Jeff Bezos, the third-richest person in the world and the founder of Amazon, is marrying his fiancée Lauren Sanchez this Friday in one of the most spoken-about weddings of the year.
The lavish affair is being hosted in Venice, Italy, and is estimated to be around ₹430 crore, said Luca Zaia, Veneto region President, which encompasses the iconic canal city.
The extravagant three-day celebration kicked off on June 26 and will peak on June 28 with the wedding ceremony, followed by a celebrity-studded reception. Security in Venice has been dramatically increased, with access being restricted and close surveillance turning sections of the city into an area of high-security status to provide the couple and their celebrity guests with total seclusion.
Although organisers have argued that the event is being conducted with regards to residents and local infrastructure, critics remain sceptical. Locals and environmental activists have protested, stating that such a high-profile event—comprising between 200 and 250 high-end guests—simply adds to the pressure on a city already struggling with the consequences of over-tourism, which welcomes in excess of 30 million visitors annually.
Venice has been abuzz with A-list sightings as politicians, entrepreneurs, and international icons have descended on the city on water. The latest to arrive on the scene include Microsoft billionaire Bill Gates, actor Orlando Bloom, and Queen Rania of Jordan. They are joined by an already star-studded lineup said to include Oprah Winfrey, Kim and Khloe Kardashian, Kris Jenner, and Ivanka Trump with husband Jared Kushner, all of whom have been seen taking in pre-wedding celebrations.
Despite the allure of the guest list, the wedding invitation itself has faced heavy criticism online. A leaked image of the invite, obtained by ABC News, sparked ridicule on social media, with users branding it as “tacky,” “ugly,” and even a “graphic design disaster.”
Bezos, who has a net worth of $231 billion today, as cited by Bloomberg's Billionaires Index, started seeing Lauren Sanchez, an Emmy-winning ex-journalist and TV anchor, a few years back. The two got engaged in 2023.
Venice has hosted its fair share of celebrity weddings in the past, including George Clooney and Amal Alamuddin's high-glam nuptials in 2014 and Indian billionaire Vinita Agarwal's and Muqit Teja's big-budget wedding in 2011. But few have generated as much international attention, scrutiny, and controversy as the Bezos-Sanchez weddings.
With festivities at their peak, Venice continues to be under a global spotlight—its ancient beauty now mixed with glamour, criticism, and the spectacle of contemporary celebrity culture.
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