Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez tied the knot Friday, June 27, at a sumptuous ceremony with the rich and famous on an island in Venice's lagoon. "This city seems impossible! It can't exist and yet, here it is!" an enchanted Bezos told a La Repubblica journalist Thursday who got close to the magnate as he whizzed around the canals by boat.
But protesters had a different view, wondering how long Venice can endure: While the billionaires party, activists say the fragile city is sinking, overrun by tourists, and a victim of depopulation as locals unable to pay soaring rents are forced out.
"No Kings, No Bezos" read a sign in green neon projected on the St Mark's Campanile tower on Thursday night. "Tax Billionaires," read protest signs along the city's canals. "In the time it takes you to read this, Jeff Bezos's wealth has increased by more than your monthly salary," they read in English and Italian.
Bezos and Sanchez, a former news anchor and entertainment reporter, celebrated their nuptials with guests including Kim and Khloe Kardashian, Oprah Winfrey and Orlando Bloom. The tech magnate, 61, and Sanchez, 55, are staying at the Aman hotel, a luxury 16th-century palazzo on the Grand Canal with a view of the Rialto bridge. Other A-list guests are staying at the Gritti Palace and the St. Regis.
The couple exchanged vows at a black-tie ceremony on the island of San Giorgio Maggiore Friday afternoon, according to Italian and US media reports. The newlyweds were to be serenaded by Matteo Bocelli, son of the famed opera singer Andrea Bocelli, reports said.
Michelin-starred chef Fabrizio Mellino prepared the wedding dinner, while the cake has been made by French pastry chef Cedric Grolet, the Corriere della Sera said. Sanchez is alleged to have prepared 27 outfits to wear during the festivities.
Wedding guests snapped by paparazzi as they hopped into boats included Jordan's Queen Rania, French luxury goods executive Francois-Henri Pinault, American football player Tom Brady, US fashion designer Spencer Antle, the singer Usher, and Ivanka Trump, daughter of US President Donald Trump, and her husband, Jared Kushner.
Bezos and Sanchez are donating three million euros ($3.5 million) to the city, according to Veneto's regional president Luca Zaia, and are employing historic Venetian artisans. Venice's oldest pastry maker Rosa Salva is baking 19th-century "fishermen's biscuits" for party bags that will also contain something by Laguna B, renowned for its handblown Murano glass.
Ivanka Trump and her family visited a glass-blowing workshop on the small island of Murano on Wednesday, according to the owner. "They were amazed and enchanted by the magic of glass," Massimiliano Schiavon told the Corriere della Sera, adding that the family had a go at blowing glass. Venice, home to the oldest film festival in the world, is used to VIPs whizzing around in speed boats, and happily hosted the star-studded nuptials of Hollywood actor George Clooney in 2014.
Italy's tourism ministry said Friday it expected the wedding to bring the city nearly one billion euros, with about 895 million of that estimated to come from the "media visibility" generated.
Environmental activists have also pointed to the carbon footprint of the mega yachts and dozens of private jets – at least 95 – bringing the rich and famous to the city. Meanwhile, Italy's health ministry has issued a red heat alert for Venice for the weekend, part of a heatwave affecting much of southern Europe.