Latest news with #Lanza&Baucina
Time of India
26-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Time of India
'No gifts, please': Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez want wedding guests to donate to local organisations in Venice
Amazon billionaire Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez are all set to get married in a lavish setup in Venice, Italy, on Friday, June 27. Apart from the A-listers' guest list and multiday wedding celebrations, a copy of their wedding invitation cited by E! News noted that Bezos and Sanchez are planning to give away a unique and special age-old custom of wedding gifts, and the couple also mentioned, "We have one early request: please, no gifts," in the invitation. Meanwhile, the duo have announced that in honour of each of their guests, donations will be made to three local organisations working to preserve Venice's unique culture, ecosystem and future. The lavish wedding has a carefully curated guest list of the world's elite group. The multi-day affair includes a ceremony aboard Bezos's $500 million yacht, Koru, and is being planned by the top-tier event planner Lanza & Baucina. Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez request that guests bring gifts to the wedding The 61-year-old billionaire and 51-year-old journalist have requested that wedding guests not bring gifts, and instead they have planned to make donations to local organisations in Venice that are primarily focused on preserving the city's culture and ecosystem. This request was communicated in their wedding invitation. The invitation continued, "Donations on your behalf are being made to the UNESCO Venice Office to safeguard this city's irreplaceable cultural heritage." It further mentioned CORILA to restore the vital lagoon habitats that protect Venice's future and Venice International University to support research and education for sustainable solutions. What's planned for the return gifts? According to TMZ, the couple will treat their attendees with goody bags filled with locally crafted Venetian glassware from Laguna Beach and traditional sweets from Rosa Salva. The couple are asking the guests to contribute to charities that will help secure the future of Venice, as it holds special significance for them. The gesture is seen as a meaningful way to give back to the city that will host their wedding. Significance of donations in Venice The request by the couple and the charity decision hold major significance for the City of Canal, as Venice has long struggled with climate change, overtourism, and rising water levels. The contributions in place of gifts from Bezos and Sanchez are focused on supporting the future of the city that will witness the start of their next chapter. Netizens react to the 'no gift please' request Amid this, a Reddit thread grabbed the attention of netizens and sparked discussion. One user wrote, "Just shows you money can't buy taste, even at this level." While another wrote, "I would have expected a scroll wrapped around a Rolex or something." "You can have all the money in the world, and no taste," one trolled the invitation design. While on the other hand, an X (formerly called Twitter) said, "He should be donating to migrant causes." He should be donating to migrant causes. "Jeff said he's rich enough and doesn't need any gifts 😭"
Mint
25-06-2025
- Business
- Mint
Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez launch Venice wedding festivities amid security shifts and rising protests
Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez arrived in Venice on Wednesday, marking the start of their highly anticipated three-day wedding celebration. The couple touched down via helicopter before transferring to a water taxi, waving to onlookers as they approached the exclusive Aman Venice Hotel on the Grand Canal. Sánchez, radiant in a sleeveless black dress and stilettos, flashed a smile to the cameras, while Bezos opted for a casual black polo and white trousers. The festivities, estimated to cost €40-48 million ($46-56 million), will include a Thursday welcome party at Madonna dell'Orto's cloisters, a Friday black-tie ceremony on San Giorgio Maggiore island featuring a performance by Matteo Bocelli, and a Saturday reception at the Arsenale—a medieval shipyard complex. Over 200 A-list guests, including Ivanka Trump, Jared Kushner, Oprah Winfrey, and Leonardo DiCaprio, are descending via 90+ private jets, heightening security concerns and logistical tensions in the historic city. The wedding's opulence has ignited fierce protests across Venice, with activists decrying the event as a symbol of wealth inequality and overtourism. Under the banner 'No Space for Bezos,' a coalition of housing advocates, environmentalists, and anti-cruise ship groups staged dramatic demonstrations: unfurling a giant banner in St. Mark's Square depicting Bezos laughing beside the text, 'If you can rent Venice for your wedding, you can pay more tax,' and floating a life-size Bezos mannequin clutching dollar bills down the Grand Canal. Threats to blockade canals with inflatable crocodiles forced the couple to relocate their Saturday reception from the Scuola Grande della Misericordia, a 16th-century landmark in the crowded Cannaregio district, to the Arsenale, a fortified island accessible only by boat. Activists hailed the venue change as a victory, though they plan a 'No Bezos, No War' march on Saturday. Mayor Luigi Brugnaro dismissed the protesters as 'a few dozen seeking attention,' while Governor Luca Zaia revealed Bezos donated €1 million to Venice's lagoon research as a peace offering. Local tensions underscore a deeper clash between Venice's identity as a living city and its reliance on tourism revenue. Longtime residents like Nadia Rigo lamented, 'We who were born here have to ask [the wealthy] for permission to board a ferry,' citing housing shortages and overcrowding exacerbated by events catering to elites. Yet businesses defend the wedding: Antonio Rosa Salva, whose bakery prepared 200 gift boxes for guests, noted weddings comprise 30% of his annual sales, while hotel associations highlighted a recent tourism slump. Wedding planners Lanza & Baucina emphasized efforts to minimize disruption, hiring local workers and booking only 30 of Venice's 250 water taxis. Despite these measures, the Aman Hotel faced criticism for 'booting' long-booked guests to accommodate Bezos's entourage, though it covered relocation costs. As temperatures near 90°F, the city braces for a weekend where glittering celebrations and grassroots dissent will test Venice's future as a 'global stage'.
Time of India
25-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Jeff Bezos' lavish wedding secrets leaked: Who made the cut, dress designer and eye-popping price tag
Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez are having a very fancy and private wedding in Venice, Italy. But now, all the secrets are out — like who's going, what she's wearing, how much it costs, and where it will happen. And it's way more dramatic, expensive, and private than people thought. The wedding will have 3 big events over 3 days starting off with a pre-wedding party, the main wedding, and a final celebration. The first dinner will be on a quiet island in Venice called San Giovanni Evangelista, where only 11 people normally live. The location is super exclusive and only reachable by boat. Guests will sit at long tables in a vineyard, with presidential-level security, according to the report by Daily Mail. About 200 rich guests are coming, including Kim Kardashian, Kris Jenner, Barry Diller, and Diane von Furstenberg. Bride-to-be Lauren Sanchez will likely arrive by helicopter and land on the floating helipad of their support yacht Abeona. The wedding planners, a company called Lanza & Baucina, got this last-minute venue. The villa, Villa Baslini, is usually rented out and booked for 2 years straight, as per reports. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like The Top 25 Most Beautiful Women In The World Articles Vally Undo Jeff Bezos is worth $224 billion, but a wedding source called him 'unlucky' because so many things have gone wrong. The original wedding budget was $50 million, but after criticism, it was cut down to around $5 million. Critics slammed Sanchez's recent space flight as a rich-person stunt. It was supposed to be a feminist mission but didn't go well with the public, as stated by Daily Mail. Plans changed after backlash and protests To calm the backlash, the couple changed plans and made the wedding look more like a family gathering than a billionaire party. The original idea was to use Bezos's $500 million yacht, Koru, for the wedding events. But because of security issues and protests in Venice, they kept it away in Croatia, as per reports. Live Events Posters saying 'No Space for Bezos' were spotted in Venice, so the couple didn't want to cause more public anger. Security fears increased after Trump's military actions in Iran, so plans had to be changed again. Koru is staying far away, and even the guest travel plan got adjusted. Trump was supposed to be invited, but now probably won't come. However, Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner are already in Venice. Guests are staying at luxury hotels like the Aman Palace and Cipriani, where rooms cost up to £10,000 a night. The wedding day itself will be in San Giorgio Maggiore, at a beautiful outdoor place called the 'green theatre', according to a Daily Mail report. This theatre can hold up to 1,500 guests, has white stone seating, and was recently redesigned by famous architects Foster plus Partners to include drone-proof canopies. The wedding dinner will likely be in Palladian rooms, outside, or in a cloister. The couple is planning to light up the sky with fireworks after the wedding. Dresses, parties, and what happens next There are rumors that Anna Wintour helped pick Lauren's dress and Bezos's tux, but she may not attend because of Dior's Paris show. Lauren Sanchez will wear Dolce & Gabbana for the main ceremony. She picked them because she likes them and Anna Wintour approves. She may change her outfits over a dozen times during the wedding week, and also wear Oscar de la Renta for some events, as per the report by Daily Mail. One event even has a 'pyjama' dress code. Saturday's party will be a big ball at the Arsenale, an ancient, secure shipyard used for art shows and fashion events. Some other places were considered for events, like Scuola Grande della Misericordia, but were not used because of logistics and size issues. There are secret mini parties planned on smaller islands like Burano, Giudecca, and Sacca Sessola, and on yachts. Some guests will get private art museum tours too, according to the reports. After the wedding, the couple will sail to Taormina, Sicily, to relax at the San Domenico Palace, known from 'The White Lotus' Season 2. The official wedding photos will likely be published in Vogue or Vanity Fair. Bezos and Sanchez met through her then-husband Patrick Whitesell, a top Hollywood agent, as per the report by Daily Mail. They first got close while planning a documentary about Blue Origin, Bezos's space company, which turned into a secret 8-month affair. Tabloids followed them across 5 states and 40,000 miles, exposing their romance. In 2019, Bezos divorced his wife MacKenzie Scott, and Sanchez also ended things with Whitesell. Bezos gave Sanchez a huge pink diamond ring worth around $2.5 million when they got engaged in May 2023. Sanchez now works on several charity projects, including the Bezos Earth Fund, Day 1 Families Fund, and Bezos Academy. The couple is expected to donate a large sum to Venetian charities, but only after the wedding to avoid seeming like they are 'buying' Venice. The wedding planners said they are doing their best to respect Venice, hire locals, and support the lagoon, according to the report by Daily Mail. FAQs Q1. Where is Jeff Bezos getting married? Jeff Bezos is getting married in Venice, Italy, with events on islands like San Giovanni and San Giorgio Maggiore. Q2. Who is invited to Jeff Bezos' wedding? Around 200 rich and famous guests, including Kim Kardashian, Kris Jenner, and Ivanka Trump, are attending.
Yahoo
24-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez wedding week: A timeline of their relationship ahead of their Venice nuptials
Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez will tie the knot sometime this week during a three-day wedding celebration in Venice, Italy. This will be the second marriage for both the billionaire Amazon founder, 61, and the former journalist and pilot, 55, who have been engaged since 2023. The exact timing of the wedding has not been made public, but it's reportedly expected to take place sometime between Thursday and Saturday of this week, with People magazine suggesting the ceremony may be held on Bezos's $500 million super-yacht, Koru, which will be anchored somewhere in the Venetian lagoon. The New York Times reports that the couple's nondenominational wedding ceremony will not be held at Venice's City Hall, due to Italy's rules around marriage rites. Approximately 200 guests are expected to attend, the New York Times reported. In addition to the couple's combined seven children from previous relationships, based on the couple's two engagement parties in 2023 and Sánchez's bachelorette party in May, other likely guests include Oprah Winfrey, Gayle King, Diane von Furstenberg, Kim Kardashian, Kris Jenner, Bill Gates and Ivanka and Jared Kushner. A local source told the New York Times there were nine visiting yachts that had requested to dock in Venice this week. The yachts were said to be associated with the upcoming wedding events, prompting protests by Venice residents and organizations like Greenpeace. 'We have to block Bezos,' one protester told the New York Times. 'We have to block this idea of this city as a tourist haven that has driven up housing costs so that most ordinary Venetians can no longer afford to live here.' Lanza & Baucina, the agency that planned Bezos and Sánchez's wedding, addressed protesters' concerns in a statement shared with Yahoo News. 'From the outset, instructions from our client and our own guiding principles were abundantly clear: the minimising 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 statement said. The Associated Press, citing 'people close to the couple,' also reported that Bezos and Sánchez have sought to pay tribute to the city by relying heavily on local vendors for the event. 'Rumours of 'taking over' the city are entirely false and diametrically opposed to our goals and to reality,' Lanza & Baucina said in its statement. 'No exaggerated quantity of water taxis or gondolas have ever been booked, the number of taxis reserved being proportionate for the number of guests.' City officials have also pledged that everything will function normally around the wedding. 'We are mutually working and supporting the organizers, to ensure that the event will be absolutely respectful of the fragility and uniqueness of the city,' Venice Mayor Luigi Brugnaro said in a statement in March. Ahead of the big day, here's a look back at the evolution of Bezos and Sánchez's relationship. Bezos and Sánchez first met in December 2016 at the Amazon Studios party for Manchester by the Sea, a meeting that was documented in Brad Stone's book Amazon Unbound, according to Business Insider. Both of them were married to other people at the time. Two years later, Bezos hired Sánchez's company, Black Ops Aviation, to film promotional coverage for Blue Origin, his rocket company. Bezos, who was in a helicopter crash in 2003, credited Sánchez with making him feel more comfortable in the air, the Wall Street Journal reported. Bezos and his now ex-wife, MacKenzie Scott, issued a joint statement on Jan. 9, 2019, announcing their divorce after 25 years of marriage. Hours later, People magazine reported that Bezos and Sánchez were dating, citing unnamed sources. On Jan. 10, the National Enquirer published leaked texts between Bezos and Sánchez, reportedly provided to the publication by Sánchez's brother in exchange for $200,000, sources told the Wall Street Journal. (The National Enquirer's 2019 article has since been taken down, but the New York Post also covered the relationship news at the time.) Bezos and Scott's divorce was finalized in April 2019, and Sánchez's now ex-husband, Patrick Whitesell, filed for divorce soon after that. In an exclusive interview with the Wall Street Journal, Sánchez opened up about her personal and professional relationship with Bezos. 'It's the greatest experience I've ever had,' she said. 'I've always had a career very separate from my partner. I think now that I can work with my partner and be with him all the time. ... We love to be together and we love to work together. He's helping me with the book. He's getting his pilot's license. We fly together. We work out together. We're together all the time.' Bezos proposed to Sánchez on his super-yacht near the Cannes Film Festival in the south of France in May 2023. In an interview with Vogue later that year, Sánchez said Bezos hid the ring under her pillow, and she found it before going to sleep. 'When he opened the box, I think I blacked out a bit,' she told Vogue. Bezos proposed with a 30-carat pink diamond ring that is estimated to be worth between $3 million and $5 million, according to People magazine. The couple held an engagement party on Koru off the coast of Positano, Italy, in August 2023. Guests included Bill Gates, Leonardo DiCaprio and Kris Jenner. Then they had another engagement party in November 2023 in Beverly Hills, hosted by Barry Diller and Diane von Furstenberg. The couple received a lot of media attention when they were seen sitting with Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, Google CEO Sundar Pichai and Tesla CEO Elon Musk at the second inauguration of President Trump in January of this year. It was not the first time the tech power couple attended a political event, however. In 2024, Bezos brought Sánchez to a state dinner at the White House in honor of Japan in April, and the couple met with Pope Francis at the Vatican in August. Sánchez was part of an all-female crew that traveled to space on a flight by Bezos's company Blue Origin. Others on board the 11-minute expedition included pop singer Katy Perry, television host Gayle King, activist Amanda Nguyen, producer Kerianne Flynn and former NASA scientist Aisha Bowe. Sánchez threw a star-studded bachelorette party for herself in Paris, the guest list for which included Kim Kardashian, Kris Jenner, Katy Perry and Eva Longoria, among others, Vogue reported. 'Forever starts with friendship,' Sánchez wrote in the caption of a photo she posted to Instagram from the event, 'surrounded by the women who've lifted me up, illuminated my path in dark times, and shaped my heart along the way.'
Pink Villa
26-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Pink Villa
Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez Wedding: From 200-Person Guestlist to Venice Citizen Complaints, All We Know So Far
It seems that it will be a glamorous affair at Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez 's wedding. Their nuptials won't be taking place in the United States but in Venice, Italy, between June 24 and 26, per Page Six. The celebration will reportedly cost USD 10 million, and it is organized by George and Amal Clooney 's wedding planners, Lanza & Baucina. Many insiders revealed to the outlet that the main celebration occurs on the island of San Giorgio Maggiore. One thing to note here is that there is no official confirmation about the same by the reps. But it seems that some Venetians are not on board with this wedding taking place in their city. Ruggero Tallon, a Venetian activist, told the outlet, 'We are planning protests to coincide with the Bezos wedding to highlight how the mayor has sold out the city.' The activist added, 'This city is not for sale; it is not a playground for the rich.' It appears that many famous people will be attending, including Ivanka Trump, Don Trump Jr., Kris Jenner, Kim Kardashian, Katy Perry, Orlando Bloom, Eva Longoria, and her beau, Jose Baston, and many others, per the report. As of now, it isn't known who will actually be in attendance, the source stated. The insider revealed that there will be fewer than 200 guests at the ceremony, adding, 'For some people, that seems big, but not for them.' A source revealed to the outlet that Sanchez's wedding dress is being made by a designer 'who has a longtime relationship with Lauren.' Apart from this, tourism sources revealed to the publication that the couple booked five hotels for the attendees. Additionally, a driver told the outlet that the city's water taxis have also been booked in advance. The outlet was also told that there may be local excursions on the Koru yacht. The soon-to-be-wed couple is reportedly utilizing local businesses and resources. A source revealed, 'They're not flying stuff in; they felt really strongly about that.' Tallon, who is also a part of a campaign against cruise ships stopping at Venice, told the publication, 'This city is in chaos; there are not enough services and our mayor has deserted the city.' Luigi Brugnaro, Venice mayor, reportedly stated that the ceremony will not result in any 'abnormal disruption' to the city. He shared that they are 'mutually working and supporting the organizers to ensure that the event will be absolutely respectful of the fragility and uniqueness of the city.'
