their black-tie wedding ceremony. Bezos and Sánchez, who reportedly dated for about five years before they got engaged in 2023, were joined by family and friends for the multi-day affair. Here's what to know about the high-profile nuptials. Leading up to the wedding, information about the exact dates of Bezos and Sánchez's wedding were not been made public but the couple hosted a pre-wedding party Thursday. Sánchez shared a photo on Instagram updating followers that she and Bezos are officially married. The photo showed Sánchez and Bezos smiling as they walked up the aisle surrounded by their guests. Sánchez appears in the photo wearing a stunning white lace mermaid gown. Ahead of their big day, the couple was photographed on Thursday sharing a kiss while on their way to an evening reception, held at the gardens of the Madonna dell'Orto Church. The couple said "I do" in the capital of the Veneto region, although specific venues are not public knowledge. According to People, the island of San Giorgio Maggiore is expected to be the scene of the main event -- a black-tie ceremony. Workers were seen assembling tents and police patrolled the area, with extra police boats surrounding San Giorgio Maggiore. Among the big names on the approximately 200-person guest list for the Bezos-Sánchez wedding are potential celebrity guests including Oprah Winfrey, Kris Jenner, Khloé Kardashian, Kim Kardashian, Ellie Goulding and Ivanka Trump, who were all photographed leaving Venice hotels on Friday. Tom Brady, Usher and Orlando Bloom were also photographed stepping out in suits for the evening. Sánchez and Bezos, who Forbes estimates is worth $215 billion, are reportedly relying on about 80% of local Venetian vendors and organizations for their big day, according to the AP, including pastry-maker Rosa Salva, which has been in business for over 140 years, and glassware firm Laguna B, known for its Murano glasswork. ABC News exclusively obtained a portion of Bezos and Sánchez's wedding invitation, which was sent to guests in May. In it, the invitation asks guests to forgo gifts for the billionaire couple and instead lists three Venetian charities that Bezos and Sánchez will donate to on the behalf of guests. The wedding has drawn protests, dubbed "No Space for Bezos," among some local residents and organizations like Greenpeace, who are speaking out against over-tourism, disruption to everyday life and more. One Greenpeace banner, unfurled at Venice's St. Mark's Square, read, "If you can rent Venice for your wedding you can pay more tax." Venice locals protest Amazon founder Jeff Bezos' wedding in Italy "We think that one big billionaire can't rent a city for his pleasure," a protester named Simona Abbate told Reuters. Despite protests, the mayor of Venice has welcomed the high-profile wedding, saying the city is "very proud" to host Bezos, Sánchez and their guests. The couple's wedding planners, Lanza and Baucina, the same global events company behind George Clooney and Amal Clooney's 2014 Venice nuptials, added in a statement to ABC News, "From the outset, instructions from our client and our own guiding principles were abundantly clear: the minimizing of any disruption to the city, the respect for its residents and institutions and the overwhelming employment of locals in the crafting of the events." Simone Venturini, the deputy mayor of Venice, told ABC News that the city didn't have to compete to host the celebrity-studded wedding celebration. "No, we play in another league, so people compete to get married in Venice," Venturini said. A man named John, who works in tourism in Venice, also told ABC News that business has picked up amid the wedding festivities. "The work in the city is at a high level in this moment and everybody is excited or anxious for the event," he said. Both Bezos and Sánchez have been in past relationships and were married to other people previously. Bezos made headlines in January 2019 after revealing that he and his ex-wife MacKenzie Scott were divorcing after 25 years of marriage. The former couple share four children. Sánchez was previously married to talent agent and businessman Patrick Whitesell for 14 years. Both Sánchez and Whitesell filed for divorce in April 2019, as reported by the AP. They share two children. Sánchez is also mom to model Nikko Gonzalez, her eldest son from a previous relationship with former NFL tight end Tony Gonzalez.
an hour ago
Lauren Sánchez reveals details of her Sophia Loren-inspired wedding dress: See stunning photos
Lauren Sánchez just tied the knot with Jeff Bezos and she's spilling all the tea about her dress. The journalist, author and helicopter pilot married the Amazon and Blue Origin founder Friday in a gorgeous ceremony in Venice, Italy, in front of friends and family. Sánchez shared photos on Instagram following their nuptials, including one of her and Bezos walking up the aisle in what appeared to be moments after the ceremony. Jeff Bezos, Lauren Sánchez officially tie the knot in high-profile Venice wedding See the images here and here. She also shared a post about her dress, which she revealed was designed by Dolce & Gabbana. "Not just a gown, a piece of poetry," Sanchez captioned the post. "Thank you @dolcegabbana for the magic you made." More images in the post showed Sanchez trying the dress on at the Dolce & Gabbana atelier in Milan. Vogue featured Sanchez's wedding in an article published on Friday. It described the dress as a mermaid-line gown and features buttons down the dress. She completed the look with Dolce & Gabbana Alta Gioielleria Miracolo earrings and a veil. It took 900 hours to put together, according to Vogue. "I've never had a dress designed for me like this -- something so personal," she said. When it came time to choosing her gown, Sanchez said, "It went from 'I want a simple, sexy modern dress' to 'I want something that evokes a moment,' and where I am right now." She also said that she "researched brides in the 1950s" for design inspo. She added that a photo she saw of Sophia Loren featured the Old Hollywood actress wearing "high lace, up to the neck and I said, 'That's it. That's the dress.'" Ahead of the wedding, Sanchez told the magazine that she kept her dress a surprise from Bezos. "I almost gave in!" she said. "But I want it to be a surprise. As you get a little older, not many things surprise you. I can't wait to see his face."
