In a stunning display of wealth and celebrity, Jeff Bezos, the Amazon billionaire, and former TV anchor Lauren Sánchez have officially married. The couple exchanged vows on Friday during a lavish celebration in the picturesque city of Venice, Italy. The extravagant three-day event, reportedly costing around $10 million, transformed the entire island of San Giorgio Maggiore, located opposite the iconic St. Mark’s Square, into a private paradise for their nuptials.
The wedding was attended by an impressive array of A-list celebrities, including Oprah Winfrey, Bill Gates, Kim Kardashian, Kris Jenner, Karlie Kloss, Ivanka Trump, Orlando Bloom, Jewel, Leonardo DiCaprio, Barry Diller, and Diane von Furstenberg. The couple ensured that their high-profile guests were accommodated in some of the finest hotels throughout the city, including the luxurious Aman, where George and Amal Clooney celebrated their own wedding in 2014, as well as the Gritti Palace, The St. Regis, Hotel Danieli, and Belmond Cipriani.
Fashion icon and Vogue editor Anna Wintour reportedly played a pivotal role in helping Sánchez choose her wedding dress. Additionally, rumors circulated that the legendary musician Elton John was invited to perform at the ceremony, adding to the event's star power. Given Bezos' status as one of the world's wealthiest individuals, valued at an estimated $233 billion, it was expected that the wedding would be nothing short of extraordinary.
However, not all of Venice received the extravagant celebration with open arms. Some local residents expressed their discontent with the event, leading to protests that highlighted concerns about wealth disparity and the impact of tourism on the city. Demonstrators displayed banners with messages like, “If you can rent Venice for your wedding, you can pay more tax,” and “No Space for Bezos,” a nod to Bezos’ ambitions with his space-travel company, Blue Origin. The protests included plans to obstruct water taxis with inflatables and boats, emphasizing the community's frustration with the influx of wealth and tourists.
Environmental activists echoed the sentiment, with Greenpeace and others criticizing the wedding as a symbol of extreme wealth and privilege, particularly in a city as vulnerable to climate change as Venice. Clara Thompson, a campaigner from Greenpeace, remarked, “Bezos’ wedding is a symbol of extreme wealth, privilege and a lot of things that are going wrong currently in the world.” The protests and public outcry were further fueled by a 2021 report from ProPublica, which revealed that Bezos paid no federal income tax in several years and had an incredibly low tax rate from 2014 to 2018.
The protests appeared to influence the couple's plans, as newly reported by the BBC. A local official confirmed that the wedding celebrations, initially set to occur at the Scuola Grande della Misericordia, were moved to the Arsenale, located farther from the bustling city center to lessen the impact on local residents.
In a bid to give back to the community, Bezos and Sánchez reportedly made charitable contributions to Venetian charities prior to their wedding. They sourced approximately 80 percent of their wedding provisions from local vendors, demonstrating a commitment to supporting the local economy. On Monday, it was announced by Luca Zaia, the president of the surrounding Veneto region, that the couple made a generous donation of 1 million euros (around $1.16 million) to the Corila Consortium, an international scientific research group dedicated to the preservation of the Venice lagoon. Zaia praised the donation as an “act of great sensitivity and foresight.”
In response to the protests, Venice's conservative Mayor Luigi Brugnaro defended the celebration, stating, “Whoever loves Venice will always be welcome.” Other city officials assured the public that the wedding festivities, attended by approximately 250 guests, would seamlessly blend into the daily rhythm of the city, emphasizing the couple's intention to respect the unique heritage of Venice.
