Celebrities converge on Venice for Bezos-Sanchez wedding gala, Entertainment News
VENICE - Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and journalist Lauren Sanchez began three days of lavish wedding celebrations in Venice on Thursday (June 26) with tight security shielding their VIP guests from protesters.
Bill Gates, Orlando Bloom and the Queen of Jordan were among the latest arrivals, joining Oprah Winfrey, Kris Jenner and Kim and Khloe Kardashian.
US President Donald Trump's daughter Ivanka and son-in-law Jared Kushner, who showed up on Tuesday, have used the extra time for sightseeing and shopping.
Some 200-250 A-listers from show business, politics and finance are expected to take part in what has been widely dubbed "wedding of the century", estimated to cost around US$50 million (S$63.7 million).
The event has stirred a debate about its impact on one of the world's most beautiful cities, with protesters seeing it as an example of Venice being gift-wrapped for ultra-rich outsiders, but others enjoying the spectacle and the spending.
An activist climbed one of the poles in the main St Mark's Square on Thursday, unfurling a banner with the words "The 1 per cent ruins the world" to protest against the presence of the billionaire Bezos in Venice.
Guests were gathering on Thursday evening in the cloisters of Madonna dell'Orto, a medieval church in the central district of Cannaregio that hosts masterpieces by 16th century painter Tintoretto.
The city council banned pedestrians and water traffic from the area from 4.30pm until midnight, to provide security and seclusion for the partygoers. Luxury canalside hotel
Bezos, 61, and Sanchez, 55, landed in Venice via helicopter on Wednesday and took up residence in the luxury Aman hotel, where rooms with a view of the Grand Canal go for at least 4,000 euros (S$5,960) per night.
They are set to exchange vows on Friday on the small island of San Giorgio, opposite St Mark's Square, in a ceremony which, according to a senior City Hall official, will have no legal status under Italian law.
Some have speculated that the couple have already legally wed in the United States, sparing them from the bureaucracy associated with an Italian marriage.
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.
The "No Space for Bezos" movement is planning further demonstrations against an event they see as a sell-off of Venice, but by no means are all the locals hostile. Money-spinner
Politicians, hoteliers and other residents say high-end events, rather than multitudes of low-spending daytrippers, are a better way to support the local economy, and dismiss the protesters as a fringe minority.
"If you look at what concretely the Bezos wedding brings for the good of Venice, there are only advantages and no disadvantages," Mattia Brandi, a local tour leader, told Reuters.
"If anything is different, it is because of the protesters ... They don't realise that it is them who are disrupting the quiet life of the city," he added.
Venice has hosted scores of VIP weddings. US actor George Clooney and human rights lawyer Amal Alamuddin tied the knot there in 2014, and Indian billionaires Vinita Agarwal and Muqit Teja did so in 2011, without significant disruptions.
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.
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Straits Times
6 hours ago
- Straits Times
Bezos and Sanchez to exchange wedding vows in star-studded Venice party
Tom Brady leaves Gritti Palace Hotel, ahead of the anticipated wedding of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and journalist Lauren Sanchez in Venice, Italy, June 26, 2025. REUTERS/Guglielmo Mangiapane Khloe Kardashian and Kim Kardashian gesture on a boat, ahead of the anticipated wedding of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez in Venice, Italy, June 26, 2025. REUTERS/Guglielmo Mangiapane A general view of the Venetian Arsenal, on the second day of the wedding festivities of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and journalist Lauren Sanchez, in Venice, Italy, June 27, 2025. REUTERS/Yara Nardi A general view of San Giorgio Maggiore island, on the second day of the wedding festivities of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and journalist Lauren Sanchez, in Venice, Italy, June 27, 2025. REUTERS/Yara Nardi Oprah Winfrey and Orlando Bloom leave Gritti Palace Hotel, on the second day of the wedding festivities of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and journalist Lauren Sanchez in Venice, Italy, June 27, 2025. REUTERS/Manuel Silvestri VENICE - Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and journalist Lauren Sanchez were set to exchange marriage vows at a ceremony in Venice on Friday, part of a three-day wedding extravaganza that has attracted dozens of celebrity guests but also protests by local activists. Bezos, 61, and Sanchez, 55, will exchange rings on the small island of San Giorgio, opposite St Mark's Square, accompanied by singing from Matteo Bocelli, son of the famous Italian pop-opera tenor Andrea Bocelli. The ceremony will have no legal status under Italian law, a senior city hall official told Reuters, suggesting that the couple may have already legally wed in the United States, avoiding the bureaucracy associated with an Italian marriage. The festivities, estimated to cost around $50 million, culminate on Saturday with a party in a former medieval shipyard where Lady Gaga and Elton John are reportedly set to perform. Bill Gates, Orlando Bloom, Tom Brady, the queen of Jordan, Oprah Winfrey, Kris Jenner and Kim and Khloe Kardashian as well as Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner and Domenico Dolce from Dolce & Gabbana are among the 200-250 guests. Amid tight security, there have been glimpses of the celebrities moving around town, the women in summer dresses and high heels stepping somewhat gingerly off boats ferrying them around the city's canals. Celebrations began on Thursday evening in the cloisters of Madonna dell'Orto, a medieval church in the central district of Cannaregio that hosts masterpieces by 16th-century painter Tintoretto. "This magical place has gifted us unforgettable memories," the bride and groom said on their wedding invitation, in which they asked for "no gifts" and pledged charity donations for three Venetian institutions. Their donations are worth 3 million euros ($3.5 million). 'GIFT-WRAPPED' VENICE Businesses have welcomed the glitz and glamour but it is being resisted by a local protest movement whose members resent what they see as Venice being gift-wrapped for ultra-rich outsiders. Bezos is No. 4 on Forbes' billionaires list. Giulia Cacopardo, a 28-year-old representative of the "No Space for Bezos" movement, complained that the needs of ordinary people were being neglected in a city that is a tourist magnet and fast depopulating largely due to the soaring cost of living. Venice's city centre has less than 50,000 residents, compared to almost 100,000 in the late 1970s. "When you empty a city of its inhabitants, you can turn it into a stage for big events," Cacopardo told Reuters. "(But) the money that Bezos spends on this wedding does not end up in the pockets of Venetians. The owners of luxury hotels are not Venetians." Cacopardo was one of 30-40 activists who staged a protest in St Mark's Square on Thursday, chanting "We are the 99%" as a masked couple posed as bride and groom and one man climbed a pole to unfurl a banner reading "The 1% ruins the world". Police intervened, forcibly removing the protesters. The anti-Bezos front is planning a march on Saturday, and their activities have already led authorities to step up security and move the location of Saturday's party to a more secluded part of Venice, the Arsenale former shipyard. But politicians, hoteliers and other Venice residents are happy about the wedding, saying that such events do more to support the local economy than the multitudes of day-trippers who normally overrun the city. "We are happy and honoured to welcome Jeff Bezos and his consort Lauren Sanchez," said Mayor Luigi Brugnaro, who sent white roses to the bride and a maxi-bottle of Amarone luxury red wine to the groom. Italy's Tourism Ministry said it carried out a study estimating at 957 million euros ($1.12 billion) the overall economic impact of the wedding, including an 896 million euro benefit from "media visibility", and the rest coming from direct or indirect spending related to the event. Bezos, Amazon's executive chair, got engaged to Sanchez in 2023, four years after the collapse of his 25-year marriage to MacKenzie Scott. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
AsiaOne
16 hours ago
- AsiaOne
Celebrities converge on Venice for Bezos-Sanchez wedding gala, Entertainment News
VENICE - Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and journalist Lauren Sanchez began three days of lavish wedding celebrations in Venice on Thursday (June 26) with tight security shielding their VIP guests from protesters. Bill Gates, Orlando Bloom and the Queen of Jordan were among the latest arrivals, joining Oprah Winfrey, Kris Jenner and Kim and Khloe Kardashian. US President Donald Trump's daughter Ivanka and son-in-law Jared Kushner, who showed up on Tuesday, have used the extra time for sightseeing and shopping. Some 200-250 A-listers from show business, politics and finance are expected to take part in what has been widely dubbed "wedding of the century", estimated to cost around US$50 million (S$63.7 million). The event has stirred a debate about its impact on one of the world's most beautiful cities, with protesters seeing it as an example of Venice being gift-wrapped for ultra-rich outsiders, but others enjoying the spectacle and the spending. An activist climbed one of the poles in the main St Mark's Square on Thursday, unfurling a banner with the words "The 1 per cent ruins the world" to protest against the presence of the billionaire Bezos in Venice. Guests were gathering on Thursday evening in the cloisters of Madonna dell'Orto, a medieval church in the central district of Cannaregio that hosts masterpieces by 16th century painter Tintoretto. The city council banned pedestrians and water traffic from the area from 4.30pm until midnight, to provide security and seclusion for the partygoers. Luxury canalside hotel Bezos, 61, and Sanchez, 55, landed in Venice via helicopter on Wednesday and took up residence in the luxury Aman hotel, where rooms with a view of the Grand Canal go for at least 4,000 euros (S$5,960) per night. They are set to exchange vows on Friday on the small island of San Giorgio, opposite St Mark's Square, in a ceremony which, according to a senior City Hall official, will have no legal status under Italian law. Some have speculated that the couple have already legally wed in the United States, sparing them from the bureaucracy associated with an Italian marriage. 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. The "No Space for Bezos" movement is planning further demonstrations against an event they see as a sell-off of Venice, but by no means are all the locals hostile. Money-spinner Politicians, hoteliers and other residents say high-end events, rather than multitudes of low-spending daytrippers, are a better way to support the local economy, and dismiss the protesters as a fringe minority. "If you look at what concretely the Bezos wedding brings for the good of Venice, there are only advantages and no disadvantages," Mattia Brandi, a local tour leader, told Reuters. "If anything is different, it is because of the protesters ... They don't realise that it is them who are disrupting the quiet life of the city," he added. Venice has hosted scores of VIP weddings. US actor George Clooney and human rights lawyer Amal Alamuddin tied the knot there in 2014, and Indian billionaires Vinita Agarwal and Muqit Teja did so in 2011, without significant disruptions. 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. [[nid:719496]]
CNA
17 hours ago
- CNA
Celebrities converge on Venice for Bezos-Sanchez wedding gala
Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and journalist Lauren Sanchez began three days of lavish wedding celebrations in Venice on Thursday (Jun 26), with tight security shielding their VIP guests from protesters. Bill Gates, Orlando Bloom and the Queen of Jordan were among the latest arrivals, joining Oprah Winfrey, Kris Jenner and Kim and Khloe Kardashian. US President Donald Trump's daughter Ivanka and son-in-law Jared Kushner, who arrived earlier this week, have used the extra time for sightseeing and shopping. Some 200 to 250 guests from show business, politics and finance are expected to attend the event, widely dubbed the "wedding of the century" and estimated to cost around US$50 million. The event has stirred debate about its impact on one of the world's most iconic cities. Protesters see it as an example of Venice being gift-wrapped for ultra-wealthy outsiders, while others have welcomed the spectacle and the spending. An activist climbed one of the poles in St Mark's Square on Thursday, unfurling a banner that read 'The 1% ruins the world' in protest against the presence of billionaire Bezos. Guests gathered on Thursday evening in the cloisters of Madonna dell'Orto, a medieval church in the Cannaregio district that hosts masterpieces by 16th-century painter Tintoretto. The city council banned pedestrians and water traffic from the area from 4.30pm to midnight, to ensure security and privacy for the attendees. LUXURY VENUE AND SECRET CEREMONY Bezos, 61, and Sanchez, 55, landed in Venice by helicopter on Wednesday and took up residence in the luxury Aman hotel, where rooms overlooking the Grand Canal start at €4,000 (US$4,686) per night. They are expected to exchange vows on Friday on the island of San Giorgio, opposite St Mark's Square, in a ceremony that reportedly will not have legal status under Italian law. Some reports suggest the couple may already have legally wed in the United States. Celebrations are set to conclude on Saturday with a wedding party at the Arsenale, a former shipyard now used as an arts venue in the Castello district. The 'No Space for Bezos' movement has pledged more protests against what they call the commodification of Venice. However, many locals have voiced support for such high-end events. ECONOMIC DEBATE Politicians, hoteliers and other residents argue that exclusive events like the Bezos wedding bring greater benefits to the local economy than the mass tourism of low-spending daytrippers. 'If you look at what concretely the Bezos wedding brings for the good of Venice, there are only advantages and no disadvantages,' said Mattia Brandi, a local tour leader. 'If anything is different, it is because of the protesters ... They don't realise that it is them who are disrupting the quiet life of the city,' he added. Venice has previously hosted a number of high-profile weddings, including that of US actor George Clooney and human rights lawyer Amal Alamuddin in 2014, and Indian billionaires Vinita Agarwal and Muqit Teja in 2011. Bezos, executive chair of Amazon and ranked No. 4 on Forbes' billionaires list, got engaged to Sanchez in 2023, four years after the end of his 25-year marriage to MacKenzie Scott.
