Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez arrive in Venice for marathon wedding party
Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and his journalist fiancee Lauren Sanchez arrived in Venice on Wednesday ahead of three days of lavish VIP parties in the romantic lagoon city to celebrate their wedding, despite protests from locals.
Around 90 private jets are set to land in local airports this week, bringing A-listers from showbusiness, politics and finance to the widely-dubbed 'wedding of the century' that will cost Bezos an estimated €40-48 million ($63.6- to $76.2-million).
The couple were spotted by a Reuters reporter entering the exclusive Aman Venice Hotel on the Grand Canal, where many of the celebrities will stay.
How much will Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez's wedding cost? The celebrity affair in Venice, by the numbers
Festivities will kick off on Thursday night with an open-air gathering in the cloisters of Madonna dell'Orto, a medieval church in the central area of Cannaregio known for its lively nightlife, a source close to the matter told Reuters.
Venice City Hall issued a directive on Wednesday cordoning off the area, isolating guests from activists who have been protesting for weeks that the celebrations will turn the city of gondolas and palazzi into a private amusement park for the rich.
'There's only one thing that rules now: money, money, money, so we are the losers,' said Venice resident Nadia Rigo.
'We who were born here have to either move to the mainland or we have to ask them for permission to board a ferry. They've become the masters.'
The date and venue of the wedding itself are still unknown and some have speculated that Bezos, 61, and Sanchez, 55, may already have tied the knot in a private ceremony back in the United States.
Bezos's Venice wedding party moved to isolated area on security concerns
Most of the estimated 250 guests are expected to arrive in time for the second party, which the source said is slated for Friday on the small island of San Giorgio, in front of the famed St. Mark's Square with its 99-metre-high (108 yard) bell tower.
San Giorgio island is home to the Cini Foundation, which organises international cultural and political meetings in an ancient monastery dating back to the year 1000, with a maze in the garden.
Outside the exclusive Aman Venice Hotel on the Grand Canal, where many of the guests will stay, workers erected a striped canvas canopy with side walls on a floating wharf to protect guests from prying eyes and photographers' long lenses.
Celebrations will conclude on Saturday with the main wedding bash to be held at one of the halls of the Arsenale, a vast former medieval shipyard turned into an art space in the eastern Castello district.
Opinion: As Jeff Bezos prepares for a grand Venice wedding, locals are pushing back harder than ever
Surrounded by water and impossible to reach by land when connecting bridges are raised, the hall is considered a safer site than a previous location choice for the final party, a former medieval religious school in Cannaregio.
Bezos, executive chair of e-commerce giant Amazon and no. 4 on Forbes' billionaires list, got engaged to Sanchez in 2023, four years after the collapse of his 25-year marriage to Mackenzie Scott.
The couple's decision to marry in Venice follows other celebrity weddings in the floating city, such as that of U.S. actor George Clooney and human rights lawyer Amal Alamuddin in 2014.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CTV News
4 hours ago
- CTV News
You are cordially invited to critique Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez's wedding invitation
Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez shown here at the F1 Grand Prix of Monaco, May 2025. (Mark Sutton/via CNN Newsource) There is much to unpack with the portion of Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez's wedding invitation that was leaked to the world. The explicit request for no gifts — the only option, really, for the one of the world's richest individuals; along with the donation pledge to UNESCO's Venice office, the Corila research program into the Venice lagoon, and Venice International University — a declaration of care for a city whose inhabitants are protesting the couple's very presence. But perhaps the most surprising element of all is the invitation's design. Printed in a wistful italic font and decorated haphazardly with doves, shooting stars, butterflies and the Rialto Bridge, the invitation appears homemade, but not in an artisanal sense. (The illustrations, which include two gondolas, have been compared with those available in Microsoft Word's generic image library). Instead, Bezos and Sanchez's invitation looks like a bit of an afterthought — which, considering the number of guests, the ongoing threat of protesters, which has already resulted in a last-minute venue change, and increasing media attention, may well be the case. Many took to social media to express their disappointment, criticizing the invitation for falling flat — expectations that have been largely set by assumptions of a billionaire's wedding budget. The decision makes more sense, however, when you consider the dressed-down approach typically associated with tech bros in this class bracket. Bezos himself is often found in jeans, polo shirts and sneakers — though for this occasion he is sure to shape up — and, according to a Wired profile from 1999, he once wore shirts with 'hidden snaps under the collar for easy tie removal.' Speed over style and efficiency over glamor. Old habits die hard. But invitations are more than just carriers of logistical details. For major events, they are the first glimpse of what attendees can expect from the day. For King Charles and Queen Camila's coronation in 2023, British artist Andrew Jamieson hand-painted an intricate, garden-themed border in watercolor and gouache complete with folklore motifs and coats of arms of the Monarch. The design was then reproduced and printed over 2,000 times on recycled card with gold foil detailing. Similarly, Harry and Meghan, Duke and Duchess of Sussex, had each of their wedding invitations in 2018 printed using a machine from the 1930s. The pair even went as far as using American ink on English card to symbolize their transatlantic unity. Fashion designers, too, have long harnessed the power of a memorable invite as important extensions of their world-building efforts. On Friday, while high-profile guests step out to celebrate the Bezos wedding (scheduled to run June 26-28), a fashionable set of attendees will gather in Paris for another hotly-anticipated event: The debut of a new chief designer at Dior. Jonathan Anderson — a certified hype-generator and master of storytelling on the runway — also distributed his official invitations this week. Guests received porcelain plates with a trio of baby pink eggs glued to the surface and 'Dior' printed on the underside. Like all good teasers, the invitation poses more questions than it answers, but it also sets the tone for what's to come on the catwalk. Expect subversion, something a little weird, traditional craft turned cerebral. Anderson, of course, is not the first designer to capitalize on an operational necessity in this way. In 2023, Alaïa sent attendees a collapsible stool, which they were instructed to carry to the show location. The year before, Balenciaga posted out 'genuine artifacts from the year 2022': iPhone 6Ss, each engraved with the guest's name and show details — often cracked or smashed. More recently, Gucci produced a special edition of the classic 'Timor' calendar from Italian designer Enzo Mari and sent it to guests for its Milan Fashion Week show. Some designers, however, still prefer the ephemeral. Jacquemus, for example, hand-wrote its invites in 2018, and wrapped them in a cotton towel along with a loaf of freshly baked bread. For sentimental souls, any invitation is a memento of the day — but great invites, such as those designed by luxury fashion houses, can become prized possessions. (Or be sold on eBay for thousands). With Anderson's Dior debut and the Amazon founder's nuptials overlapping, anyone who found themselves double booked (Kim Kardashian, Anna Wintor, perhaps?) faced a tough decision. Perhaps, the invitation was the clincher.
CBC
5 hours ago
- CBC
Celebrities join protesters in Venice ahead of Bezos-Sanchez wedding
Social Sharing Billionaire Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and former journalist Lauren Sanchez arrived in Venice on Wednesday — kicking off what is expected to be a weekend of lavish wedding festivities for the couple, attended by some of the world's top celebrities and drawing the ire of locals and protesters, who view it as a crass example of the huge disparity between the one per cent and everyone else. Bezos and Sanchez waved as they arrived at the dock of the Aman hotel, a five-star hotel on the Italian city's Grand Canal, with two security boats in tow. Some 90 jets are expected to arrive at local airports ahead of the weekend event. About 200 guests are expected, among them Ivanka Trump and her family, Mick Jagger, Oprah Winfrey, Katy Perry and Leonardo DiCaprio. Venice City Hall issued a directive on Wednesday cordoning off the area — isolating guests from activists who have been protesting for weeks that the celebrations will turn the city of gondolas and palazzi into a private amusement park for the rich. "There's only one thing that rules now: money, money, money, so we are the losers," Venice resident Nadia Rigo said. Festivities will kick off on Thursday night with an open-air gathering in the cloisters of Madonna dell'Orto, a medieval church in the central area of Cannaregio known for its lively nightlife, a source close to the matter told Reuters. The date and venue of the wedding itself are still unknown, and some have speculated that Bezos, 61, and Sanchez, 55, may already have tied the knot in a private ceremony in the United States. Protesters have also been in the city all week. Activists argue that the Bezos-Sanchez wedding exemplifies broader failures in municipal governance. Chief among their concerns is the lack of investment in affordable housing and essential services. City officials have defended the wedding. Mayor Luigi Brugnaro called the event an honour for Venice, and the city denied the wedding would cause disruptions.
Global News
12 hours ago
- Global News
Bezos wedding venue changed due to ‘inflatable crocodile' threat, says protester
Amazon co-founder Jeff Bezos has reportedly had to change one of his wedding event venues in Venice after a group of protesters threatened to block the canals surrounding the location with inflatable crocodiles, according to The Guardian. The tech billionaire and his wife-to-be, Lauren Sanchez, a former journalist, were supposed to host a wedding party at the Scuola Grande della Misericordia, a historic building dating back to the 1300s, but pivoted at the last minute amid protest and safety concerns, reports the U.K. outlet. The venue change was also due in part to security concerns, after the U.S. bombed Iran, and because President Donald Trump's daughter, Ivanka, is in Venice for the wedding. Venetian authorities have increased security throughout the city, particularly in the Jewish neighbourhood, the British outlet added. Story continues below advertisement View image in full screen Lauren Sanchez and Jeff Bezos are seen in Venice days before their wedding. Ernesto Ruscio / GC Images Activists say they will not try to stop the wedding but will organize a 'no Bezos, no war' march instead. 'We feel as if we scored a victory,' one activist, whom the Guardian did not name, said. '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.' Get daily National news Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day. Sign up for daily National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy The couple will now host their guests at Arsenale di Venezia, a fortified 14th-century complex of shipyards in the eastern Castello district, Reuters reported. The new location is only accessible by boat and impossible to reach by land when the connecting bridges are raised. The large shipyard used to serve the Venetian Republic's maritime empire. Now the Arsenale has been restored and converted into an exhibition space for the Venice Biennale art fair. Story continues below advertisement View image in full screen The historical building of Scuola Grande della Misericordia in Venice, Italy. Getty Images For weeks, some residents and activist groups have been complaining that the days-long wedding will turn the scenic city into a private playground for the rich and famous, and have repeatedly threatened peaceful protests under the slogan 'No space for Bezos.' Greenpeace Italia and the British activist group Everyone Hates Elon are also part of the protests; they say they joined to bring attention to the 'social and climate injustice' of such events. View image in full screen A graffiti reading 'No Space for Bezos' is pictured on June 13, 2025, in a bar in Venice where billionaire Jeff Bezos will marry his fiancée, journalist Lauren Sanchez, at the end of the month. ANDREA PATTARO/AFP via Getty Images While the exact date, time and location of the wedding ceremony remain under wraps, it is expected to take place between Thursday and Saturday, with approximately 200 guests arriving on an estimated 95 private jets in the coming days. The list reportedly includes the likes of Kim Kardashian, Katy Perry, Oprah Winfrey and Elon Musk. Story continues below advertisement The couple are rumoured to be exchanging vows at the Cini Foundation on the island of San Giorgio Maggiore on Friday. Venice is accustomed to hosting high-profile events, and celebrity weddings, perhaps its most notable to date being George and Amal Clooney's in 2014. Venice's sprawling waterways and ancient architecture also attract swaths of international visitors, with some 20 million tourists pouring into the city annually. In March, the mayor assured that Venice is equipped to manage the logistical responsibilities of hosting the Bezos-Sanchez wedding. 'We are mutually working and supporting the organizers to ensure that the event will be absolutely respectful of the fragility and uniqueness of the city,' Luigi Brugnaro told People. In recent days, a section of what appears to be the couple's wedding invitation has been circulating online. ABC News shared what it says is a snippet asking guests not to bring gifts, and that the couple plans to make donations to the UNESCO Venice Office, CORILA, a local wildlife charity and the Venice International University. View image in full screen A snippet from Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez's wedding invitation asking guests not to bring gifts. ABC News — With files from Reuters
