Lauren Sánchez and Jeff Bezos plan to get married in Venice at the end of June.
June 2, 2025
By Micaela Taroni
Amazon founder Jeff Bezos plans to marry his fiancée in Venice, Italy in late June. Numerous celebrities will attend the event, but not everyone is happy.
Located directly in front of Piazza San Marco in Venice, the island of San Giorgio Maggiore is one of the most evocative and iconic islands in the lagoon, famous above all for the 10th-century Benedictine abbey and church of the same name. But it will soon also be the setting for a special event: on the island, which offers breathtaking views of the lagoon, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos (61) and his fiancée Lauren Sánchez (55) will take their matrimonial vows in a three-day wedding ceremony, from 24 to 26 June.
The countdown to the big event has begun. Five luxury hotels have already been booked for the 250 VIP guests who will attend the wedding. Many of them come from the world of entertainment: for example, the actor Leonardo DiCaprio with his Italian girlfriend Vittoria Ceretti, as well as Katy Perry and her husband Orlando Bloom, Barbra Streisand, Eva Longoria, Kim Kardashian, Oprah Winfrey and Kris Jenner. Bill Gates is also on the guest list. The Trump family is also on the list: the presence of Ivanka Trump seems certain for now, while that of Donald Jr. with his new girlfriend Bettina Anderson and Tiffany Trump with her husband Michael Boulos has not yet been confirmed. Megastar Shakira will provide musical entertainment at the wedding reception.
Bezos’ Fiancée Designs 27 Luxe Wedding Dresses
The organization of the grand event was entrusted to a renowned London wedding planner who has also overseen planning of the sumptuous wedding of Vinita Agarwal, daughter of Indian billionaire Pramod Agarwal, in 2011. With 800 guests and a budget of ten million euros, it was considered one of the most sumptuous weddings ever celebrated in Venice. The same wedding planner has also organized other high-profile weddings in the lagoon city. Among them, that of George Clooney and Amal Alamuddin in 2014, celebrated largely at the Aman Palace Hotel, and that of actress Salma Hayek with billionaire François-Henri Pinault in 2009 at the Teatro La Fenice.
The bride will change her dress several times during the extravagant festivities, likely opting for a gown by Italian fashion house Dolce & Gabbana. Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour reportedly advised Sánchez to design up to 27 outfits, one for each occasion. The highlight will be the wedding reception aboard the couple’s €450 million superyacht, the “Koru”.
Last weekend, the glamorous couple celebrated their bachelor and bachelorette parties separately: Sánchez in Paris with friends, Bezos in Spain. The journalist shared photos on her social media from the party, which was held in an intimate setting with famous friends – including Katy Perry, Kris Jenner and Kim Kardashian. The theme of the party was “Black and White”. Afterwards, she met Bezos in Cannes, where Sánchez – author of the New York Times bestselling children’s book “The Fly That Flew into Space” – was honored with the Global Gift Foundation’s award for her environmental commitment.
Allegations Against Bezos’ Girlfriend Overshadow Wedding Plans
But it was precisely this prize that sparked criticism from environmentalists. Sánchez apparently traveled to Cannes aboard the “Koru”, whose tank has a capacity of 750,000 liters, equivalent to the consumption of 19,000 cars. Sánchez, originally from Albuquerque, New Mexico, and a respectable media presence, repeatedly ends up in the newspapers, whether it is for her glamorous lifestyle, her business ventures or her social commitment, which many, however, find contradictory.
Her mega-wedding is also causing mixed reactions in Venice. While some are eager to see the celebrities up close, activist groups are preparing protests against one of the world’s richest men, who is worth $215 billion according to Forbes. The civic association “Laboratorio Morion” is organizing protests on the days of the wedding with the slogan “No Space for Bezos”.
“Venice must not become a playground for the super-rich while its citizens are forced to leave because they cannot afford the high rents. We find it scandalous that Bezos is paralyzing an entire city for his wedding for days, which will only cause inconvenience to citizens. We are also protesting against the city council for allowing the commercialization and exploitation of the city”, stressed Federica Toninello, spokesperson for the movement, which, among other things, fights against cruise ships in the lagoon and for fair housing policies. Toninello argues that the money Bezos is spending on the wedding will only benefit a few luxury hotels and not the citizens.
The mayor of Venice, Luigi Brugnaro, sees it differently. In his view, the Lagoon City, which has already hosted the G7 summit twice, is perfectly capable of handling an event with 200 guests. The Mayor says that Bezos’ wedding is another opportunity to present Venice to the world in its best light.
Source: Berliner Morgenpost
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