Here's what we know ahead of the Bezos-Sanchez wedding
After a stormy evening in Venice, CNN's Melissa Bell explains why details remain closely guarded ahead of the Bezos-Sanchez wedding.
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Gizmodo
35 minutes ago
- Gizmodo
Jeff Bezos's Wedding Invitation Is a Billionaire Fantasy Wrapped in Eco-Fluff
It's being billed as the wedding of the decade, a spectacle of wealth and power set against the romantic backdrop of Venice. The union of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, 61, and former journalist Lauren Sánchez, 55, this weekend is more than just a party. It's a coronation for a new kind of royalty. This marriage confirms the reality that tech luminaries now dominate all spheres of social life, flaunting their immense wealth with the glamour once reserved for Hollywood and monarchs. The Bloomberg Billionaires Index tells the story: eight of the world's top 10 richest people are tech moguls. This wedding is intended to be the ultimate symbol of that power, an uninhibited tech industry proudly displaying its dominance in a shower of glitter. The festivities, taking place between June 26 and 28, have drawn around 200 hand-picked VIPs. The guest list is a fusion of new power and old glamour, including Kim Kardashian, Leonardo DiCaprio, Oprah Winfrey, George and Amal Clooney, and Mick Jagger, according to reports. Also spotted arriving were the U.S. President's daughter Ivanka Trump with her husband Jared Kushner, and Queen Rania of Jordan. The logistics of the event are as staggering as the guest list. According to Italian daily Il Corriere della Sera, 95 private jets have requested permission to land at Venice's airport. At least seven mega-yachts will be in attendance, including Bezos's own superyacht, the Koru, which is already anchored off the island of San Giorgio Maggiore. To ferry these guests, nearly all of the city's water taxis have been requisitioned. Jeff Bezos Wedding Plans Disrupted After Protesters Threaten to Fill Venice Canals With Inflatable Crocodiles This overwhelming display has sparked a backlash from locals, who worry the billionaire flotilla will make their city, already struggling with over-tourism, even more uninhabitable. Posters declaring 'No space for Bezos' have appeared around the city. Amid the protests and security concerns, the main party was reportedly moved from a 16th-century building to the Venice Arsenale, a medieval complex that is more easily controlled. For an event of such breathtaking excess, the invitation sent to guests strikes a carefully curated tone of humble philanthropy. 'We are excited for you to join us!' begins the invitation, which was posted on social media. 'We have one early request: please, no gifts.' Here is a copy of Lauren Sanchez and Jeff Bezos' wedding invitation. Thoughts? — Theresa Longo Fans (@BarkJack_) June 24, 2025Instead of presents, Bezos and Sánchez informed their guests that they are making contributions in their names to UNESCO's Venice office 'to safeguard this city's irreplaceable cultural heritage' and to other local associations for environmental research and sustainability. The text reads like a billionaire-era version of noblesse oblige, a subtle way to embed philanthropy into luxury and rebrand Venice itself as their chosen cause. The card's design reinforces this soft-focus message. Adorned with delicate illustrations of pastel-colored butterflies, falling stars, and gondolas on the city's canals, it feels more like a page from a children's storybook than an invitation to a power-couple wedding. The point seems clear: soften the excess, aestheticize the wealth, and wrap the entire affair in a cloak of transcendence and charity. It's a PR ballet, a luxury wedding attempting to greenwash itself by inviting guests to feel like they're part of the solution, not the problem. In a world where billionaires increasingly shape public narratives, not just through wealth but through weddings, rockets, and even policies, this is a carefully curated spectacle that merges old-world glamour with modern-day branding. The wedding signals a generational shift in power. Tech billionaires are no longer confined to code and boardrooms. With this wedding, Bezos is planting a flag squarely in the world of glamor, influence, and narrative control. And while Venice will recover from the weekend's disruption, the message of the wedding is likely to echo long after the gondolas leave: this is the new elite, and they want to be seen.
CNN
44 minutes ago
- CNN
Denmark plans to thwart deepfakers by giving everyone copyright over their own features
The Danish government is planning to tackle the issue of AI-generated deepfakes by granting citizens property rights over their likeness and voice. The proposed legislation would mean that people who find that their features have been used to create a deepfake would have the right to ask the platforms that host the content to take it down, Danish Culture Minister Jakob Engel-Schmidt told CNN on Friday. Engel-Schmidt believes that 'technology has outpaced legislation' and the proposed law would help to protect artists, public figures and ordinary people from digital identity theft, which he said is now possible with just a few clicks thanks to the power of generative AI. 'I think we should not accept a situation where human beings can be run through, if you would have it, a digital copy machine and misused for all sorts of purposes,' he said. He cited the example of musical artists who have discovered songs online purporting to be theirs, but which have in fact been made using AI clones of their voice. One such case involves Canadian singer Celine Dion, who in March warned fans about AI-generated content featuring her voice and likeness that was circulating online. And in April 2024, more than 200 artists, including Billie Eilish, Kacey Musgraves, J Balvin, Ja Rule, Jon Bon Jovi, the Jonas Brothers, Katy Perry and Miranda Lambert, signed an open letter speaking out against AI-related threats in the music industry. Engel-Schmidt says he has secured cross-party support for the bill, and he believes it will be passed this fall. Once the legislation is passed, Engel-Schmidt believes a second step would be to introduce more legislation that could impose fines on companies that do not comply with requests to remove content featuring an AI-generated deepfake. 'We are champions of freedom of speech, we would like everyone to be heard, but we also believe that human beings have the right to say yes and no to them being used by generative AI,' he said. As for whether he has discussed the proposed legislation with tech companies, Engel-Schmidt said: 'Not yet, but I'm looking forward to it. I think it's in their interest as well to make AI work for humanity, not against, you know, artists, popular figures and ordinary people.' Athina Karatzogianni, a professor of technology and society at the University of Leicester, England, told CNN that the Danish proposal is one of hundreds of policy initiatives around the world looking to reduce the possible harms associated with the misuse of generative AI. 'Deepfakes can have both individual and social impact, because they can both harm individual rights and also (have) sociopolitical impacts, because they undermine the values that are fundamental to a democracy, such as equality and transparency,' said Karatzogianni.
Forbes
44 minutes ago
- Forbes
Jeff Bezos And Lauren Sanchez Marry Today: What We Know About Venice Extravaganza
Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and former journalist Lauren Sánchez will exchange vows on a small Venetian island Friday, the centerpiece of what is expected to be a star-studded, and controversial, multi-day ceremony hosted in Venice, Italy, with protests by angered locals having already interfered with some of the billionaire's party plans. Lauren Sanchez and US founder of Amazon, Jeff Bezos, leave the Aman Hotel in Venice on June 25, ... More 2026. Photo by STEFANO RELLANDINI/AFP via Getty Images Bezos and Sánchez will tie the knot on San Giorgio Island on Friday, multiple outlets reported, a small locale off the coast of Venice's St. Mark's Square which contains a centuries-old church known for its bell tower. Though the couple will hold their wedding in Italy, city officials told CNN they have not received an official marriage request from the couple, indicating their celebrations are ceremonial and that they may already have married in the United States. Friday's wedding celebration will feature a performance by Matteo Bocelli, the son of opera singer Andrea Bocelli, Reuters reported. The wedding began its 'multi-day celebration' Thursday and is expected to last until Saturday, costing the billionaire tech mogul and his soon-to-be wife tens of millions of dollars, according to multiple outlets. Venice Mayor Luigi Brugnaro, who has spoken out against protesters demonstrating against the wedding, told Italian daily newspaper Corriere della Sera the wedding 'will have economic repercussions worth millions of euros for our city.' Protests by locals, who are upset with overtourism and Bezos' links to President Donald Trump, have threatened to disrupt the wedding, and sources told Reuters the threat of protests prompted Bezos to move a wedding party from a central nightlife area to the more secluded Arsenale, which is surrounded by water and impossible to reach by land when bridges are raised. Forbes has reached out to Bezos for comment. Get Forbes Breaking News Text Alerts : We're launching text message alerts so you'll always know the biggest stories shaping the day's headlines. Text 'Alerts' to (201) 335-0739 or sign up here . How Many Wedding Celebrations Are Jeff Bezos And Lauren Sánchez Planning? Festivities kicked off Thursday night, after many of Bezos and Sánchez's celebrity guests arrived, with a party at the Madonna dell'Orto, a 14th-century cathedral, CNN reported. Guests appear to be adhering to strict social media rules, CNN reported, as some of the most social media-savvy guests, like the Kardashians, have not posted any pictures from inside the venue. After Friday's wedding ceremony, celebrations are expected to conclude with a wedding reception Saturday at the Arsenale, a shipyard and armory that is now the site of an annual Venetian cultural festival. The Saturday reception was initially set to take place at the Scuola Grande Della Misericordia, a 14th-century building, but the event was moved because of concerns over protests, the Wall Street Journal reported, though protests are still planned for the new location. Reuters reported Lady Gaga and Elton John may perform at Saturday's party, though The Hollywood Reporter said this week Gaga was not asked to perform. Bezos and Sánchez first appeared in Venice on Wednesday, where they had dinner at the home of billionaire Barry Diller and his wife, fashion designer Diane von Furstenberg, the New York Times reported. Some locals in Venice, which has dealt with overtourism that has strained the city's infrastructure and services for years, have staged protests under the name 'No Space for Bezos' over concerns the wedding's scale will worsen some of the issues created by excessive tourist crowds, with more demonstrations planned to disrupt this week's festivities. Protesters are planning a march on Saturday, according to posts by the 'No Space for Bezos' group on Instagram, which will start at the Stazione di Venezia Santa Lucia train station, located roughly 1.5 miles away from the Arsenale venue. The group has already held multiple demonstrations. On Monday, the Greenpeace environmental activist organization joined 'No Space for Bezos' in Venice's St. Mark's Square, unveiling a banner with Bezos' face that read: 'IF YOU CAN RENT VENICE FOR YOUR WEDDING YOU CAN PAY MORE TAX.' Police quickly took the banner away, the Associated Press reported. They previously hoisted a banner that says 'Bezos' with an 'X' through it on the San Giorgio Maggiore church's bell tower. Federica Toninelli, a Venetian activist with 'No Space for Bezos,' told Reuters the wedding is also a 'symbol of the exploitation of the city by outsiders.' Protesters have threatened to block access to canals and city streets in an effort to block wedding attendees from reaching party venues in the city, according to Variety. Oliviero Cassarà, a lead organizer and activist, said in a statement 'No Space for Bezos' has zero issue with Americans or people getting married in Venice, instead criticizing Bezos for his links to Trump and blasting the president's controversial trade policies. 'Bezos supported Trump economically and politically and is consequently co-responsible for this drift against us Italian and European citizens,' Cassarà said. Brugnaro has spoken out against the protesters and tried to reassure them the city is capable of handling the event, citing its hosting of the Venice Film Festival and G7 Summit. Brugnaro said he was 'ashamed of those who behave like this,' Variety reported. How Many People Are Attending The Wedding And Who Is On The Guest List? Venice officials have said the guest list for Bezos and Sánchez's wedding is limited to 200 people. On Tuesday afternoon, Ivanka Trump and husband Jared Kushner, who were rumored to attend, were photographed arriving in Venice. Other celebrities so far spotted in Venice for the festivities include Kylie and Kendall Jenner, Kim Kardashian, Oprah Winfrey, Tom Brady, Gayle King, Orlando Bloom, Leonardo DiCaprio and Sydney Sweeney. Investor Michael Kives has also been seen in Venice in addition to Dolce & Gabbana founder and billionaire Domenico Dolce and Queen Rania of Jordan, wife of the country's King Abdullah II. Bezos invited President Donald Trump to the wedding, the Journal reported, though Trump will not make the trip due to scheduling conflicts. How Much Will The Wedding Cost? Multiple reports have said the wedding will predictably cost millions of dollars. Reuters reported an estimated total cost of $46.5 million to $55.6 million. The Journal reported a luxury wedding with 200 guests such as Bezos' costs about $4 million, citing Jamie Simon, director of events at luxury planning firm Banana Split, which organized the multiday wedding between Sofia Richie Grainge and Atlantic Records CEO Elliot Grainge in 2023. Who Is Organizing The Bezos-Sánchez Wedding? The Journal reported Lanza & Baucina, a London-based group that planned George and Amal Clooney's 2014 wedding in Venice, has been hired by Bezos and Sánchez. A representative for the group told the Journal its principles and the instructions of Bezos call for the 'minimizing of any disruption to the city, the respect for its residents and institutions and the overwhelming employment of locals in the crafting of the events.' The 2014 wedding had a generally positive perception, with locals lauding Clooney for his consideration and respect for Venice. Cassará even compared Bezos to Clooney in his statement, saying Bezos 'is not George Clooney with his romantic aura.' We estimate Bezos' net worth at $234.9 billion as of Friday, making him the fourth-wealthiest person in the world behind Mark Zuckerberg ($252.1 billion), Larry Ellison ($256.1 billion) and Elon Musk ($410.1 billion). Key Background Bezos and Sánchez met almost 10 years ago and began making public appearances together around 2019, when the two began dating. They became engaged in 2023 aboard the Koru superyacht, with Bezos offering Sánchez a 30-carat cushion cut pink diamond set in platinum, according to Vanity Fair. Venice Residents Protest Entry Fee For Tourists Amid Concerns City Will Turn Into A 'Theme Park' (Forbes)
