Usher and DJ Cassidy to perform at Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez's star-studded wedding after-party in Venice
A major music star is set to headline the final celebration for Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez's lavish wedding weekend in Venice, Italy, capping off days of festivities with a high-energy dance party.
The couple, who tied the knot in a black-tie ceremony on Friday, June 27, have lined up Usher and DJ Cassidy to perform at their last big bash on Saturday night, June 28, according to a source speaking to
People Magazine.
'It's the culmination, the final big party,' the source told People, noting that the newlyweds wanted a night centred around music to send off their guests after a packed week of celebrations.
'Tonight is all about the music. It's the culmination, the final big party,' the source said. 'First night was dinner, second was the ceremony with Andrea Bocelli's son performing, and tonight's the full-on dance floor.'
Cassidy, known for his star-studded party sets, has previously performed at events for Oprah, Kris Jenner, and Kourtney Kardashian, making him a favourite for the couple. Usher, another close friend, will also take the stage for the night's entertainment.
The wedding festivities have drawn a who's who of celebrity guests, including Oprah Winfrey, Kim Kardashian, Leonardo DiCaprio, and Tom Brady.
The celebrations began earlier in the week with a welcome party featuring gourmet Italian fare, followed by a ceremony serenaded by Matteo Bocelli, and now culminate with a dance party for the ages.
Despite concerns from some locals about disruptions, a source told People Magazine that Venice 'is still running as normal' even with the influx of high-profile visitors.
The three-day gala, estimated to cost $US50 million ($A76 million).
For days, members of the 'No Space for Bezos' movement have been trying to spoil the party, hanging anti-Bezos banners on the iconic Rialto Bridge and laying out a huge canvas in central Saint Mark's Square telling the tech-tycoon to pay more taxes.
While some residents and activists see Bezos' extravaganza as a symbol of inequality and arrogance, Venice's businesses and the city authorities have welcomed the event, claiming a major boost for the local economy.
'Those who protest are in contradiction with the history of Venice, which is a history of relations, contacts and business,' the city's mayor Luigi Brugnaro told Reuters in an interview.
'Bezos embodies the Venetian mentality, he is more Venetian than the protesters,' said the mayor, adding that he hoped Bezos, who donated 3 million euros ($A5.4 million) to local institutions, would return to the city to do business.
Brugnaro said Bezos had attached no conditions to holding his wedding celebrations in Venice, and City Hall had only learned about his donations after they had already been made.
Bezos, Amazon's executive chair, became engaged to Sanchez in 2023, four years after the collapse of his 25-year marriage to MacKenzie Scott.
- with Reuters
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Sky News AU
40 minutes ago
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Billionaire Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez's wedding extravaganza has ended with an A-list pyjama party, as a crowd of demonstrators descended on Venice to protest against the lavish festivities. Bezos, 61, and Sanchez, 55, celebrated their nuptials in the floating Italian city this weekend, with a VIP guest list comprising singers, actors and other famed attendees. However, protesters turned up in droves on Saturday to rally against the three-day spectacle, which some argue has exploited Venice, while sparking environmental concerns for others. At one stage, a large group of protesters could be seen on the Rialto Bridge holding a banner targeting the Amazon founder while flares let off bursts of red, blue and orange smoke. "No place for Bezos," the banner read. "Kisses Yes, Bezos No," another slogan read on shirts of some demonstrators. Planned protests had earlier forced Bezos and Sanchez to relocate their wedding to a more secluded part of the Arsenale, which is a historic shipyard complex in Venice's Castello district. Despite the campaigners, the celebrations carried on with a PJ bash on Saturday in honour of the newlyweds. Leonardo DiCaprio was one of the celebrities to don his best sleepwear fashion, with the Titanic star seen wearing a velvet burgundy ensemble paired with a black coat and cap. Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates sported a set of black pyjamas, while Orlando Bloom was snapped in a black-and-white polka dot set. Sydney Sweeney opted for a strapless lace black gown, while Kim Kardashian boldly stepped out in lingerie with thigh-high stockings and nude pumps. Oprah Winfrey looked elegant in caramel-coloured silk pants and a matching top with feathered cuffs, while she held a dainty hand fan. Meanwhile, Bezos and Sanchez - who have been together since around 2019 and became engaged in 2023 - could be seen smiling as they waved to the crowd. The billionaire businessman looked dapper in an all-black suit while Sanchez stunned in a pink strapless gown with lace and beaded trimming. Sanchez, a former journalist, completed the look with diamond earrings and a black clutch bag which read "Mrs Bezos". The 55-year-old beamed as she waved from a balcony of the luxury Aman hotel, where she has been staying with her husband. Among other big names who attended the wedding celebrations were singers Usher and Ellie Goulding, as well as members of the Kardashian-Jenner family. NFL legend Tom Brady, Donald Trump's daughter Ivanka and her husband Jared Kushner, and Queen Rania of Jordan were also present. Guests could be seen heavily protected by security guards throughout the festivities. During their nuptials on the island of San Giorgio Maggiore on Friday, Bezos and Sanchez exchanged vows in a 25-minute ceremony. The multi-day wedding event has reportedly come with a price tag of about USD $50 million.
The Advertiser
2 hours ago
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Newlyweds Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and journalist Lauren Sanchez left their luxury hotel on Venice's Grand Canal for a final night of partying, crowning a three-day star-studded wedding extravaganza. Bezos, 61, and Sanchez, 55, exchanged rings on Friday evening local time (Saturday morning AEST) on the small island of San Giorgio, across the water from Saint Mark's Square, accompanied by singing from Matteo Bocelli, son of Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli. Bill Gates, Leonardo DiCaprio, Orlando Bloom, Tom Brady, Jordan's Queen Rania, Oprah Winfrey, Kris Jenner and Kim and Khloe Kardashian, as well as Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner, were among the A-listers present. Saturday's evening bash - wrapping up celebrations for 200-250 guests estimated to have cost some $US50 million ($A76 million) - was due to take place in the Arsenale, a former medieval shipyard in an eastern district of the lagoon city. About 1000 people marched against the event on Saturday, groups of activists and residents who object to the wedding and to seeing Venice being gift-wrapped for the uber-wealthy. Some guests were seen leaving the Gritti Palace hotel in central Venice wearing their pyjamas, sometimes beneath colourful dressing gowns, before boarding small boats to reach the party. Bezos and Sanchez had a more sober style. He was dressed in a black skirt and suit, while she had a soft-pink off-the-shoulder dress. They kissed on the boat while greeting those around them. At the ceremony, the bride wore a high-necked silhouette dress and a tulle and lace veil by Dolce & Gabbana, which she told magazine Vogue was based on Sophia Loren's dress to marry Cary Grant in the 1958 film, Houseboat. Sanchez was also wearing a pair of diamond earrings by Dolce & Gabbana, which, according to Vogue, was lent to her in keeping with the tradition that it brings good luck for a bride to wear something borrowed. Bezos, who is No.4 on Forbes' global billionaires list, donned a black tuxedo and bow tie over a white shirt. Friday's ceremony had no legal status under Italian law, a senior city hall official told Reuters, suggesting the couple may have previously wed legally in the United States to avoid the bureaucracy associated with an Italian marriage. While some residents and activists raged against Bezos as a symbol of inequality and arrogance, Venetian businesses and political leaders welcomed the luxury nuptials, hailing them as a major boost for the local economy. "Those who protest are in contradiction with the history of Venice, which is a history of relations, contacts and business," Mayor Luigi Brugnaro told Reuters. "Bezos embodies the Venetian mentality. He is more Venetian than the protesters," said the centre-right mayor, adding that he hoped Bezos, who donated three million euros ($US3.51 million ($A5.4 million)) to local institutions, would return to the city to do business. Brugnaro said Bezos had attached no conditions to holding his wedding celebrations in Venice, and City Hall had only learned about his donations after they had already been made. Bezos, Amazon's executive chair, got engaged to Sanchez in 2023, four years after the collapse of his 25-year marriage to novelist and philanthropist MacKenzie Scott. Newlyweds Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and journalist Lauren Sanchez left their luxury hotel on Venice's Grand Canal for a final night of partying, crowning a three-day star-studded wedding extravaganza. Bezos, 61, and Sanchez, 55, exchanged rings on Friday evening local time (Saturday morning AEST) on the small island of San Giorgio, across the water from Saint Mark's Square, accompanied by singing from Matteo Bocelli, son of Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli. Bill Gates, Leonardo DiCaprio, Orlando Bloom, Tom Brady, Jordan's Queen Rania, Oprah Winfrey, Kris Jenner and Kim and Khloe Kardashian, as well as Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner, were among the A-listers present. Saturday's evening bash - wrapping up celebrations for 200-250 guests estimated to have cost some $US50 million ($A76 million) - was due to take place in the Arsenale, a former medieval shipyard in an eastern district of the lagoon city. About 1000 people marched against the event on Saturday, groups of activists and residents who object to the wedding and to seeing Venice being gift-wrapped for the uber-wealthy. Some guests were seen leaving the Gritti Palace hotel in central Venice wearing their pyjamas, sometimes beneath colourful dressing gowns, before boarding small boats to reach the party. Bezos and Sanchez had a more sober style. He was dressed in a black skirt and suit, while she had a soft-pink off-the-shoulder dress. They kissed on the boat while greeting those around them. At the ceremony, the bride wore a high-necked silhouette dress and a tulle and lace veil by Dolce & Gabbana, which she told magazine Vogue was based on Sophia Loren's dress to marry Cary Grant in the 1958 film, Houseboat. Sanchez was also wearing a pair of diamond earrings by Dolce & Gabbana, which, according to Vogue, was lent to her in keeping with the tradition that it brings good luck for a bride to wear something borrowed. Bezos, who is No.4 on Forbes' global billionaires list, donned a black tuxedo and bow tie over a white shirt. Friday's ceremony had no legal status under Italian law, a senior city hall official told Reuters, suggesting the couple may have previously wed legally in the United States to avoid the bureaucracy associated with an Italian marriage. While some residents and activists raged against Bezos as a symbol of inequality and arrogance, Venetian businesses and political leaders welcomed the luxury nuptials, hailing them as a major boost for the local economy. "Those who protest are in contradiction with the history of Venice, which is a history of relations, contacts and business," Mayor Luigi Brugnaro told Reuters. "Bezos embodies the Venetian mentality. He is more Venetian than the protesters," said the centre-right mayor, adding that he hoped Bezos, who donated three million euros ($US3.51 million ($A5.4 million)) to local institutions, would return to the city to do business. Brugnaro said Bezos had attached no conditions to holding his wedding celebrations in Venice, and City Hall had only learned about his donations after they had already been made. Bezos, Amazon's executive chair, got engaged to Sanchez in 2023, four years after the collapse of his 25-year marriage to novelist and philanthropist MacKenzie Scott. 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About 1000 people marched against the event on Saturday, groups of activists and residents who object to the wedding and to seeing Venice being gift-wrapped for the uber-wealthy. Some guests were seen leaving the Gritti Palace hotel in central Venice wearing their pyjamas, sometimes beneath colourful dressing gowns, before boarding small boats to reach the party. Bezos and Sanchez had a more sober style. He was dressed in a black skirt and suit, while she had a soft-pink off-the-shoulder dress. They kissed on the boat while greeting those around them. At the ceremony, the bride wore a high-necked silhouette dress and a tulle and lace veil by Dolce & Gabbana, which she told magazine Vogue was based on Sophia Loren's dress to marry Cary Grant in the 1958 film, Houseboat. Sanchez was also wearing a pair of diamond earrings by Dolce & Gabbana, which, according to Vogue, was lent to her in keeping with the tradition that it brings good luck for a bride to wear something borrowed. Bezos, who is No.4 on Forbes' global billionaires list, donned a black tuxedo and bow tie over a white shirt. Friday's ceremony had no legal status under Italian law, a senior city hall official told Reuters, suggesting the couple may have previously wed legally in the United States to avoid the bureaucracy associated with an Italian marriage. While some residents and activists raged against Bezos as a symbol of inequality and arrogance, Venetian businesses and political leaders welcomed the luxury nuptials, hailing them as a major boost for the local economy. "Those who protest are in contradiction with the history of Venice, which is a history of relations, contacts and business," Mayor Luigi Brugnaro told Reuters. "Bezos embodies the Venetian mentality. He is more Venetian than the protesters," said the centre-right mayor, adding that he hoped Bezos, who donated three million euros ($US3.51 million ($A5.4 million)) to local institutions, would return to the city to do business. Brugnaro said Bezos had attached no conditions to holding his wedding celebrations in Venice, and City Hall had only learned about his donations after they had already been made. Bezos, Amazon's executive chair, got engaged to Sanchez in 2023, four years after the collapse of his 25-year marriage to novelist and philanthropist MacKenzie Scott. Newlyweds Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and journalist Lauren Sanchez left their luxury hotel on Venice's Grand Canal for a final night of partying, crowning a three-day star-studded wedding extravaganza. Bezos, 61, and Sanchez, 55, exchanged rings on Friday evening local time (Saturday morning AEST) on the small island of San Giorgio, across the water from Saint Mark's Square, accompanied by singing from Matteo Bocelli, son of Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli. Bill Gates, Leonardo DiCaprio, Orlando Bloom, Tom Brady, Jordan's Queen Rania, Oprah Winfrey, Kris Jenner and Kim and Khloe Kardashian, as well as Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner, were among the A-listers present. Saturday's evening bash - wrapping up celebrations for 200-250 guests estimated to have cost some $US50 million ($A76 million) - was due to take place in the Arsenale, a former medieval shipyard in an eastern district of the lagoon city. About 1000 people marched against the event on Saturday, groups of activists and residents who object to the wedding and to seeing Venice being gift-wrapped for the uber-wealthy. Some guests were seen leaving the Gritti Palace hotel in central Venice wearing their pyjamas, sometimes beneath colourful dressing gowns, before boarding small boats to reach the party. Bezos and Sanchez had a more sober style. He was dressed in a black skirt and suit, while she had a soft-pink off-the-shoulder dress. They kissed on the boat while greeting those around them. At the ceremony, the bride wore a high-necked silhouette dress and a tulle and lace veil by Dolce & Gabbana, which she told magazine Vogue was based on Sophia Loren's dress to marry Cary Grant in the 1958 film, Houseboat. Sanchez was also wearing a pair of diamond earrings by Dolce & Gabbana, which, according to Vogue, was lent to her in keeping with the tradition that it brings good luck for a bride to wear something borrowed. Bezos, who is No.4 on Forbes' global billionaires list, donned a black tuxedo and bow tie over a white shirt. Friday's ceremony had no legal status under Italian law, a senior city hall official told Reuters, suggesting the couple may have previously wed legally in the United States to avoid the bureaucracy associated with an Italian marriage. While some residents and activists raged against Bezos as a symbol of inequality and arrogance, Venetian businesses and political leaders welcomed the luxury nuptials, hailing them as a major boost for the local economy. "Those who protest are in contradiction with the history of Venice, which is a history of relations, contacts and business," Mayor Luigi Brugnaro told Reuters. "Bezos embodies the Venetian mentality. He is more Venetian than the protesters," said the centre-right mayor, adding that he hoped Bezos, who donated three million euros ($US3.51 million ($A5.4 million)) to local institutions, would return to the city to do business. Brugnaro said Bezos had attached no conditions to holding his wedding celebrations in Venice, and City Hall had only learned about his donations after they had already been made. Bezos, Amazon's executive chair, got engaged to Sanchez in 2023, four years after the collapse of his 25-year marriage to novelist and philanthropist MacKenzie Scott.
AU Financial Review
7 hours ago
- AU Financial Review
Final bash set to end lavish Bezos wedding party in Venice
Venice | Newlyweds Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and journalist Lauren Sanchez left their luxury hotel on Venice's Grand Canal on Saturday for a final night of partying, crowning a three-day star-studded wedding extravaganza. Bezos, 61, and Sanchez, 55, exchanged rings on Friday evening (Saturday AEST) on the small island of San Giorgio, across the water from Saint Mark's Square, accompanied by singing from Matteo Bocelli, son of Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli. Reuters
