The Italian city of Venice has been inundated with celebrities as billionaire Jeff Bezos and his fiancée Lauren Sánchez kicked off celebrations for their multi-million dollar wedding.
The couple tied the knot on a private island on Friday, away from the protestors and photographers who have also descended on the city for the event.
On Friday afternoon, Sánchez emerged from her hotel wearing a silk scarf on her head and blew a kiss to journalists before stepping into her water taxi.
It carried her through the canals to San Giorgio island, across the lagoon basin from St. Mark’s Square, where the couple exchanged vows.
Bezos followed two hours later in a tuxedo.
Then, in a string of water taxis, came their illustrious guests – Oprah Winfrey, Kim Kardashian, Ivanka Trump, Tom Brady, Bill Gates, Queen Rania of Jordan, Leonardo DiCaprio, and more. Paparazzi trailed on their own boats, trying to capture them all on camera.
Dozens of private jets and yachts delivered celebrities, athletes and influencers to the City of Canals on Thursday for the world’s fourth richest man and his former journalist fiancée’s reported $50 million extravaganza.
Details of the event have been shrouded in secrecy, but rumours of world-famous performers, exclusive venues and lavish decorations are all thought to have pushed up the final cost.
Local media have also reported a reception Saturday in the Arsenale, a former navy base best known as a primary venue for the Venice Biennale.
Following the ceremony, Lauren deleted her instagram posts leaving only a photo of her and her new husband Jeff Bezos holding hands at the ceremony.
Jeff is wearing a tuxedo and Lauren a long sleeved wedding dress.
She has now changed her username to Lauren Sanchez Bezos.
But not everyone is celebrating.
Local activists, housing advocates and environmental groups have denounced the nuptials as a symbol of inequality and over-tourism in a city already strained by climate change and rising sea levels.
Protests by the movement dubbed “No Space for Bezos” – a nod to both the billionaire’s space exploration company Blue Origin and Sánchez’s own recent space journey – included Greenpeace unfurling banners in St Mark’s Square and demonstators floating a bald-headed Bezos-inspired mannequin down a Venice canal on top of an Amazon delivery box, its hands clenching fake cash in the canals.
When Amazon CEO, Bezos used to shun the limelight, frequently delegating announcements and business updates to his executives. He has a net worth of $231 billion (£168 billion), according to Forbes.
In 2019, he announced he was divorcing his first wife, MacKenzie Scott, just before the National Enquirer published a story about an affair with Sánchez, a former TV news anchor. Sánchez filed for divorce the day after Bezos’ divorce was finalised.
Bezos stepped down as CEO in 2021, saying he wished to spend more time on side projects, including Blue Origin, The Washington Post, which he owns, and his philanthropic initiatives.
Last week, a Venetian environmental research association issued a statement saying Bezos’ Earth Fund was supporting its work with an “important donation.” CORILA, which seeks protection of the Venetian lagoon system, said contact began in April, well before any protests.
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