Jeff in Venice: seven takeaways from the Bezos-Sánchez wedding

The Guardian

14 hours ago

Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and journalist Lauren Sánchez held their wedding ceremony in Venice's Grand canal on Friday, the centrepiece of a three-day gala that drew dozens of stars but also protests by local activists. Here are seven takeaways.
The couple kicked off celebrations with a foam party on their $500m (£364m) super yacht moored near the Croatian island of Unije. Coinciding with Sánchez's son Evan Whitesell's 19th birthday, paparazzi photos showed the couple wearing swimwear and sunhats covered in frothy suds as they partied alongside Whitesell and his friends. Foam parties can cause conjunctivitis, so the decision to hold one just days before their nuptials was somewhat surprising but maybe billionaire foam hits different.
What do you get for the fourth richest person in the world? Apparently nothing. A portion of the official invitation obtained by ABC News stipulated an early request from the couple; 'please, no gifts'. Instead it stated that Bezos and Sánchez would be making donations 'with gratitude' on their guests' behalf to causes including the Venice International University and an organisation dedicated to restoring the city's lagoons. On social media, the biggest question users had was: who had designed the invite? Featuring doodle-like illustrations of butterflies, shooting stars, feathers and the Rialto Bridge, some argued the invitations had been generated by AI or, perhaps, bulk bought via Amazon.
Alongside donations on their behalf, each guest will receive a goodie bag. We are still waiting for one of the Kardashian clan to do an official unboxing on YouTube but so far it has been revealed that they feature sweet treats from the historic Venetian pastry shop Rosa Salva and vibrant coloured glassware from the Murano specialist Laguna~B.
First came the anti-capitalist public protests. Then it turned out one of Bezos and Sánchez's three chosen venues was covered by unsightly scaffolding. The next disaster to hit? A freak thunderstorm on Thursday night during a welcoming party at the Madonna dell'Orto cloisters. Heavy lightning and rain reportedly left many guests soaked, forcing the event to end early. Perhaps Bezos and Sánchez should have followed fashion week's lead and hired a rain shaman.
The biggest hint that Sánchez will at some point wear a dress by Dolce & Gabbana stems from a photo of Domenico Dolce enjoying aperitivo hour at the Gritti Palace, a five-star hotel on Venice's Grand canal. Sánchez is a long-time fan of the Italian label but, saying that, she isn't particularly loyal to any brand, and it's thought that Anna Wintour – who is likely attending – is supportive of the idea. As she recently told Vogue after decades of dressing in tailoring during her TV presenting days, she is now focusing on 'having fun' with fashion. Plus, she has the budget to buy whatever she wants rather than rely on designers to approve her wearing a loan.
Sánchez appeared to whizz off to the ceremony in an Audrey Hepburn cosplay in a headscarf and dark glasses.
Getting lost in Venice is part of the charm. Not so if you have a staged paparazzi shot to get to. As anyone who's been in a city tour group will know, ensuring all parties are dressed in the same garb is the easiest way to stay with the party. Literal dressing, where you pay homage to the place, is one thing. The fetishisation of postwar Italian cultural icons such as Monica Vitti or Sophia Loren in some archive Cavalli (Kendall and Kylie) or vintage Versace snakeskin (Kim) is another. Still, it's probably the simplest way to stay with the crowd while reminding people you're in Italy. In case anyone had forgotten.
With the ceremony not taking place until Friday evening, many guests found themselves with time to kill. With a personal art collection valued at $127mn, it came as no surprise that Bill Gates and a friend popped into the Gallerie dell'Accademia that houses the Pietà by Titian.