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CNN
12 hours ago
- Entertainment
- CNN
You are cordially invited to critique Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez's wedding invitation
There is much to unpack with the portion of Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez's wedding invitation that was leaked to the world. The explicit request for no gifts — the only option, really, for the one of the world's richest individuals; along with the donation pledge to UNESCO's Venice office, the Corila research program into the Venice lagoon, and Venice International University — a declaration of care for a city whose inhabitants are protesting the couple's very presence. But perhaps the most surprising element of all is the invitation's design. Printed in a wistful italic font and decorated haphazardly with doves, shooting stars, butterflies and the Rialto Bridge, the invitation appears homemade, but not in an artisanal sense. (The illustrations, which include two gondolas, have been compared with those available in Microsoft Word's generic image library). Instead, Bezos and Sánchez's invitation looks like a bit of an afterthought — which, considering the number of guests, the ongoing threat of protesters, which has already resulted in a last-minute venue change, and increasing media attention, may well be the case. Many took to social media to express their disappointment, criticizing the invitation for falling flat — expectations that have been largely set by assumptions of a billionaire's wedding budget. The decision makes more sense, however, when you consider the dressed-down approach typically associated with tech bros in this class bracket. Bezos himself is often found in jeans, polo shirts and sneakers — though for this occasion he is sure to shape up — and, according to a Wired profile from 1999, he once wore shirts with 'hidden snaps under the collar for easy tie removal.' Speed over style and efficiency over glamor. Old habits die hard. But invitations are more than just carriers of logistical details. For major events, they are the first glimpse of what attendees can expect from the day. For King Charles and Queen Camila's coronation in 2023, British artist Andrew Jamieson hand-painted an intricate, garden-themed border in watercolor and gouache complete with folklore motifs and coats of arms of the Monarch. The design was then reproduced and printed over 2,000 times on recycled card with gold foil detailing. Similarly, Harry and Meghan, Duke and Duchess of Sussex, had each of their wedding invitations in 2018 printed using a machine from the 1930s. The pair even went as far as using American ink on English card to symbolize their transatlantic unity. Fashion designers, too, have long harnessed the power of a memorable invite as important extensions of their world-building efforts. On Friday, while high-profile guests step out to celebrate the Bezos wedding, a fashionable set of attendees will gather in Paris for another hotly-anticipated event: The debut of a new chief designer at Dior. Jonathan Anderson — a certified hype-generator and master of storytelling on the runway — also distributed his official invitations this week. Guests received porcelain plates with a trio of baby pink eggs glued to the surface and 'Dior' printed on the underside. Like all good teasers, the invitation poses more questions than it answers, but it also sets the tone for what's to come on the catwalk. Expect subversion, something a little weird, traditional craft turned cerebral. Anderson, of course, is not the first designer to capitalize on an operational necessity in this way. In 2023, Alaïa sent attendees a collapsible stool, which they were instructed to carry to the show location. The year before, Balenciaga posted out 'genuine artifacts from the year 2022': iPhone 6Ss, each engraved with the guest's name and show details — often cracked or smashed. More recently, Gucci produced a special edition of the classic 'Timor' calendar from Italian designer Enzo Mari and sent it to guests for its Milan Fashion Week show. Some designers, however, still prefer the ephemeral. Jacquemus, for example, hand-wrote its invites in 2018, and wrapped them in a cotton towel along with a loaf of freshly baked bread. For sentimental souls, any invitation is a memento of the day — but great invites, such as those designed by luxury fashion houses, can become prized possessions. (Or be sold on eBay for thousands). With Anderson's Dior debut and the Amazon founder's nuptials overlapping, anyone who found themselves double booked (Kim Kardashian, Anna Wintor, perhaps?) faced a tough decision. Perhaps, the invitation was the clincher.
Irish Times
15-06-2025
- Irish Times
A Wicklow woman in Venice: ‘It really feeds the soul to have all that beauty around you'
Languages were always a strength for Orla McLaughlin at school, where she studied French and German. 'I always wanted another language,' she says, so she settled on Italian and politics as it combined Italian with her interest in current affairs. An Erasmus placement brought the Greystones woman to Venice and, having completed her degree in Italian and Politics at UCD, she returned to Italy for a postgraduate diploma in European studies in the University of Padua. During her UCD days, she had spent time in Italy working with children on summer camps: 'the best way to learn a language', she says. Having completed her studies in Padua in the 1990s, she returned to Venice with other plans as well as picking up a further degree in Fundraising and Non-profit Management from the University of Bologna. READ MORE 'I worked in film production and with theatre companies and as a translator, so I was having a great time in my 20s. It was the first time I was away from home and exciting to be somewhere new.' In 2001 she started work as a programme assistant to professors in the Venice International University (VIU) and now manages its academic projects providing learning and teaching opportunities for students and scholars from VIU's associated universities all around the world. 'It was founded in 1995, so as it grew, so did I,' she says. We are fortunate in having a nice house and garden, but it is harder to find such places now She works a 40-hour week, 'and where I work is on an island [San Servolo, formerly a monastery], so I am crossing the water every day as my office is on a lagoon and you have that wonderful view back to the city', she says. Her job at the university, which is now associated with 20 universities globally, brings her into contact with people from all over the world, 'so it's a real mix, with wonderful interdisciplinary and intercultural opportunities', she says. 'Working in an international educational environment is very rewarding. I meet many interesting people and travel regularly too.' She is married to Sebastiano, a Venetian she met through friends and whom she credits for her decision to stay in Venice. The couple have three children, Conall (17), Clodagh (14) and Oisín (11), who are bilingual. 'My husband has a small family business founded by his parents and his uncle making glass chandeliers in Murano. We have now set up a small business selling chandeliers or lighting directly to customers. He designs and assembles, and we sell them on '. 'I felt very connected to the city early on. It has intangible qualities and a lot of people feel really at home here, feel really drawn in, that it is their city. 'It's a city on water, it's a pedestrian city, it's very engaging as you meet people from all walks of life all the time – it could be your neighbour, your butcher, the bar owner. I made a lot of local Venetian friends early on.' One of the benefits of living in Venice 'is the extraordinary quality of light and it really feeds the soul to have all that beauty around you. It's like living in a town – there are 50,000 residents – but a very international town with enormous cultural institutions, built heritage, galleries and temporary exhibitions like the Biennale.' Despite all that, she notes that the cost of living is not as high as Ireland. [ Venice to limit tourist groups to 25 people to 'protect peace of residents' Opens in new window ] The challenges of living in Venice? 'Rising sea levels, flooding and overtourism are real and impactful. 'Floods are not so much a problem since the setting up of mobile dams three years ago at the inlets to the lagoon, so there have been no bad floods since 2019. 'Overtourism means that the centre of the city gets very crowded and the whole Airbnb issue means that it is difficult to find accommodation for students. We are fortunate in having a nice house and garden, but it is harder to find such places now.' Social life means 'you don't need to have plans; you can go to your local wine bar and sit down for drinks and a chat – especially on Fridays – from around 6.30pm-7.30pm, before dinner. The kids who finish school at 4.30pm can play football in the square, and watching them and having a drink as the sun goes down before going home for dinner is one of the things I love to do. 'At home we like to entertain quite a lot and enjoy having barbecues. We also have a boat – for free time, not for transport – for a day out for a picnic on part of the lagoon. In summer there is the beach, and in winter skiing is only two hours away.' She laments the lack of green spaces in the city, but they have a second home in the mountains, bought during Covid in 2021, 'and we go there for long weekends during the year, skiing in winter and for walks and hikes during the summer'. She misses friends and family in Ireland and returns once or twice a year, 'though it was easier when the children were younger. You inevitably miss out on some milestones and sharing some of your own too.' As to the publicity surrounding Jeff Bezos's planned marriage in the city later this month (estimated to cost more than $600 million), she describes it as the commodification of Venice, with others denouncing it as a great big nuisance. 'The tone of the mayor and his delight in handing the city over to him [Bezos] left me disheartened. It's not the first time that somebody famous has had a big wedding in the city. George and Amal Clooney did in 2014. That was received very well. 'There is also a total lack of housing policy or amenities for residents, so the frustration of people living here is the real lack of vision of politicians as to what the future of the city will be.'
