What to know about the wedding of Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez

Indian Express

6 hours ago

Written by Jesse McKinley and Emma Bubola
It may be the best semi-secret wedding money can buy.
Next week, Jeff Bezos, the founder of Amazon and one of the world's richest men, is set to marry Lauren Sánchez, a former TV reporter. Their ceremony promises to be among the most closely watched, and closely held, in recent memory.
Beyond its general locale — Venice, Italy, where some locals are already upset about the event — little is known about the couple's impending nuptials, following what has been about six years of public courtship.
It's a period that includes Bezos' evolution from being known as the owner of The Washington Post, one of the nation's most prominent newspapers, to being known as a friend of a president notorious for his attacks on the press.
At the same time, Sánchez has transitioned from being a news anchor in Los Angeles and a notable figure in the social scene to becoming a celebrity in her own right — taking a short spaceflight with Katy Perry aboard a rocket bankrolled by her fiance and having a bachelorette party attended by the Kardashians.
Bezos, 61, proposed to Sánchez, 55, on his yacht, Koru, docked near the Cannes Film Festival in May 2023, according to an interview in Vogue, hiding the pink diamond ring under her pillow. 'When Jeff opened the box,' Sánchez recalled. 'I think I blacked out a bit.'
Yet, for all of that publicity, the actual wedding plans have remained exceedingly secret, with security concerns and possible protests, though rumors abound about the guest list, the locale, and — naturally — the prenuptial agreement. Here's what we know.
Needless to say, it's a destination wedding, and it seems likely to occur between June 26 and 28. According to unconfirmed reports in Italian newspapers, the locations for festivities may include a pagoda on Venice's Lido beach, where the Venice Film Festival is held; the island of San Giorgio, which faces the Doge palace; and the Scuola Grande della Misericordia, a lovingly restored Renaissance building, which exudes status-symbol wedding vibes: soaring ceilings, an indoor colonnade, plenty of plinths.
But Bezos and his camp have been mum about venues — and pretty much everything else.
Wherever Sánchez and Bezos say their 'I do's,' it won't be at City Hall, unlike George Clooney and Amal Alamuddin, who got married there in 2014, according to city officials. Italy has a variety of rules surrounding marriage rites, which can involve religious ceremonies, often performed in Roman Catholic churches. The Sánchez-Bezos wedding, however, will be nondenominational, likely of a ceremonial nature.
Secrecy surrounding the event extends to the guest list, though approximately 200 guests are expected. Many of those will be close friends and family — the couple have seven children, combined, from previous marriages and relationships — with a dappling of celebrities, tech moguls and political figures. President Donald Trump is not attending, though his daughter Ivanka is likely to be there, with her husband, Jared Kushner.
The list is believed to be packed with A-listers, including Oprah Winfrey, Mick Jagger, Jay-Z & Beyoncé, Eva Longoria, Gayle King and Jewel. Barry Diller and his wife, Diane von Furstenberg, who have a home in Venice, may also attend.
If the bachelorette party — held in Paris in May — was any indication, Perry and Kim Kardashian likely will be on the guest list, as could Kris Jenner.
Well, certainly more than your average Amazon purchase, but perhaps not on the level of last year's Anant Ambani-Radhika Merchant wedding in Mumbai. Still, numerous tabloid reports have estimated the cost to reach multiple millions.
Perhaps aware of local concerns regarding the potential ostentation of the wedding, Lanza & Baucina, which is organizing the wedding, expressed their intention to minimize 'any disruption to the city' and its residents, while also employing locals to craft the events. They added that Bezos and Sánchez have supported 'the city and its all-important lagoon through nonprofit organizations and associated projects.'
Venice and its canals attract large crowds, especially in the summer, prompting city officials to impose a small fee for visitors during peak periods and limit tour group sizes.
But the protests over the Bezos wedding also seem to be dovetailing with a larger movement in some popular European locations against 'overtourism,' with protests in places like Barcelona, Spain; Mallorca; and Lisbon, Portugal.
In Venice, the 'No Space for Bezos' movement is promising more protests, with talk of blocking canals and other anti-nuptial mischief.
There is likely to be a crush of paparazzi and other amateur stargazers.
One point of reference is the 2014 Clooney-Alamuddin event, where celebrity news and morning shows decamped to Venice and photographers pursued the couple. (That couple seemed remarkably at ease, answering shouted questions from reporters and acknowledging screaming fans.)
How Sánchez and Bezos greet and are greeted by the public remains to be seen, though they could have a handy escape if they want to avoid any unwanted attention: according to boat tracking site Marine Traffic, Koru is already bobbing in the Adriatic Sea, along with Bezos' 'support ship,' the Abeona, a 250-foot-long dinghy complete with a helicopter pad. (Sánchez is a pilot.)
But unlike other big boats, and big names, Koru appears not to be headed to the wedding.