Lauren Sanchez and Jeff Bezos' A-list guests run for cover as pre-wedding party is ruined by huge freak thunderstorm
Lauren Sanchez and Jeff Bezos' A-list guests like Kim Kardashian and Kylie Jenner were forced to take cover on Thursday as the couple's pre-wedding party was hit by a huge thunderstorm.
The lavish event held at Madonna dell'Orto marked the start of the billionaire couple's lavish three-day wedding in Venice, Italy, which will come to a close on Saturday.
However, Thursday night's star-studded soiree was brought to an early end due to the intense downpour.
Guests dived for cover under the vaulted cloisters as lightening bolts flashed across the sky and thunder rumbled overhead at the end of what was a torridly humid day with temperatures nudging 96.8° Fahrenheit.
Torrential downpours and a strong wind left guests soaked as they then dashed for water taxis which had been scrambled a good 45 minutes ahead of the midnight finish time.
The strong gusts of winds whipped table cloths away and sent waiters scurrying for umbrellas to protect the VIP attendees.
One onlooker said:' It just goes to show you can have all the money in the world but you cant control the weather - although an Italian saying says a wet bride is a happy and lucky bride.'
Kim, 44, and her younger sister Khloe, 40, struggled to stay dry in their couture gowns as their security team guided them to their designated water taxi.
Kylie, who is the younger half-sister of Kim and Khloe, reacted to the weather by sharing a photo of her rain-soaked water taxi to her Instagram Story.
Bride-to-be Lauren was surrounded by tuxedo-clad gentleman carrying blue umbrellas over her as she carefully stepped on to her awaiting boat.
The TV personality, 55, had on a striking off-the-shoulder dress with a dramatic gold corset cinching in her already tiny waist.
Bezos, 61 — who popped the question in 2022 with a $3million engagement ring — was seen following closely behind Lauren with an umbrella over his head.
Singer Ellie Goulding was also spotted standing out in the rain as she and a fellow guest waited patiently for their boat.
Bezos and Sanchez are set to tie the knot in Saturday in Venice, Italy after a two-year engagement.
The Amazon billionaire and his bride-to-be are said to have invited 200 people to their three-day Italian wedding, which kicked off on Thursday.
On Tuesday, a copy of the couple's invite was leaked with one very specific request made on behalf of the couple.
They've asked guests not to buy them any presents and told them they'll be making donations to multiple charities working to stop Venice from sinking on attendees' behalf instead.
The star-studded guest list includes Leonardo DiCaprio, Mick Jagger, Oprah Winfrey, Orlando Bloom, and Tom Brady.
Bezos is worth around $224.6 billion and is thought to be spending tens of millions on his wedding.
'If you can rent Venice for your wedding, you can pay more tax,' one gigantic banner read in St. Mark's Square.
Greenpeace and the UK-based collective Everyone Hates Elon have joined protests in Venice attempting to disrupt, or even prevent, the planned wedding celebrations of Amazon founder Bezos this week.
' Jeff Bezos is the second-richest man in the world yet is reported to pay a 1.1 percent true tax rate,' the two groups said in a joint statement. 'The multi-million-dollar wedding is reportedly happening over three days, with the wedding ring alone worth as much as $5million.'
A spokesperson from Everyone Hates Elon said: 'As governments talk about hard choices and struggle to fund public services, Jeff Bezos can afford to shut down half a city for days on end just to get married.'
Venice mayor Luigi Brugnaro and regional governor Luca Zaia have spoken out in favor of the nuptials, which have been dubbed, 'the wedding of the century,' pointing out that the celebrations are expected to bring $23-34million to local businesses.
'This is a city that handles 150,000 people a day,' Zaia told Italian daily Corriere della Sera. 'George Clooney, François-Henri Pinault and Salma Hayek, Alexandre Arnault, Elton John and many others got married here.'
Bezos has also pledged to make sizable charity donations, including $1.16million to Corila - an academic consortium dedicated to studying Venice's lagoon ecosystem - according to Corriere della Sera and Italy's ANSA news agency.
Earlier this month, anti-Bezos banners were hung in Venice from St. Mark's Tower with 'Bezos' in blue capital letters and a red X over it as part of a 'No Space for Bezos' campaign, a play on Bezos' Blue Origin spaceflight venture.
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The royal, 54, appeared to be in high spirits as she helped onto a water taxi in Venice with the other star-studded guests for Bezos' lavish wedding bash Bezos, 61 - who popped the question in 2023 with a $3 million engagement ring - was seen following closely behind Lauren with an umbrella over his head. In footage obtained by Lauren appeared to be in high spirits despite the rain ending their soiree early. Once inside the water taxi, she was seen sharing a laugh with Bezos as the downpour intensified. The Amazon billionaire and his bride-to-be are said to have invited 200 people to their three-day Italian wedding. Along with Ellie Goulding, Leonardo DiCaprio and Ivanka Trump, the star-studded guest list includes Mick Jagger and Tom Brady. Earlier this week, a copy of the couple's invite was leaked with one very specific request made on behalf of the couple. They've asked guests not to buy them any presents and told them they'll be making donations to multiple charities working to stop Venice from sinking on attendees' behalf instead. Bezos is thought to be spending roughly $15 to $20 million on his and Lauren's Italian nuptials.
