Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and his long-time partner Lauren Sánchez exchanged vows Friday in a lavish ceremony held on a private island in the Venetian lagoon.
The star-studded event, shielded from the public eye, unfolded against the picturesque backdrop of Venice, a city Bezos himself described as “impossible” and enchanting. However, the opulent celebrations were met with a starkly different reality for many Venetians.
As billionaires partied, local activists voiced urgent concerns about the city’s precarious future, highlighting issues of overtourism, depopulation, and Venice’s ongoing struggle against rising waters.
The exclusive affair saw a gathering of the rich and famous, with details of the “sumptuous ceremony” kept under wraps from the eager public and protesting voices alike.
“This city seems impossible! It can’t exist and yet, here it is!” an enchanted Bezos told a La Repubblica journalist Thursday who got close to the magnate as he whizzed around the canals by boat.
On Thursday night, a powerful green neon sign emblazoned with “No Kings, No Bezos” was projected onto the iconic St Mark’s Campanile tower, serving as a stark reminder of the deep-seated resentment brewing among segments of the local population.
Black and white
Sanchez late Friday posted a photo on Instagram — under a new name, laurensanchezbezos — showing her in a long flowing white dress and him in black tie, though it did not provide any indication where it was taken.
Bezos and Sanchez, a former news anchor and entertainment reporter, celebrated their nuptials with guests including Kim and Khloe Kardashian, Oprah Winfrey and Orlando Bloom.
The tech magnate, 61, and Sanchez, 55, are staying at the Aman hotel, a luxury 16th-century palazzo on the Grand Canal with a view of the Rialto bridge.
Other A-list guests are staying at the Gritti Palace and the St Regis.
The couple exchanged vows at a black-tie ceremony on the island of San Giorgio Maggiore Friday afternoon, according to Italian media reports.
The wedding is thought to have taken place in a vast open-air amphitheatre on the island, which sits across from Venice’s iconic St Mark’s Square.
The newlyweds were to be serenaded by Matteo Bocelli, son of the famed opera singer Andrea Bocelli, reports said.
Michelin-starred chef Fabrizio Mellino prepared the wedding dinner, while the cake has been made by French pastry chef Cedric Grolet, the Corriere della Sera said.
Sanchez is alleged to have prepared 27 outfits to wear during the festivities.
‘Amazed’
Wedding guests snapped by paparazzi as they hopped into boats included Jordan’s Queen Rania, French luxury goods executive Francois-Henri Pinault, American football player Tom Brady, United States fashion designer Spencer Antle, the singer Usher, and Ivanka Trump, daughter of US President Donald Trump, and her husband Jared Kushner.
The guests reportedly lunched Thursday in the gardens of Villa Baslini, on the islet of San Giovanni Evangelista.
The celebrations are set to end Saturday with a party likely at the Arsenale, a vast shipyard complex dating back to when the city was a naval powerhouse.
Bezos and Sanchez are donating three million euros ($3.5 million) to the city, according to Veneto’s regional president Luca Zaia, and are employing historic Venetian artisans.
Venice’s oldest pastry maker Rosa Salva is baking 19th-century “fishermen’s biscuits” for party bags that will also contain something by Laguna B, renowned for its handblown Murano glass.
Trump and her family visited a glass-blowing workshop on the small island of Murano on Wednesday, according to the owner.
“They were amazed and enchanted by the magic of glass,” Massimiliano Schiavon told the Corriere della Sera, adding that the family had a go at blowing glass.
Venice, home to the oldest film festival in the world, is used to VIPs whizzing around in speed boats, and happily hosted the star-studded nuptials of Hollywood actor George Clooney in 2014.
Some say this wedding too brings good business.
Italy’s tourism ministry said Friday it expected the wedding to bring the city nearly one billion euros, with about 895 million of that estimated to come from the “media visibility” generated.
But critics say Bezos, one of the world’s richest men and founder of a company regularly scrutinised for how it treats its workers, is different.
“Tax Billionaires”, read protest signs along canals.
“In the time it takes you to read this, Jeff Bezos’s wealth has increased by more than your monthly salary”, they read in English and Italian.
Environmental activists have also pointed to the carbon footprint of the mega yachts and dozens of private jets — at least 95 — bringing the rich and famous to the city.
But Samuel Silvestri, a 55-year-old salesman, welcomed the extravaganza.
“Over-tourism is caused by those people who come with a backpack and their own food, and contribute very little,” he said, “not those who transform Venice into a mini-Monte Carlo. This marriage helps the image of the city.”
Italy’s health ministry has issued a red heat alert for Venice for the weekend, part of a heatwave affecting much of southern Europe.
Jeff Bezos, Lauren Sanchez tie knot in Venice amid protests
