Topline
Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and former journalist Lauren Sánchez are getting married this week in what is expected to be an opulent—though increasingly controversial—ceremony hosted in Venice, Italy, with protests by angered locals having already interfered with some of the billionaire’s party plans.
Lauren Sanchez and US founder of Amazon, Jeff Bezos, leave the Aman Hotel in Venice on June 25, ... More
The wedding began its “multiday celebration” Thursday and is expected to last until Saturday, costing the billionaire tech mogul and his soon-to-be wife tens of millions of dollars, according to multiple outlets.
Venice Mayor Luigi Brugnaro, who has spoken out against protesters demonstrating against the wedding, told Italian daily newspaper Corriere della Sera the wedding “will have economic repercussions worth millions of euros for our city.”
It is not clear when exactly Bezos and Sánchez will tie the knot or whether they have already done so, CNN reported, citing a spokesperson for Brugnaro who said an official marriage request has not been submitted to the city, indicating this week’s festivities could just be ceremonial.
Protests by locals, who are upset with overtourism and Bezos’ links to President Donald Trump, have threatened to disrupt the wedding, and sources told Reuters the threat of protests prompted Bezos to move a wedding party from a central nightlife area to the more secluded Arsenale, which is surrounded by water and impossible to reach by land when bridges are raised.
Forbes has reached out to Bezos for comment.
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It’s unclear where in Venice the wedding will take place, and CNN reported planners have secured multiple venues so plans can stay fluid in case protesters or inclement weather disrupt the celebration. The Wall Street Journal reported Bezos and Sánchez plan to get married on the Venetian island of San Giorgio Maggiore on Friday and hold a Saturday reception at Arsenale, a fortified medieval shipyard. The small city is spread out across over 110 small islands, with the historical center taking up approximately two square miles. Previously, a spokesperson for Brugnaro told CNN in March the wedding will take place on Bezos’ $500 million superyacht known as the Koru. The Koru is a 417-foot sailing yacht, the second-largest of its kind in the world, meaning it would need to be anchored away from Venice’s Grand Canal due to its size. Conversely, “No Space for Bezos,” a local group protesting the event, has said the wedding will take place in the historic Church of the Abbey of Misericordia, according to the BBC.
Some locals in Venice, which has dealt with overtourism that has strained the city’s infrastructure and services for years, have staged protests over concerns the wedding’s scale will worsen some of the issues created by excessive tourist crowds. Activists have organized a “No Space for Bezos” campaign opposing the wedding, posting banners and stickers throughout the city. Federica Toninelli, a Venetian activist with “No Space for Bezos,” told Reuters the wedding is also a “symbol of the exploitation of the city by outsiders.” Protesters have threatened to block access to canals and city streets in an effort to block wedding attendees from reaching party venues in the city, according to Variety. Oliviero Cassarà, a lead organizer and activist, said in a statement “No Space for Bezos” has zero issue with Americans or people getting married in Venice, instead criticizing Bezos for his links to Trump and blasting the president’s controversial trade policies. “Bezos supported Trump economically and politically and is consequently co-responsible for this drift against us Italian and European citizens,” Cassarà said. Brugnaro has spoken out against the protesters and tried to reassure them the city is capable of handling the event, citing its hosting of the Venice Film Festival and G7 Summit. Brugnaro said he was “ashamed of those who behave like this,” Variety reported. Protest organizers have criticized Brugnaro, insisting demonstrations will be peaceful. On Monday, the Greenpeace environmental activist organization joined “No Space for Bezos” in Venice’s St. Mark’s Square, unveiling a banner with Bezos’ face that read: “IF YOU CAN RENT VENICE FOR YOUR WEDDING YOU CAN PAY MORE TAX.” Police quickly took the banner away, the Associated Press reported. Protesters also plan to block access to the Scuola Grande della Misericordia, where they believe Bezos will hold one of his wedding parties, and other unspecified protests are planned, The Guardian reported. Protesters have also installed life-size mannequins of Bezos around the city, including one in which the body is covered with dollar bills, and another that holds a bloody sign that says, “Just Married.”
Venice officials have said the guest list for Bezos and Sánchez’s wedding is limited to 200 people. On Tuesday afternoon, Ivanka Trump and husband Jared Kushner, who were rumored to attend, were photographed arriving in Venice. Other celebrities so far spotted in Venice for the festivities include Kylie and Kendall Jenner, Kim Kardashian, Oprah Winfrey, Tom Brady, Gayle King, Orlando Bloom and Barry Diller. Investor Michael Kives has also been seen in Venice in addition to Dolce & Gabbana founder and billionaire Domenico Dolce, fashion designer and rum executive Spencer Antle and Queen Rania of Jordan, wife of the country’s King Abdullah II. Bezos invited President Donald Trump to the wedding, the Journal reported, though Trump will not make the trip due to scheduling conflicts.
Bezos and Sánchez’s multi-day celebration could span multiple parties, TMZ reported, citing anonymous sources who told the outlet the couple is planning three themed parties, including a pajama party. The couple was photographed on Bezos’ Koru yacht Sunday throwing a foam party, in which they and their friends were covered in foam bubbles while tossing around beach balls and swimming in the ocean. It’s unclear whether the foam party was part of the wedding parties, or if it was a prelude to their wedding celebrations.
Multiple reports have said the wedding will predictably cost millions of dollars. Reuters reported an estimated total cost of $46.5 million to $55.6 million. The Journal reported a luxury wedding with 200 guests such as Bezos’ costs about $4 million, citing Jamie Simon, director of events at luxury planning firm Banana Split, which organized the multiday wedding between Sofia Richie Grainge and Atlantic Records CEO Elliot Grainge in 2023.
The Journal reported Lanza & Baucina, a London-based group that planned George and Amal Clooney’s 2014 wedding in Venice, has been hired by Bezos and Sánchez. A representative for the group told the Journal its principles and the instructions of Bezos call for the “minimizing 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 2014 wedding had a generally positive perception, with locals lauding Clooney for his consideration and respect for Venice. Cassará even compared Bezos to Clooney in his statement, saying Bezos “is not George Clooney with his romantic aura.”
We estimate Bezos’ net worth at $231.4 billion as of Tuesday, making him the fourth-wealthiest person in the world behind Mark Zuckerberg ($250.5 billion), Larry Ellison ($256.3 billion) and Elon Musk ($411.1 billion).
Bezos and Sánchez met almost 10 years ago and began making public appearances together around 2019, when the two began dating. They became engaged in 2023 aboard the Koru superyacht, with Bezos offering Sánchez a 30-carat cushion cut pink diamond set in platinum, according to Vanity Fair.
Venice Residents Protest Entry Fee For Tourists Amid Concerns City Will Turn Into A ‘Theme Park’ (Forbes)