Billionaire Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez will not be ‘legally married' at their wedding, according to Venice officials
The Amazon founder, who is worth about $US226 billion ($345 billion), is expected to tie-the-knot in San Giorgio on Friday, Italy time, in a star-studded ceremony that will include guests Kim Kardashian and Ivanka Trump.
The series of events is expected to cost some 40 million ($A71 million) to 48 million euros, or $US46.5 to $US55.6 million.
On Friday, journalist Nick Pisa spoke about the wedding on Sunrise.
'I spoke to Venice Town Hall earlier this week and asked them 'how does an expat couple get married in Italy? How do they go about it? Is the mayor going to do the ceremony?',' Pisa said.
'They said, 'actually, Nick, no-one from here is going to do the ceremony. No-one from here has been asked to carry out a civil service, so any wedding event that takes place there, will have no legal bearing or legitimacy.
'No religious minister is doing it. No Justice of the Peace is doing it, and no-one from Town Hall is doing it.
'Basically, it looks like an excuse for a three-day mega-party.'
Bad weather
Pisa went on to explain a massive thunderstorm bearing down on Venice has affected the couple's welcome party, which was packed full of celebrity guests, including Oprah Winfrey and Orlando Bloom.
'The thunder is rolling and lightning flashing across the sky,' Pisa explained.
'We had hail and a huge amount of rain which I would imagine has curtailed the celebrations earlier than originally planned.
'The party kicked off 7pm local time with a flotilla of water taxis arriving outside the Madonna dell'Orto, a beautiful church in the north of Venice where the artist Tintoretto is buried.
'To the right-hand side of it, a beautiful open area space which is used for parties and exhibitions in Venice.
'(It was) beautifully laid-out with tables and candles and even the pontoons where stars like Kim Kardashian, Leonardo DiCaprio, Orlando Bloom, Oprah Winfrey (all came together).
'Also, the key players Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez got off the boat, which was beautifully illuminated with old-fashioned antique 18th century streetlights.
'The party went inside after that.
'I could hear music, both Italian and English, I understand on the menu, it was mainly Italian food.
'I saw pizza ovens brought in, pizza dough, a lot of prosciutto.'
Glamorous looks
During the festivities, Sanchez is expected to turn an array of luxury looks.
Spotted leaving the five-star Aman hotel on Wednesday by luxury water taxi, Sanchez opted for a vintage Alexander McQueen one-shoulder gown for one of her first appearances in the city.
On Thursday, local time, she wore a shimmering brocade corset dress from Schiaparelli's most recent couture collection.
The wedding dress
Details of Sanchez's wedding gown will no doubt be one of the event's most closely guarded secrets.
Luxury Italian fashion house Dolce & Gabbana is the strongest contender — with Domenico Dolce photographed at Venice's outdoor Riva Lounge on Thursday — though Oscar de la Renta also being floated as a brand she may turn to for one of her many looks this week.
Last year, Sanchez sat front row for Dolce & Gabbana's Alta Sartoria show in Sardinia as her son, Nikko Gonzalez, walked the runway, making it a family affair.
She was also photographed for Bezos's 60th birthday in a sheer gown by the Italian label, though she opted for Oscar de la Renta for her 2024 Met Gala debut and for the Vanity Fair Oscar Party in March.
Protests
Venice's famed waterways and winding streets have hosted an array of high-profile weddings including François-Henri Pinault and Salma Hayek-Pinault in 2009, George and Amal Clooney in 2014, and Alexandre Arnault and Géraldine Guyot in 2021.
But protesters associated with the group No Space for Bezos have already shifted the impending wedding plans, with their threat of canal blockades moving one of the weekend's events from a grand, centrally located space, to a former shipyard on Venice's perimeter, according to the group.
The complex wedding is being orchestrated by Lanza and Baucina — the planners who similarly oversaw the Clooneys' star-studded Venetian union.
They told CNN that their clients' instructions have been to minimize 'any disruption to the city,' while insisting they use an overwhelming number of local suppliers to help craft the event.
The couple is sourcing some 80 per cent of wedding provisions from local vendors, including pastries from the Rosa Salva pastry shop, the oldest in Venice, and gifts from Murano glassware designer Laguna B.
Around 30 of the city's elite water taxis, out of 280 total, are also thought to be reserved.
One taxi driver told CNN he has been booked from June 25 through June 30 for 'a big wedding,' but declined to say more on the subject.
Gondolas have also been put on hold, with the city's gondola association confirming they are ready for the event.
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