Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and journalist Lauren Sanchez commenced their three-day lavish wedding celebrations in Venice on Thursday, drawing global attention to the estimated $50 million event. While tight security shields their VIP guests, the spectacle has also sparked significant debate and protests from activists concerned about the impact of such extreme wealth on the historic city.
Among the constellation of approximately 200-250 A-list guests from show business, politics, and finance are notable figures such as Bill Gates, Orlando Bloom, Queen Rania of Jordan, Oprah Winfrey, Kris Jenner, Kim Kardashian, Khloe Kardashian, Ivanka Trump, and Jared Kushner.
The Celebrations and Security Measures
Bezos, 61, and Sanchez, 55, arrived in Venice via helicopter on Wednesday and took up residence at the luxurious Aman hotel, where rooms with a view of the Grand Canal start at 4,000 euros (approximately $4,686) per night.
- Thursday Evening Gathering: Guests gathered at the cloisters of Madonna dell’Orto, a medieval church in the central Cannaregio district. The city council imposed a ban on pedestrians and water traffic in the area from 4:30 PM (1430 GMT) until midnight to ensure security and privacy for the partygoers.
- Friday’s Ceremony: The couple is set to exchange vows on Friday on the small island of San Giorgio, opposite St. Mark’s Square. A senior City Hall official has clarified that this ceremony will not hold legal status under Italian law, leading to speculation that the couple may have already legally wed in the United States to avoid Italian bureaucracy.
- Saturday’s Main Bash: Celebrations will conclude on Saturday with the main wedding party held at one of the halls of the Arsenale, a vast former medieval shipyard transformed into an art space in the eastern Castello district.
Controversy and Local Reactions
The event has ignited a debate about its impact on Venice. Protesters view it as an example of the city being “gift-wrapped for ultra-rich outsiders,” with one activist scaling a pole in St. Mark’s Square on Thursday to unfurl a banner reading “The 1% ruins the world.” The “No Space for Bezos” movement plans further demonstrations against what they perceive as a “sell-off of Venice.”
However, not all locals are hostile. Many politicians, hoteliers, and residents argue that high-end events like this, rather than masses of low-spending daytrippers, are a better way to support the local economy. They dismiss the protesters as a fringe minority. As local tour leader Mattia Brandi told Reuters, “If you look at what concretely the Bezos wedding brings for the good of Venice, there are only advantages and no disadvantages.”
Venice has a history of hosting VIP weddings, including those of US actor George Clooney and human rights lawyer Amal Alamuddin in 2014, and Indian billionaires Vinita Agarwal and Muqit Teja in 2011, none of which caused significant disruptions.
Background of the Couple
Bezos, the executive chair of e-commerce giant Amazon and No. 4 on Forbes’ billionaires list, became engaged to Sanchez in 2023. Their engagement came four years after the collapse of his 25-year marriage to MacKenzie Scott. Sanchez’s background includes broadcast journalism, where she received an Emmy nomination and an Emmy Award in 1999, and her later career as a licensed helicopter pilot and owner of Black Ops Aviation, an aerial film production company. She recently participated in a suborbital spaceflight with Blue Origin.
