Wedding of the century for 20 million: Bezos closed part of Venice for the ceremony
Kyiv • UNN
Tech billionaire Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez are celebrating a lavish $20 million wedding in Venice with nearly 200 celebrity guests. The main ceremony will take place on June 27 on the island of San Giorgio after the official marriage registration, despite protests from local residents.
Tech billionaire Jeff Bezos and his fiancée, former journalist Lauren Sanchez, are celebrating their lavish wedding in Venice today. The event, valued at over $20 million, has attracted almost 200 celebrity guests and has already been dubbed by the media as "the wedding of the century."
How and where this grand event will take place, reports UNN.
Details
The 61-year-old Amazon founder and one of the world's wealthiest people decided to hold the three-day celebration in Italy after proposing to Sanchez on his $500 million superyacht.
According to media reports, the guest list includes Barbra Streisand, Oprah Winfrey, Kylie Jenner, Kim Kardashian, Leonardo DiCaprio, and Orlando Bloom. Among businessmen, Bill Gates (Microsoft) and Eric Schmidt (Google) are expected.
There are also rumors of the possible presence of Lady Gaga, Elton John, and Mick Jagger.
The superyacht Were Dreams, which once belonged to Andrey Kostin, CEO of the Russian bank VTB, also arrived in Venice. However, the owner himself was not seen on board.
According to Corriere della Sera, at least 95 private jets have submitted requests to land at Venice Marco Polo Airport.
Today, June 27, the main wedding ceremony will take place on the island of San Giorgio, opposite St. Mark's Square.
Bezos's megayacht "Koru" is expected to dock near the island. Pedestrian movement will be restricted in this area, as well as to the Arsenal — a historic shipyard.
However, as it became known earlier, the couple has already officially registered their marriage before the ceremony.
Security Measures
Due to the threat of terrorist attacks amidst the war in the Middle East, as well as announced protests, unprecedented security measures have been implemented in the city. In Venice, which is visited by over 100,000 tourists daily, there is a noticeably increased presence of police and military.
According to some reports, snipers are positioned on rooftops.
Protests
Some of the city's residents opposed the celebration. Tommaso Cacciari, 47, leader of the "Bezos Has No Place" movement, explained that residents do not agree with the city being turned into an entertainment venue.
We object to Venice being used as a very private ballroom, rather than a real city with residents, with weaknesses and problems.
Environmental organizations also spoke out in defense of the city. Greenpeace criticized the event for excessive spending amidst the climate crisis, stating that the city is "sinking under the weight of the climate crisis."
Critics also reminded that Sanchez publicly called for action against climate change, and in April, she flew into space on Bezos's company Blue Origin rocket.
On Monday, activists hung a banner in St. Mark's Basilica with an image of Bezos and the inscription:
If you can rent Venice for your wedding, you can pay more taxes.
In response to public outrage, the wedding organizers—the Lanza and Baucin agency—stated that they were tasked with minimizing any inconvenience for city residents.
In turn, Simone Venturini, a member of Venice's city council for tourism, assured that the celebration would not create problems for daily life.
Ultimately, activists declared a "huge victory" after Bezos and his fiancée decided to change the location of the main wedding celebration.
It was expected that Saturday's event would take place at Scuola Grande della Misericordia, but it was moved to the Arsenal — further away from the tourist center, which local protesters consider a result of public pressure.
Donations to Venice
The couple made donations to support the city and involved local artisans in the wedding preparations.
In particular, Venice's oldest confectionery – Rosa Salva – is making traditional 19th-century "fishing biscuits" for the celebratory packages. Gifts also include items from Laguna B – masters of handmade Murano glass.
Bezos will donate another 2 million euros ($2.3 million) to support various institutions in Venice. Previously, he had already announced a donation of $1 million. In addition, wedding guests were asked to refrain from giving gifts and instead donate funds for the restoration of Venice.
Weather conditions complicated the wedding
Moreover, weather conditions complicated the preparations for the celebration.
Rising temperatures: intense physical discomfort in coastal areas until June 28
Last night, a storm brought temporary relief. However, the celebrity evening on Thursday was cut short due to heavy rain.
Guests sought shelter from lightning and thunder, then rushed to water taxis, which were called 45 minutes before midnight. Strong gusts of wind tore off tablecloths and forced waiters to run for umbrellas to protect VIP guests.
The very next day, the heat returned, and air conditioners had to be delivered by barge. Equipment operating in a warehouse at the Arsenal is also used for cooling.
Young couple's future plans: After the final celebration in Venice, the couple will head to the island of Torcello, where there is a sole villa - a luxurious residence with six bedrooms, a large garden, a pool, and a private butler.
There, in a close circle, Bezos and Sanchez plan one last dinner before departing on Sunday. They will also visit Murano island, known for the glass products that adorned the festivities.
Addition
Jeff Bezos's wedding is not the first large-scale celebration of its kind to take place in Venice. In 2014, actor George Clooney married human rights lawyer Amal Alamuddin.
The ceremony took place at the Aman Canal Grande hotel, located in a 16th-century palazzo. The celebration lasted several days and included costume changes and many celebrity guests, among whom were Matt Damon, Emily Blunt, Cindy Crawford, and Anna Wintour.
