Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez: Couple make last-minute wedding venue switch as Venice locals protest
The lavish celebration was originally set to take place at Scuola Grande della Misericordia, a grand 16th-century Venetian landmark in the heart of the city.
But according to activist group No Space for Bezos, those plans were quietly scrapped after protesters threatened to blockade celebrity arrivals by floating inflatable crocodiles through the canals.
Instead, the reception has reportedly been relocated to the Arsenale di Venezia, a historic former shipyard with fortified walls, a location that's logistically harder for protesters to access and easier for security to lock down,
The Guardian
reported.
Local media reports have also suggested that the switch was not just about the inflatable reptiles. Rising security concerns, particularly after the US formally entered the Israel-Iran conflict, reportedly prompted further caution, especially with high-profile guests like Ivanka Trump arriving in Venice this week.
In anticipation, security has been ramped up across the city, with particular focus on the Jewish quarter.
Roughly 200 guests are expected for the multi-day affair, including possible appearances from Elon Musk, Kim Kardashian, and Leonardo DiCaprio. An estimated 95 private jets are expected to land at Venice airport between Tuesday and Wednesday.
While the exact details remain under wraps, celebrations are tipped to begin on Thursday.
The couple is expected to marry at the basilica of San Giorgio Maggiore on Friday, followed by a Saturday blowout party.
But activists are not backing down.
Instead of attempting to stop the wedding entirely, organisers say they'll now stage a No Bezos, No War protest march.
'We feel as if we scored a victory,' one unnamed activist told the media.
'The crocodile initiative would have given a bad impression of the city — this is why the venue was changed, even if the authorities might try to claim it was because of the war.'
Posters mocking Bezos, with his head pasted onto a rocket, referencing his Blue Origin space venture, have appeared across the city.
Greenpeace Italia and British protest group Everyone Hates Elon also joined in, unveiling a massive banner in St Mark's Square on Monday that read: 'If you can rent Venice for your wedding, you can pay more tax'.
Greenpeace framed the protest as a message against 'social and climate injustice', arguing Bezos represents an 'economic and social model that is leading us towards collapse'.
But not everyone is siding with the demonstrators. Venice's millionaire mayor, Luigi Brugnaro, who confirmed the wedding plans back in March, said he was ashamed of those protesting about people who 'bring riches' to the city.
Sensing opportunity in the chaos, the mayor of Soàve, a walled town of 7000 people in the Veneto region, offered his own pitch.
He invited the couple to ditch Venice and marry in what he described as 'the most beautiful village in Italy'.
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