Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez to spotlight Venice's artisanal heritage during upcoming nuptials
VENICE, Italy (AP) — Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez have invited celebrity friends like fellow space traveler Katy Perry, Oprah Winfrey, Mick Jagger and Ivanka Trump for their Venice nuptials later this month, but the couple hopes to put a spotlight on Venice's traditions during the celebrations.
They are sourcing some 80% of their wedding provisions from Venetian vendors, according to people close to the couple, as a way to share their appreciation for the romantic lagoon city. The wedding will take place over three days in late June, with events kept private.
Two historic Venetian companies will add artisanal touches to the celebration: Rosa Salva, the city's oldest pastry maker that has been crafting donut-shaped fishermen's biscuits since 1876, and Laguna B, a design studio known for its distinctive handblown Murano glass prized by fashion and design clients.
Treats good for fishermen and VIPs alike
Antonio Rosa Salva, the 6th generation in his family to run the business, said the wedding order of a selection of surprises for goody bags was important recognition of his family's long tradition of baking Venetian specialties dating back 150 years.
They include the bussola buttery biscuit that was long a fisherman's staple, and small zaletti cookies, made from the Veneto region's corn meal, flavored with raisins and lemon zest.
'We try to maintain the old recipes,'' said Rosa Salva, whose family business includes a catering service and four locations in Venice's historic center and one on the mainland. 'We do everything with love. It's a pleasure and a privilege.''
Rosa Salva, whose business regularly caters large events for 1,000 or more people in Venice, is perplexed by posters that have gone up around the historic center protesting the use of the city as a venue for the Bezos-Sanchez wedding.
'Events like this bring quality tourism to Venice,'' he said. 'I don't see how an event with 200 people can create disruptions. It's responsible tourism. It's prestigious that a couple like this, who can go anywhere in the world, are getting married in the city.'
Collectible glass wear with social responsibility
Laguna B was founded by Marie Brandolini, who became known as the glass countess, in 1994, and the company is now being guided by her son, Marcantonio, from the family's palazzo overlooking the Grand Canal.
The younger Brandolini said his vision is to restore the Venetian tradition of running creative enterprises out of Venice's grand palazzi, which historically dedicated the ground floor to work spaces for the merchant nobility. His is a good example. The company employs 14 people under 30 out of offices in the back garden and a boutique in an adjacent alleyway, in a sector, he underlines, 'not related to tourism.''
His upstairs neighbors are Diane von Furstenberg and Barry Diller – close friends of Bezos and Sanchez, but he doesn't think that is why the wedding planner singled out his company, which is well known among a small network of collectors.
Laguna B won't disclose what his master glassblowers on Murano have created for the wedding, but the company is known for distinctive glassware that at times feature an undulating lip – no two alike.
'I hope they like what we did for them,'' Brandolini said. 'For us, it's a great opportunity, it gives extra support for our growth.''
While the business thrives on such important orders, Brandolini said he is equally gratified by young, discerning customers who seek out the shop because they admire the company's commitment to community building, reviving Venice's artisanal heritage and projects to help protect the fragile lagoon. They might buy just a single drinking glass.
His is a message of inclusivity, which he also applies to the Bezos-Sanchez choice of wedding venue. 'The world is for everybody. Whoever wants to do something, should be able to do it, following the law.'
Venice protests
Unsurprisingly in a city whose future is fiercely debated at every turn, the wedding has attracted the attention of protesters, who on Thursday hung a banner on St. Mark's bell tower with Bezos crossed out. They cite the risk of disruptions in a city so overrun with mass tourism that officials are for a second year requiring day-trippers to pay a tax to enter on key summer days.
City officials have pledged that services will function normally during the wedding, and issued a denial in late March to reports that the wedding organizers had booked half the city's water taxis and blocked out rooms at luxury hotels.
'We are very proud,'' Mayor Luigi Brugnaro told The Associated Press this week in St. Mark's Square, saying he hoped he would get the chance to meet Bezos. 'I don't know if I will have time, or if he will, to meet and shake hands, but it's an honor that they chose Venice. Venice once again reveals itself to be a global stage.''
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