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The best that Bezos’ money can buy: The billionaire’s Venice wedding to Lauren Sánchez causes a stir

by Thomas Adams
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By Associated Press’s David Biller and Paolo Santalica

Italy’s Venice (AP) For millionaire Jeff Bezos and his fiancée Lauren Sanchez, who have already ventured into space, the sky is the limit, and their wedding in Venice is expected to be equally as spectacular.

The backdrop of one of the most captivating cities in the world? Verify.

Buzz from tabloids and a star-studded guest list? Naturally.

Regional taste? You wager.

Other than that, the fourth-richest man’s team has not disclosed any information. Even still, rumors of events spreading throughout the Italian lagoon city complicate what would have been a huge logistical task even on dry land.

Yachts arrived in Venice’s renowned waterways, and dozens of private planes landed at the city’s airport. Athletes, famous people, influencers, and business executives gathered on board to celebrate extravagance, which is as much a reflection of the couple’s love as it is of their enormous wealth.

The raucous celebration brought back memories of the 2014 wedding of human rights attorney Amal Alamuddin and actor George Clooney in Venice, where hundreds of well-wishers gathered outside City Hall and adoring crowds lined the canals.

This is not the case for these weddings, which have turned into a focal point for demonstrations.

However, there is still no inclination to lower the current fever pitch. Rather, there was a celebration planned for the glitterati, and the paparazzi were vying for a glimpse of the golden event.

It will be a wedding to remember, no matter what.

Venice is well-known for its system of canals, where gondoliers sing to enamored lovers and even ambulances are submerged in water. However, according to Jack Ezon, CEO of luxury travel advisory and event planner Embark Beyond, Venice is one of the most difficult locations in the world for a party because of the water transportation of everything from bouquets to attendees.

“You need to work with the right people because it’s a very close-knit community,” Ezon, whose company has organized a dozen upscale events in Venice, said. Particularly when it comes to boat movement, there is extremely strict regulation.

According to him, it is at least three times more expensive than throwing the same party in Rome or Florence.

The first person to provide an estimated amount for the Bezos/Snchez party was Veneto Governor Luca Zaia, who told reporters this week that the most current amount he saw was between 40 million and 48 million euros, or up to $56 million.

As to the annual study of wedding planning website Zola, the staggering amount is more than 1,000 times the average cost of weddings for American couples in 2025, which is $36,000.

The Bezos team has not disclosed the destination of these millions. Pop singers Rihanna and Justin Bieber’s performances during the youngest son of Asia’s wealthiest man’s marriage in July increased the cost.

How can $40 million be spent on an event that lasts three or four days? “Ezon said.” Headliners, A-list entertainers, and fantastic DJs from around the globe may be brought in. You could either broaden the celebration to local landmarks or spend $2 million on an amazing glass tent that is only there for 10 hours but takes a month to assemble.

There is no indication that Sanchez and Bezos, the former CEO of Amazon, plan to seize control of any of Venice’s popular tourist destinations. However, their wedding coordinator, Lanza & Baucina, issued an unusual statement claiming that the allegations were untrue due to extensive hand-wringing over the situation.

As some bystanders applauded, a series of water taxis sliced through the lagoon on Thursday to transport Bezos, Sanchez, and guests to the Madonna dell Orto cloister. While police on jet skis patrolled, paparazzi followed in their own boats, attempting to get pictures of the guests, including Oprah Winfrey, Kim Kardashian, Ivanka Trump, Tom Brady, and Orlando Bloom.

Before getting into a water taxi on Friday afternoon, Sanchez blew a kiss to reporters as she left her hotel while sporting a silk scarf around her head. It transported her across the lagoon basin from St. Mark’s Square, where the couple is scheduled to have their ceremony later that day, to San Giorgio island via the canals. Private security guards were positioned at all landing spots, including the recently constructed dock, when Associated Press reporters circled the island earlier.

Additionally, the Arsenale, a former navy facility that is most famous for serving as the main location for the Venice Biennale, hosted a celebration on Saturday, according to local media.

Some people believe that these two shouldn’t be married in this city.

In a world where inequality is on the rise, they describe the wedding as a lavish show of wealth and contend that it is a prime example of tourists displacing local needs, especially those for cheap housing and basic amenities. One of the cities most at risk from climate change-related sea level rise is Venice.

Stella Faye, a university researcher from Venice, stated on Friday that Venice is a vibrant city made up of people who want to truly live there, not just a gorgeous picture or postcard to satisfy the demands and desires of the wealthy or mass tourists.

Under the slogan “No Space for Bezos,” which is a play on words referring to his space exploration business Blue Origin and the bride’s recent space journey, about a dozen Venetian organizations, including housing advocates, anti-cruise ship campaigners, and university groups, are participating in the demonstration.

In St. Mark’s Square, Greenpeace raised a banner criticizing Bezos for failing to pay enough taxes. A bald-headed Bezos-like mannequin with its hands grasping phony cash was floated down Venice’s Grand Canal by activists on top of an Amazon delivery box.

The uproar has been disregarded by officials, ranging from the mayor of Venice to the country’s tourism minister, who claim that it ignores the wedding’s economic benefit and visibility.

Italy’s tourism minister, Daniela Santanch, told the AP that social media will be ablaze with pictures of the bride’s outfit and the wedding.

This all adds up to a huge free advertising effort. They will actually benefit Venice’s retailers, artisans, restaurateurs, and hotels since they will spend a lot of money. Therefore, it’s a fantastic chance to spend money and promote Italy globally.

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Bezos typically stayed out of the spotlight as CEO of Amazon, often giving his executives the announcements and business updates. According to Forbes, his current net worth is $231 billion.

He said in 2019 that he was divorcing MacKenzie Scott, his first wife, just before the National Enquirer released an article regarding an affair with former TV news anchor Snchez. The day after Bezos’ divorce was finalized, Snchez filed for divorce.

In 2021, he resigned as CEO, citing a desire to devote more time to his humanitarian endeavors, Blue Origin, and his own company, The Washington Post.

During an interview with CNN in 2022, he stated that he intended to donate the most of his fortune while he was still alive.

A Venetian environmental research group said in a statement last week that the Bezos Earth Fund was making a significant donation to assist its activities. Contact started in April, well before any protests, according to CORILA, a group that works to maintain the Venetian lagoon system.

From Rome, Biller reported. This article was supplied by Barbara Ortutay, an AP reporter in San Francisco.

Thomas Adams

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