Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez 'dial down the bling' on Venice wedding after furore around THAT all-female space flight... but it'll still cost nearly £10m, ALISON BOSHOFF reveals
The eyes of the world will inevitably be on Venice later this month when financial colossus Jeff Bezos marries fiancee Lauren Sanchez.
Everyone in the Italian city is expecting a staggering display of wealth from Amazon-founder Bezos, with money to burn, and Ms Sanchez, who looks like she enjoys lighting the match.
And yet, despite the huge wealth and profile of the couple and their celebrity guests, it can be revealed that this will be a publicity-shy and surprisingly small event. Modest, even.
With fewer than 200 guests – a fraction of what was expected – and a final bill which is said to be less than £10million, it is clear that the bride and groom are dialling down on the bling.
As an impeccably placed source tells me: 'The wedding has had a make-under.' Indeed, the event is going to cost the equivalent of loose change for the groom, who is worth $220billion and spends $34million a year just to run his yacht – the $500 million Koru.
The yacht will be moored at San Basilio – the closest the giant vessel can get to the centre of Venice due to regulations to protect the city's fragile ecosystem – and be in sight of the Hotel Cipriani, where many guests will be lodged.
It's thought Jeff, Lauren and their immediate families will stay on the nine-bedroom yacht. Other guests will be split between the Cipriani and Aman hotels nearby. The only famous couple definitely going are actor Orlando Bloom and his wife Katy Perry. Kris Jenner and Kim Kardashian are invited, but their attendance has not been confirmed.
Instead, the guests of honour will be Bezos' mum, Jackie, who had Jeff when she was 17, and his adoptive father and life-long inspiration, Mike Bezos.
The island of San Giorgio Maggiore will potentially be the destination for the couple's nuptials
The couple loaned him $245,000, their life savings, to start Amazon in 1995 and Mike, who now runs the Bezos family foundation, is a particularly impressive individual, having emigrated to the US alone from Cuba aged 16.
So why the – relatively – humble plans? I understand part of the reason was the PR disaster of the all-female Blue Origin 'space flight' in April – when Lauren and her five crew, including Perry, donned skin-tight space suits to blast to the edge of the Earth's atmosphere. The project attracted huge criticism for being a meaningless stunt.
I am told the couple have not sent paper or email invitations, the better to sail under the radar. And they have trimmed their guest list to the bare bones. 'It is very sweet, very understated,' says a guest. 'It is not an ostentatious blow out.
'They understand that the space flight criticism was bad for a reason and are responding to it by being less 'Marie Antoinette'.'
The source adds: 'People really underestimate Lauren and Jeff. Truly, they are good people. They don't want the wedding to be a lightning rod for inequities in the world. It's just a wedding.' That's as maybe, but the celebrations are still expected to take place at jaw-droppingly beautiful – and exclusive – locations.
Sources in Venice believe the nuptials will happen at the Fondazione Cini – a monastery on the island of San Giorgio Maggiore. Crucially, it will be free on June 25 – the most likely day of the wedding – as it is closed to the public on Wednesdays.
Having twice hosted the G7 summit, it can offer complete security and privacy and is close to where the Koru will dock.
Sources also expect celebrations at the palazzo apartment owned by Bezos' close friend Diane von Furstenberg. Local sources indicate that all 79 rooms of the fabled Hotel Cipriani have been block booked from June 24-26. A suite in high season costs around £20,000 a night. The Cipriani boasts the largest swimming pool in Venice and the Casanova gardens, where the infamous seducer used to meet his conquests.
The couple are also believed to have booked out the Aman Canal Grande, the 24-bedroom palazzo where George Clooney tied the knot with lawyer Amal in 2014.
Plans are being co-ordinated with the mayor of Venice's office to minimise disruption but some locals concerned about overtourism are planning protests.
'This city is not for sale, it is not a playground for the rich,' said activist Ruggero Tallon.
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The Guardian
13 minutes ago
- The Guardian
How every Premier League club's summer business is shaping up
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John Brewin There is another profit and sustainability-shaped hole to fill this summer, though the picture is not thought to be as pressing as last year, when Villa's director of football operations, Damian Vidagany, compared the situation to a ticking timebomb before they sold Douglas Luiz to Juventus. At the same time, another big sale would be a welcome relief to the bottom line, which is why Villa are preparing for the departure of Emiliano Martínez. Villa are targeting the additions of two goalkeepers, with Lille's Lucas Chevalier among those on the shortlist, and will need to replace the loanees who arrived in the winter window, with none of Marcus Rashford, Marco Asensio and Axel Disasi expected to return permanently. Villa immediately targeted a young striker after agreeing to sell Jhon Duran in January and have agreed a deal for the 18-year-old Zépiqueno Redmond to join from Feyenoord next month. Ben Fisher No wonder the Bournemouth technical director, Simon Francis, recently conceded they are victims of their own success. Even before last season ended, the club were being mined for their prized assets, with Real Madrid triggering the £50m release clause in Dean Huijsen's contract. Milos Kerkez, who has been a superb signing from AZ Alkmaar, is poised to join Liverpool, so a left-back is high on the agenda. Paris Saint-Germain have also inquired about Illia Zabarnyi, another consistent performer. The official line is Zabarnyi is not for sale but it will be tough to keep him if PSG stump up. Regardless, Bournemouth will generate significant funds to strengthen and view a new goalkeeper as perhaps the most important piece of the puzzle. Kepa Arrizabalaga, who spent last season on loan from Chelsea and remains the world's most expensive goalkeeper, has a modest £5m release clause in his contract but Bournemouth are exploring all options in their search for a permanent No 1. 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Reuters
14 minutes ago
- Reuters
Musk's father says Elon made a mistake 'under stress' and that Trump will prevail
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The Sun
16 minutes ago
- The Sun
H&M is selling a £20 dupe of a £1,500 Prada bag and it's the perfect accessory for your summer holiday
H&M's new summer tote is a dupe for a popular designer bag - and it's a fraction of the price The Straw Tote bag is available in a range of colours, with its beige version being branded a dupe for the Prada Crochet Tote Bag. 4 4 But while the Prada bag costs a staggering £1,500, H&M's similar alternative costs just £19.99. A description on H&M's website reads: "Tote bag in braided paper straw with handles at the top." The bag is unlined, weighs just 272 grams, and has a height and width of approximately 35cm making it the perfect size for all your summer essentials. Its stylish design features a holed crochet pattern, with a closer knit at the bottom to ensure your belongings stay secure. It is embellished with 'Amour Paris'. The bag is also available in a red and dark brown design, adding a pop of colour to liven up your outfit. With a 4.8 star rating, the bag is clearly a hit among shoppers. One wrote: "Lovely summer bag. Also good as a beach bag. "Not too big but can carry a towel, flip flops and a few other essentials easily." Others described as "perfect for summer" while another said that it "looks a lot more expensive than it is." The summer trend dividing style queens - some call it a 'girl's best friend' but it brings back bad memories for others Its more-expensive Prada comparison is similarly sized, and is available in natural (similar to beige), and olive green. With a slightly more structured shape, the key difference between the bags is that instead of 'Amour Paris', the designer counterpart reads ' Prada Milano '. This is adorned in a triangle at the centre of the bag, rather than at its base, giving more space for the looser knit design also featured on the £20 dupe. A Prada product description reads: "This crochet tote bag has a soft, deconstructed shape and boasts a light, summery mood. "A new interpretation of Prada's emblematic triangle decorates the front and is embellished at its centre with the embroidered lettering logo." 4 4 It's part of a wider collection of crochet bags designed by the luxury fashion brand - which includes a card holder for £1,020, and a mini bucket bag for £1,760. A similar compact-sized shoulder bag is available as part of the H&M collection for just £19.99. They also have a smaller version of the shoulder bag at just 22cm tall, available for the same bargain price. Eager shoppers can snap up the summer bargain both online and instore. It's great for pairing with the rest of H&M's Summer 2025 collection, now available while stocks last. Why you should always buy a dupe over designer... Fashion Editor Clemmie Fieldsend says it's time fashion snobs stopped looking down their noses at affordable versions of designer buys. Bargain US supermarket Walmart became a social media sensation when its £60 dupe of Hermès' Birkin bag, dubbed the Wirkin, went viral. Influencer @styledbykristi gushed: "Eighty dollars (£60), you can pretend that you got a Birkin. I mean, everyone will probably know it's not, because who the hell has the money to spend on the real Birkin? Not me.' Me neither. And why bother? I would never spend that on a designer bag (although if someone wants to buy one for me, that's a different story). Plus, if I splashed that much, I'd feel I was being ripped off... We've all been told how the leading brands use the finest leather, thread, dyes and craftsmanship in the world. But all that is inflated by fashion houses to create the desired illusion of exclusivity. Just last year, Dior came under investigation for paying £44 to assemble a bag that sells for £2,000. So while you might think you are paying for top-level craftsmanship carried out by a true artisan, chances are the poorly paid workers are not seeing any of your hard-earned cash. Dupes — not to be mistaken for knock-offs that copy everything from the logo to the inside label — are a more practical and all-round sensible way to go. I bought my first when I was 18. It lasted me four years and only broke after I wore it in the shower. And these days, British high streets have plenty of dupes. In the past three years, Marks & Spencer, H&M and Mango have all seen huge spikes in sales thanks to their canny copies. They use the same viral, must-have marketing tactics that pricey brands have. Fashion folk will tell you that you are making an investment and buying a 'heritage piece' and will turn their noses up at a high street equivalent. But we've been wearing looks inspired by catwalk designers for decades. If we can buy a bag that's the spitting image of the pricier version, but doesn't mean you have to remortgage, why not?
