Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez wedding on a 'budget'? Know why they may dial back the bling
Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez wedding
Jeff Bezos
, the third-richest man in the world with a net worth of more than $220 billion, and Emmy-winning journalist and aerospace businesswoman
Lauren Sanchez
are to get married in Venice, Italy. As Bezos owns a fortune worth more than $220 billion, public expectation of how lavish the wedding would be was understandably high. Most people anticipated an extravagant multimillion-dollar affair with private islands, celebrity attendants, and Michelin-starred catering.
But following this week's public criticism over Blue Origin's all-female flight, a mission designed to celebrate inclusion but viewed by many as elitist indulgence, the couple are understood to have decided to drastically cut back on their wedding plans, according to a report by the Daily Mail. The wedding, previously planned on a grand scale, is now being contemplated on a smaller, less extravagant scale, although it will still have its own luxurious exclusivity and celebrity sheen.
Jeff Bezos, Lauren Sanchez may hold low-key Venice wedding after spaceflight controversy
The wedding buzz began when reports surfaced that Bezos and Sanchez had chosen Venice, one of the most lavish and romantic destinations in Europe, for their ceremony. Given that Bezos famously spent $500 million on his superyacht Koru and owns multiple estates around the world, it wasn't far-fetched to expect a wedding budget of similar proportions.
Media sources and insiders first predicted an "ostentatious blowout" with lavished spending on entertainment, celebrity guests, locations, and security. This was to be the world's biggest billionaire wedding until public opinion intervened.
Why the wedding might 'dial down'
As per reports close to the couple, the lavish plans were met with increasing alarm after Sanchez joined Blue Origin's all-female space mission earlier this year, as per the Daily Mail. As much a gesture intended to make history in space travel as it was, the mission came under intense criticism for being tone-deaf amid escalating economic inequality and climate issues.
In response to this criticism, Bezos and Sanchez allegedly decided to dial things back. A guest characterized the new aesthetic of the ceremony as a "make-under," with a focus on simplicity, privacy, and humility or at least as much humility as a billionaire wedding in Venice is possible.
"They realize that the space flight criticism was ill-advised and are pushing back against it by being less 'Marie Antoinette,'"
an insider told Daily Mail.
Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez wedding venue: A historic Venetian island
Sources are speculating that the wedding can be held at the Fondazione Giorgio Cini, a historic monastery on Venice's San Giorgio Maggiore island. Famous for its beautiful architecture and selectivity, the venue has hosted prestigious events like the G7 summit in the past, a dignified enough venue for a wedding between a billionaire and his celebrity bride-to-be.
It has just the right balance of discretion, majesty, and symbolic restraint making it a suitable venue for a celebration in the spotlight.
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