Bezos-Sanchez Venice wedding: Kim Kardashian among celebrities to arrive as celebrations get underway
With Lauren Sanchez and husband-to-be Jeff Bezos firmly planted in Venice, and VIP guests arriving thick and fast, celebrations surrounding the couple's highly anticipated wedding can commence.
The three-day affair is expected to take place from Thursday to Saturday when some 200 guests will join the billionaire Amazon founder and the former journalist in celebrating their marriage after a two-year engagement.
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.
Ivanka Trump, alongside husband Jared Kushner and their children, was photographed arriving on Wednesday and Kim Kardashian was pictured arriving on Thursday with her sister Khloe and mother Kris Jenner. Oprah Winfrey and former NFL quarterback Tom Brady were also among VIPs boarding water taxis at the airport.
With the threat of disruptive protests ever-present, the venues and plans may be kept fluid, but official events are expected to kick off Thursday night at the medieval Madonna dell'Orto cloister, according to Reuters. A traffic ordinance from Venice City Hall appears to back that up, with pedestrian foot traffic barred around the 14th-century cathedral, which hosts a number of artworks from the famed Venetian painter Tintoretto, from late afternoon until midnight.
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 protestors 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.
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The complex wedding is being orchestrated by Lanza and Baucina — the planners who similarly oversaw the Clooneys' star-studded Venetian union — who told CNN that their clients' instructions have been to minimize 'any disruption to the city,' while insisting they using an overwhelming number of local suppliers to help craft the event.
The couple is sourcing some 80% 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.
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 Oscar de la Renta also being floated as a brand she may turn to for one of her many looks this week.
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Fox News
8 minutes ago
- Fox News
Jeff Bezos, Lauren Sanchez celebrity wedding guests take Venice by storm
The stars are aligning for Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez. On Thursday, celebrities such as Orlando Bloom, Tom Brady and more were seen boarding various water taxis at various luxurious hotels in Venice, Italy ahead of the couple's extravagant wedding celebrations. Sanchez gave onlookers a wave as she boarded a boat with her soon-to-be husband by her side outside the Aman Hotel. Vanity Fair reported on Wednesday that the first event of the Bezoz-Sánchez wedding will be a kick-off party in Cannaregio. The outlet noted that the wedding party has water cabs ready to escort guests to the Italian city. A city ordinance has already been sent out, blocking off traffic from 6 PM to midnight between Madonna dell'Orto and nearby streets, the outlet reported. The party is reportedly being held in the Sant'Alvise complex, which is a 14th century church, monastery, and Barco. Per Vanity Fair, Bezos will be escorted by 10 bodyguards during the kick-off party and the Italian government has recruited reinforcements to maintain the privacy and safety of all attendees amid recent protests. On Wednesday, the soon-to-be newlyweds were seen out and about in Venice. According to multiple reports, the couple decided to change one of their wedding venues in Venice because of security concerns and possible protests. The couple had planned to hold a wedding party at the historic Scuola Grande della Misericordia in the Cannaregio section of the city, but are now said to be moving it to the harder-to-reach Arsenale, a former shipyard, which is completely surrounded by water and only reachable by boat when connecting bridges are raised, BBC News and Reuters reported. A number of other celebrities are invited to the wedding festivities, which remain a secret but have been expected to kick off on Thursday and end Saturday in the picturesque Italian city. Despite ongoing protests from local Venetians, Mayor Luigi Brugnaro told The Associated Press that the city is "very proud" to be hosting the couple's wedding.
Associated Press
12 minutes ago
- Associated Press
By the numbers: What we know about Bezos' wedding in Venice
It's likely the most expensive wedding this year. Though details of the wedding between Amazon multi-billionaire Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez are sketchy, it's certainly causing a storm, not least in Venice, where they're set to tie the knot this weekend. Here's a guide by the numbers: ___ 228 Billion, that is. That's the net worth of Jeff Bezos, according to real-time data from Forbes, making him the third-richest person in the world behind tech bros Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg. Not bad, considering that he founded Amazon out of his garage in Seattle in 1994, with not much more than a desk, a fax machine and a long orange extension cord that was needed to supply the room with additional power. From its origins as an online bookstore, Amazon's tentacles are now felt all around the world. If you want anything, it'll likely be for sale there. Amazon also now produces movies, runs the Whole Foods grocery chain and has become the leader in voice-activated speakers. Bezos stepped down as CEO of Amazon in early 2021, citing the desire to devote more time to philanthropy and other projects, including The Washington Post, the newspaper he bought in 2013 and his rocket company, Blue Origin. But Bezos still has broad influence over Amazon as executive chair and the company's biggest shareholder, though his stake has diminished over the years to under 10%. 2 This is the second time that Bezos — and Sanchez — will be walking down the aisle. Bezos, 61, was married to MacKenzie Bezos for 25 years until their divorce in April 2019. TV anchor Sanchez, 55, also divorced her first husband of 14 years, talent agent Patrick Whitesell, in 2019. The divorce came at a high price for Jeff Bezos. Only the divorce of Bill Gates and Melinda Gates has been more expensive. As part of the settlement, MacKenzie, who has taken her middle name Scott as her new surname, received 25% of Bezos' stake in Amazon. According to Forbes, she is worth a cool $30 billion, easily placing her in the world's top 100. 2,456 According to travel website Kayak, that's the euro price ($2,850) for the next available room at the Aman Venice, the hotel where the couple are believed to be staying during their three-day wedding extravaganza. The hotel is a grand spectacle in a city of spectacles. Like Venice itself, the hotel blends mystery and grandeur, opulence and solitude. The rooms are decorated with works by a number of Italy's greatest artists, including 16th-century architect Sansovino and 18th-century painter Tiepolo. Given his wealth, Bezos would be expected to reside in one of the suites. The 97 square-meter (1,044 square feet) Grand Canal Suite would surely meet the moment. According to the hotel, it 'beguiles with views of the Grand Canal and an abundance of light.' Or how about the Alcova Tiepolo Suite? It is slightly bigger at 103 square meters (1108 square feet), which allows guests the opportunity to stay among 18th-century frescoes by Tiepolo. 48,283 Or thereabouts. That's the approximate population of Venice's historic center, which is composed of over 100 islands connected by footbridges and traversed by its famed canals. And it's clear not everyone is thrilled by the arrival of Bezos, his wife-to-be and their 200 or so guests, which it seems will include Mick Jagger, Ivanka Trump, Oprah Winfrey, Katy Perry and Leonardo DiCaprio, to name just a few. And it doesn't seem as though the protesters will stay silent. About a dozen Venetian organizations, including housing advocates, anti-cruise ship campaigners and university groups, have united to protest the multi-day event under the banner 'No Space for Bezos,' a play on words that refers to Sanchez's recent space flight. To many Venetians, the city has lost its charms over the decades, with mass tourism making it an increasingly difficult and expensive place to live, particularly in the summer. To many, Venice has become the ground zero of overtourism, not least when massive cruise liners deposit their cargo of thousands of passengers for a few hours of sightseeing. The locals are often outnumbered by tourists. 90 That's the number of wedding-related private jets that are expected to land at Treviso and Venice airports. Veneto Gov. Luca Zaia reckons the Bezos wedding is all worth it and will generate around $50 million for the city and a celebrity quotient that would 'bring visibility and promotion' to Venice worth more than five American Super Bowls.
New York Post
an hour ago
- New York Post
Anti-Jeff Bezos protesters unfurl huge ‘1% ruins the world' banner as A-listers arrive for his ‘wedding of the century'
Furious anti-Jeff Bezos protestors brandished a banner screaming 'the 1% ruins the world' on Thursday as the rich and famous started arriving in Venice, Italy, for the billionaire's lavish wedding. One activist was spotted scaling a flagpole in front of the Saint Mark's Basilica to unfurl the huge anti-rich banner as the three-day wedding extravaganza kicked off. Cops hauled away at least one in a wheelchair. A protester being detained by police in Venice after scaling a flagpole in front of the Saint Mark's Basilica Thursday. James Breeden for NY Post The scenes unfolded as VIP guests — including Oprah Winfrey and Kim and Khloe Kardashian — started pouring into the city for Bezos' nuptials with Lauren Sanchez. Some 200 A-listers from Hollywood, politics and finance are expected to attend what's been dubbed 'wedding of the century.' As the protests continued, a gleeful Bezos was pictured waving from a water taxi as he and his bride-to-be arrived at the Aman Hotel on the Grand Canal flanked by two security boats. With an estimated price tag of roughly $46 million, the wedding has drawn a spattering of protests by groups and local residents who have fumed the event is a sign of the growing disparity between the haves and have-nots. One activist was spotted scaling a flagpole in front of the Saint Mark's Basilica to unfurl the huge anti-rich banner as the three-day wedding extravaganza kicked off. James Breeden for NY Post Dubbed the 'No Space for Bezos' movement — a play on words referring to his bride-to-be's controversial space flight — rallygoers have unfurled a slew of anti-Bezos banners on iconic Venetian sites in recent days. Local activists have already signaled they'll be staging a more organized protest for Saturday as they aim to obstruct access to canals to prevent guests from reaching the wedding venue. 'It will be a strong, decisive protest, but peaceful,'' Federica Toninello, one of the activists, said. 'We want it to be like a party, with music, to make clear what we want our Venice to look like.'
