The highly anticipated wedding celebrations for Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and fiancée Lauren Sanchez have commenced in Venice, attracting a star-studded guest lineup.
The couple is poised to exchange vows in the picturesque Venice, aka “Floating City”, in front of an intimate group of 200 to 250 close family members and friends.
Among the notable guests already spotted in Italy are First Daughter Ivanka Trump alongside her husband, Jared Kushner, as reported by Business Insider.
Past celebrations, including Sanchez’s Paris bachelorette party and dual engagement events — one aboard Bezos’s yacht, Koru, and another at the Beverly Hills residence of billionaire Barry Diller and designer Diane von Furstenberg — provide insight into the expected attendees.
Since publicly emerging as a couple in 2019, Bezos and Sanchez have made frequent appearances at high-profile gatherings, often mingling with A-list celebrities rather than focusing solely on figures from the tech industry.
Pricey occasion
The wedding and its parts are expected to cost 40-48 million euros ($46.5 – $55.6 million), Luca Zaia, president of the Veneto regional government that comprises Venice, told reporters on Tuesday.
Bezos will make sizeable charity donations, including one million euros for Corila, an academic consortium that studies Venice’s lagoon ecosystem, Italy’s Corriere della Sera newspaper and the ANSA news agency reported on Sunday.
The day and the venue for the wedding ceremony itself are still confidential, but the main party is slated for Saturday at the Arsenale (the Arsenal), a historical site in the eastern part of the city.
This highly fortified area, surrounded by imposing walls, was used to build the Republic of Venice’s naval ships in its 15th-century heyday.
However, the nuptials are not without local opposition.
Venice residents have been vocal in their protests against Bezos in the weeks leading up to the wedding, with signs around the city proclaiming “No space for Bezos.”
Protest organisers, citing concerns about overtourism, have vowed to disrupt the wedding, potentially by attempting to block access to certain venues. Despite these threats, the city of Venice has publicly welcomed the wedding and denounced the protests.
Private jets, water taxis
The first private jets arrived at Venice airport on Tuesday, and Zaia said around 90 will land at Venice and nearby airports such as Treviso and Verona over the next few days.
The organisers have also booked at least 30 water taxis from different companies in Venice for the wedding guests.
Five hotels for 250 guests
Five of the city’s most luxurious hotels have been booked out to host an expected 200-250 guests.
The hotels include Cipriani on the island of Giudecca, and the Aman on the Grand Canal where US actor George Clooney stayed for his 2014 wedding with human rights lawyer Amal Alamuddin.
Who’s attending?
- Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner
- Barry Diller and Diane von Furstenberg
- NFL Hall of Famer Tony Gonzalez and his wife, October Gonzalez
- Fox Sports broadcaster Charissa Thompson
- Miguel Bezos, Jeff Bezos’ father
- Amazon CEO Andy Jassy
- Author Hugh Howey and his wife Shay Londre
- Island Company founder Spencer Antle
- Early Amazon investor Bill Miller
- Investor Josh Kushner
