Forget quiet luxury. The wedding of Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez screamed ‘money'
Bezos
wedding was a pyjama party. Two hundred guests, among them
Bill Gates
,
Leonardo DiCaprio
,
Ivanka Trump
, and
Tom Brady
disembarked in the Arsenale, a medieval shipping yard that hosts the Venice Biennale art fair.
Oprah Winfrey
is pictured in a silk brown co-ord with feathered sleeves, stepping from the yacht, fan aloft.
Kim Kardashian
interpreted the Dolce Notte
t
heme in a corset-inspired silk dress.
The photographs of diamonds and décolletage feel a little on the nose, as though the guests were actively cosplaying as their worst selves. Hell, Kris Jenner came dressed as Cruella De Vil. Forget quiet luxury, this is loud luxury – the kind that screams 'money' in a tone-deaf falsetto, the kind that feels particularly off in the era of fires, floods and imminent famine in Gaza. The celebrations were punctuated by protests calling for Jeff and Lauren's heads. The crowd carried banners with effigies of the couple. One sign featured a crown with a red X and the slogan 'No Kings'.
US model Kendall Jenner (left), US television personality Kris Jenner (centre) and Kylie Jenner leave the Gritti Palace Hotel for a party on the third day of the wedding. Photograph: AFP via Getty Images
Venice has always been a symbol of beauty and rot. One of the richest cities in the world during the Renaissance, its wealth came from mercantile capitalism – spice routes, silk trade, and a powerful navy that policed the Mediterranean. Meanwhile, the entire city was (and still is) built on wooden piles driven into a marshy lagoon. The buildings are rotting from below, sinking slowly into the sea. But Venice understands how to make decadence look divine, even as the water rises.
The last time the Arsenale got this much attention was in 2019. As part of the Venice Biennale, a giant rusted fishing boat was brought to shore. The vessel was the remnant of a tragedy in 2015, when almost 1,000 migrants perished while crossing from Libya to Lampedusa.
READ MORE
The boat was meant to remind viewers of the 4,000 migrants who lost their lives in the Mediterranean that year. Instead, it became a disaster spectacle for the über-rich clientele. The artist, Christoph Büchel, was heavily criticised for diminishing, if not exploiting, the refugee crisis. Viewers paused to take selfies next to the rusted hull. 'I imagine throngs of people – well-dressed, sipping spritzes – in front of a boat that, to me, is a coffin which held 700 people,' wrote Lorenzo Tondo at the time.
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US TV host Oprah Winfrey at the wedding of Bezos and Sanchez. Photograph: AFP via Getty Images
That same year, a crowded wharf gave way during a Biennale party, tipping dozens of guests into the canal as they waited to board a boat for the Prada event. The images of well-dressed patrons sliding into the murky water spawned unmasked glee and online schadenfreude. 'The dozen guests were reportedly warned not to overcrowd the jetty,' Artnews wrote. 'But their eagerness for free booze and hors d'oeuvres clearly took over.'
We've always had moments where wealth is out of step with the world, whether it's tone-deaf art exhibitions or the sinking of the Titanic.
But what it reminds me most of is the excesses of Marie Antoinette. At a moment when the average French citizen was crippled by taxes, the rich – like Bezos – paid none. Marie was instead having her hair styled into a replica of the French warship La Belle Poole. If Louis XVI's Austrian wife were alive today, she'd probably be the modern Lauren Sanchez, putting on 'busty displays' for the tabloids, going live from her Orangery to cascades of guillotine emojis.
Lauren Sanchez Bezos on the balcony of the Aman Hotel on day three of her wedding. Photograph: AFP via Getty Images
Everyday people buy crypto or hoard their pension stock, but the truly rich are building floating yachts in international waters and, like Bezos's Blue Horizon project, financing their intergalactic exit strategies. So why is it so easy to watch these ostentatious displays at a time when so many people elsewhere in the world are literally scrambling for space in the lifeboats?
The outrage isn't new, but maybe our reaction to it is. We're no longer shocked by wealth itself – only by the spectacle of loud luxury. We watch, judge, meme and move on faster than it takes Amazon to deliver a Prime-day package. A brilliant corset, a million dollar yacht, a group of wealthy people swimming in the canal – these are now cultural as opposed to political moments.
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How Jeff Bezos made peace with Donald Trump
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]
Instead of sparking a revolution, they become content. The content distracts us. We seethe over images of Bezos but the Amazon boxes keep landing on our doorsteps. 'No kings,' say the protest signs. But we don't abolish them. Instead, we follow them on Instagram.
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Irish Times
a day ago
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Róisín Ingle: What a gift to get married when your children are there to see it
It's almost a year since the wedding . I close my eyes and travel back there whenever I want to feel a tingle of pure joy. It's July 3rd, 2024. I'm with my mother who is going to walk me down the aisle. We've just got the lift up from the Temple Bar cobbles to Roberta's restaurant . We're bickering about when the wedding procession should start. Afterwards, friends seated near the entrance will tell me they heard us arguing and that it made them laugh. I hear the first strains of our entrance song, Matrimony by Waterford's Gilbert O'Sullivan. ( I've no wish to hurry you love, but have you seen the time. ) I tell my bridesmaids, four beautiful 15-year-olds born on the same day in Holles Street, which is another story entirely, to start walking. My twin daughters Joya and Priya and their birthday twins Maisy and Georgia, in pale pink slip dresses and variously coloured Adidas runners, stride into the restaurant and out of view. It won't be long now. I'm holding my mother's arm. ( I don't think the registrar will be very pleased, When we show up an hour late like two frozen peas. ) I'm wearing what is called a nontraditional wedding dress. More of us are choosing them I will discover later from an article in the Guardian, which will make me feel like a trendsetter. My wedding dress, designed by Anne O'Mahony, is a riot of shocking pink tulle, with shoulders so pronounced they need their own postcode. On my feet I am wearing pink cowboy boots. On my head, which is shaved, there is a wig. I planned this whole wedding in a few months, having proposed to Jonny the previous Leap Day , while going through chemotherapy and the most intense, transformative, challenging time of my life. I have Stage 4 breast cancer . The breast cancer has spread to my bones. These are facts. Also a fact: I am nearly delirious with happiness and anticipation as I clutch tightly to my mother and we burst into the room. [ Róisín Ingle: It was love at first riot. Twenty years later the fire still burns Opens in new window ] It's a blur the next part, friends and family on their feet on either side of us, reaching their hands out, smiling, laughing, clapping, cheering, crying. There is a lot of crying. The chemotherapy laid waste to my eyelashes and now I hope the tears don't wash away the fake ones the make up artist applied. It takes a while to get to him but I can see Jonny up ahead in his new suit from Arnotts, and our solemniser Priyangee in her red dress. ( Very shortly now, there's going to be an answer from you, then one from me, that's matrimony. ) This is not my first rodeo. I was married before in the 1990s but, after 24 years together and with everything we've lived through recently, this wedding is on another level, no harm to the first one. READ MORE I reach Jonny, we hug and he nearly gets swallowed up by all the pink tulle. Gilbert sings a final 'Ole!' and Priyanka does her thing. Patsy McGarry , of this parish, who was there the day Jonny and I met in the middle in Portadown at the height of the Drumcree protests, tells the story of how he almost prevented our union. He was 'the fool on the hill' and ours was 'love at first riot'. He conjures up that troubled time, the shootings, the murders, the bombs, and I worry that it might be a bit much for my Protestant in-laws down from the North but I watch them and they're as entranced by the tale as everyone else. The poster on the wall in front of us is from the Derry Girls episode where the girls go on an outdoor pursuits weekend with boys from a Protestant school: 'Friends Across the Barricade.' In another part of the room, I've put up a version of the 'Differences between Protestants and Catholics' blackboard from that episode. 'Catholic gravy is all Bisto, Protestants keep toasters in cupboards.' I want all of our stereotypes celebrated. After Patsy's speech, there's a poem called The Good Bits by our friend Jan Brierton and we say our vows. While Jonny and I make realistic promises to each other, our daughter Priya sings Songbird by Fleetwood Mac. ( And the songbirds are singing, like they know the score. And I love you, I love you, I love you, Like never before. ) We're doing the vows and watching our daughter and suddenly she's overwhelmed by the occasion, bursting into happy tears. What a gift to get married when your children are there to see it happening. [ I thought Paul McCartney had sent me a gift after my cancer diagnosis Opens in new window ] The Beatles dance us back down the aisle because love is all you need. There are endless chats and canapés and elderflower fizz and Champagne. Paul Howard is the MC for the speeches and it's like the best stand-up show you've ever experienced. The food is incredible. The staff at Roberta's are the kindest. After dinner, Alan Betson who is doing the photos as a wedding present, takes Jonny and me outside, where the sun is shining, across the cobbles to Love Lane. Later there are musical interludes, our friends and children forming a wedding band to sing our favourite songs. Our daughters sing Best Day by Taylor Swift. And Jonny, as shy as I am bolshie, surprises everyone by singing Grow Old With You from the movie Wedding Singer. This will be our 25th summer together. None of us know how many more summers we have left. So sometimes I transport myself back to that time, a year ago tomorrow. To Love Lane. And pure joy.
The Irish Sun
2 days ago
- The Irish Sun
90s pop star, now 51, swaps modest style for racy black lace lingerie as fans say she looks ‘half her age'
A POP star from the 1990s has swapped her previously modest style for a racy new look. Hitmaker Jewel, who is now 51, has stunned in some racy black lace lingerie as fans say she looks 'half her age'. 6 The 90s pop superstar has shown off her slender frame in a very revealing look Credit: Instagram 6 Jewel showed off her ageless beauty in the stunning outfit Credit: Instagram 6 She donned lace lingerie at a party celebrating the wedding of Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez Credit: Instagram 6 Jewel had a previously modest look and style Credit: Getty Jewel Kilcher, who is known professionally as Jewel, has sold over 30 million albums worldwide. The singer, who is "picky" when it comes to men, split from her husband Ty Murray in 2014. Over the weekend, she headed to the wedding of the century in Italy between Jeff Bezos and Attending one of the parties to celebrate the couple's nuptials, Jewel donned some lace lingerie as she posed up a storm. She could be seen showing off her slender frame in some silk shorts with a black lace corset top. " What a wonderful three days celebrating love in the most poetic city … wearing my favorite @dolcegabbana," she penned in the caption of the series of snaps. Jewel wore her auburn hair down and in a bouncy blowout, with her makeup kept natural, soft and glamorous. She wore some stockings with the attire, a pair of heels, and a black and white robe-style jacket over the top. Most read in Celebrity Fans were quick to swoon over the starlet's sexy display. "You look amazing," said one. Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez say I DO in front of A-list guests in wedding of the century "Holy smokes Jewel… you are smokin hot," penned another. "Stop it! You're teasing the heck out of us," demanded a third. "Wow, you really are a jewel, with enduring beauty," swooned a fourth. A fifth then gushed: "Looking more and more gorgeous. Idk how you do it. So youthful!!! Been a fan of yours since the beginning! I think you're amazing!" Jeff Bezos – who is he? Here's what you need to know... Jeffrey Preston Bezos, better known as Jeff Bezos, is an American tech billionaire He made his fortune by founding online retail giant Amazon Bezos became the first centi-billionaire according to the Forbes wealth index And he was named the 'richest man in history' when his net worth grew to $150 billion in the summer of 2018 Bezos was born in Albuquerque, New Mexico and then raised in Houston, Texas He graduated in 1986 with a degree in electrical engineering and computer science from Princeton University Bezos went on to work on Wall Street until 1994, before founding Amazon Amazon began as an online bookstore but has since become a global tech giant in retail, streaming, cloud computing and gadgets And the billionaire also runs spaceflight firm Blue Origin, which has been operating since 2000 Estimates in 2024 put his net worth at $196billion Bezos' personal life came under scrutiny in 2019 after he and his wife of 25 years, MacKenzie, announced their decision to divorce The divorce was finalised on April 4, 2019 Bezos is now dating Lauren Sánchez, a media personality, entertainment reporter, and news anchor On July 5, 2021, Bezos took up the role of executive chairman at Amazon, stepping down from his former position as CEO and president "You look stunning and I think you're aging backwards," added a sixth. "Jewel…..you just keep getting better with age," declared a seventh. The Utah-born singer is known for her hits such as Who Will Save Your Soul, You Were Meant For Me, and Foolish Games. She performed You Were Meant For Me last April when she made a surprise appearance at Read more on the Irish Sun Stepping out on stage with hitmaker Olivia on April 9 at her Gits World Tour, Jewel surprised the crowd. She joined Olivia to perform You Were Meant for Me at her fourth show at Madison Square Garden. 6 Jewel was in her 20s when she found major success Credit: Reuters 6 Jewel was seen beaming in one of the snaps as she grinned widely Credit: Instagram
Irish Times
2 days ago
- Irish Times
Forget quiet luxury. The wedding of Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez screamed ‘money'
The grand finale of the Bezos wedding was a pyjama party. Two hundred guests, among them Bill Gates , Leonardo DiCaprio , Ivanka Trump , and Tom Brady disembarked in the Arsenale, a medieval shipping yard that hosts the Venice Biennale art fair. Oprah Winfrey is pictured in a silk brown co-ord with feathered sleeves, stepping from the yacht, fan aloft. Kim Kardashian interpreted the Dolce Notte t heme in a corset-inspired silk dress. The photographs of diamonds and décolletage feel a little on the nose, as though the guests were actively cosplaying as their worst selves. Hell, Kris Jenner came dressed as Cruella De Vil. Forget quiet luxury, this is loud luxury – the kind that screams 'money' in a tone-deaf falsetto, the kind that feels particularly off in the era of fires, floods and imminent famine in Gaza. The celebrations were punctuated by protests calling for Jeff and Lauren's heads. The crowd carried banners with effigies of the couple. One sign featured a crown with a red X and the slogan 'No Kings'. US model Kendall Jenner (left), US television personality Kris Jenner (centre) and Kylie Jenner leave the Gritti Palace Hotel for a party on the third day of the wedding. Photograph: AFP via Getty Images Venice has always been a symbol of beauty and rot. One of the richest cities in the world during the Renaissance, its wealth came from mercantile capitalism – spice routes, silk trade, and a powerful navy that policed the Mediterranean. Meanwhile, the entire city was (and still is) built on wooden piles driven into a marshy lagoon. The buildings are rotting from below, sinking slowly into the sea. But Venice understands how to make decadence look divine, even as the water rises. The last time the Arsenale got this much attention was in 2019. As part of the Venice Biennale, a giant rusted fishing boat was brought to shore. The vessel was the remnant of a tragedy in 2015, when almost 1,000 migrants perished while crossing from Libya to Lampedusa. READ MORE The boat was meant to remind viewers of the 4,000 migrants who lost their lives in the Mediterranean that year. Instead, it became a disaster spectacle for the über-rich clientele. The artist, Christoph Büchel, was heavily criticised for diminishing, if not exploiting, the refugee crisis. Viewers paused to take selfies next to the rusted hull. 'I imagine throngs of people – well-dressed, sipping spritzes – in front of a boat that, to me, is a coffin which held 700 people,' wrote Lorenzo Tondo at the time. [ Jeff Bezos has made a sacrificial offering of the Washington Post. A once-great newspaper is dying in darkness Opens in new window ] US TV host Oprah Winfrey at the wedding of Bezos and Sanchez. Photograph: AFP via Getty Images That same year, a crowded wharf gave way during a Biennale party, tipping dozens of guests into the canal as they waited to board a boat for the Prada event. The images of well-dressed patrons sliding into the murky water spawned unmasked glee and online schadenfreude. 'The dozen guests were reportedly warned not to overcrowd the jetty,' Artnews wrote. 'But their eagerness for free booze and hors d'oeuvres clearly took over.' We've always had moments where wealth is out of step with the world, whether it's tone-deaf art exhibitions or the sinking of the Titanic. But what it reminds me most of is the excesses of Marie Antoinette. At a moment when the average French citizen was crippled by taxes, the rich – like Bezos – paid none. Marie was instead having her hair styled into a replica of the French warship La Belle Poole. If Louis XVI's Austrian wife were alive today, she'd probably be the modern Lauren Sanchez, putting on 'busty displays' for the tabloids, going live from her Orangery to cascades of guillotine emojis. Lauren Sanchez Bezos on the balcony of the Aman Hotel on day three of her wedding. Photograph: AFP via Getty Images Everyday people buy crypto or hoard their pension stock, but the truly rich are building floating yachts in international waters and, like Bezos's Blue Horizon project, financing their intergalactic exit strategies. So why is it so easy to watch these ostentatious displays at a time when so many people elsewhere in the world are literally scrambling for space in the lifeboats? The outrage isn't new, but maybe our reaction to it is. We're no longer shocked by wealth itself – only by the spectacle of loud luxury. We watch, judge, meme and move on faster than it takes Amazon to deliver a Prime-day package. A brilliant corset, a million dollar yacht, a group of wealthy people swimming in the canal – these are now cultural as opposed to political moments. [ How Jeff Bezos made peace with Donald Trump Opens in new window ] Instead of sparking a revolution, they become content. The content distracts us. We seethe over images of Bezos but the Amazon boxes keep landing on our doorsteps. 'No kings,' say the protest signs. But we don't abolish them. Instead, we follow them on Instagram.
