Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez tied the knot on Friday, June 27 in a gorgeous ceremony in Venice. The Amazon founder, 61 and the Emmy award winning journalist, 55 exchanged vows on San Giorgio Maggiore Island near Venice. It all started when the couple got engaged in 2023 after living some time together when Bezos asked Lauren’s hand with a $10 million ring 35-carat diamond ring on his $500 million yacht.
The forthcoming wedding caused a lot of stirs both in the Italian and in the international society. The discussions on the choice of Bezos to throw the lavish wedding in the city of Venice were endless. All started out with some citizens of Venice and social activists protesting on San Marco Square and on the streets of Venice against the wedding as the pre-nuptial tension got higher and higher.
At some point as the protests got more insistent, the Governor of Veneto Luca Zaia got involved saying that he welcomed Bezos to celebrate his wedding in Venice. Zaia, considered to be one of Italy’s most efficient and popular governors declared his point of view saying that if two people wanted to celebrate their wedding day in Venice if they are rich or poor they are free to do it in the city of Venice. The protests calmed down after Bezos and Sanchez asked the guests of the ceremony not to bring gifts but contribute to the city of Venice.
The guests of the wedding that arrived in Venice were not just simple guests, but a real A-list crowd –Ivanka Trump with Jared Kushner, Oprah Winfrey, Tom Brady, Leonardo di Caprio, Orlando Bloom, Sidney Sweeney, Usher and all the Kardashian family including Kim, Kylie and the mother.
Forget the AMFAR galas, forget the Fashion weeks in Paris and Milan and the Cannes Film Festival Glam – the top jet setting and fashion crowd was there in Venice for the Wedding of the year regardless the extreme heat wave in Italy, the crowds of tourists and the protestant signs.
Forget the news on what is happening in Iran – the eye of the international media was on the outfits that the bride Lauren Sanchez wore for the wedding, on the slimmed down Leonardo di Caprio and on his girlfriend’s Vittoria Ceretti’s wardrobe malfunction, on the Kim Kardashian’s sexy tights that she was wearing for the pyjama party the following day. The city of Venice seemed to have become the centre of the world where money, glam and self- branding behaviour took over and kept the world watching the scene all the weekend.
This wedding wasn’t just a beautiful and lavish ceremony on the San Giorgio Maggiore island – it was almost a statement. The fact is that one of the world’s richest men, the owner of Amazon Jeff Bezos, 61 married a woman, who is very close to his age. He didn’t choose a young 20-year-old model, but a woman who is 55 and is a very smart and has been a top professional in the journalistic field for many years and has been awarded with the Emmy prize for her work. Journalist Lauren Sanchez and her endless dresses for the wedding has become a new symbol of a self-made woman who can land a wedding with a multimillionaire at any age.
Jeff Bezos, captured by the lenses of the paparazzi (the official photographer of the wedding was German Larkin) seemed very emotional and happy to wed his gorgeous and smart lady. The fact that a man of such importance and a multimillionaire chose a woman of his age proves that often people of the same age have many things in common, and an experienced and clever lady understands the needs of such man more than a 20year old.
Meanwhile as Lauren Sanchez was becoming the new symbol of many ladies after 40, Bezos has been highly criticized in top USA and International media for throwing such a lavish wedding. The cost of the nuptials on Friday was estimated between 47 and 56 million (according to Reuters) citing Luca Zaia, the President of the Veneto Region where Italian city is based.
“Jeff Bezos big geek wedding “, – read the headline of The New Yorker magazine while Daily mail claims that the guest list of the wedding tot up to more than the GDP of South Africa and Denmark. Reportedly costing 20million stars were treated to a 1,000 a head meal while there was a strict “no phone” policy at the ceremony and other related To the nuptials events. On Saturday on the lavish post-nuptials’ reception at Cini Foundation’s Vatican Chapels 200 guests gathered and were entertained by Andrea Bocelli’s son Matteo, who sang Elvis Presley’s “Can’t Help Falling in Love”. The 3-day and 50 million dollars celebrations continued Saturday as newly-weds showed off their wedding bands, held hands and blew kisses.
They visited Harry’s Bar less than 24 hours after getting hitched. Later, they hosted a pyjama-theme party where Lauren was dazzling in a sensual Versace strapless georgette dress with crystal mesh embroidery.
To party post the wedding with the celebre couple were again the many famous personalities such as Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner, Oprah Winfrey, Tom Brady, Orlando Bloom, Sidney Sweeney, Usher and Leonardo DiCaprio with the model girlfriend Vittoria Ceretti and all the Kardashian family.
The party lasted till 2 a.m. They report that Brady was everywhere to be seen and even took over the DJ booth from Kygo, who was spinning at the party. Brady and Sweeney danced together and Sweeney was in the centre of the attention during the 3 days of lavish events. The newly single Bloom, who has just separated from Katy Perry, was partying very hard and caught a lot of the attention of the media due to his recent split.
Many of the guests such as DiCaprio, Bloom, Winfrey and the Kardashians stayed at The Gritti Palace, a luxury hotel on the Grand Canal.
Love, money, luxury and non-stop glamour – this wedding like a real time machine has brought Venice to the historical times of the Venetian Republic of the past when the city was booming with luxurious and elegant ball events sponsored by the wealthy Dodges.
