The A-list wedding of the year begins! Billionaire Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez prepare to exchange vows as they are joined by star-studded guest list at lavish $20million celebration in Venice

Daily Mail​

6 hours ago

The most lavish celebrity wedding for a generation has begun with stars arriving to see Lauren Sanchez marry Jeff Bezos at a ceremony and reception set to cost the Amazon billionaire upwards of $20million.
Royals, statesmen and Hollywood glitterati have gathered together in Venice for the Bezos-Sanchez nuptials as one of the world's great cities of love plays host to an event like no other.
Lauren looked stunning as she was whisked by speedboat to San Giorgio Maggiore, which overlooks a Venice lagoon, to walk down the aisle in front of 200 VIP guests.
She wore a classic white suit and headscarf to land on the island where she changed into her handmade, one of a kind Dolce & Gabbana gown.
Amid local protests, the globe's richest and most powerful people have descended on La Serenissima, the Most Serene Republic of Venice, to pay homage to the Amazon billionaire and his blushing 55-year-old bride.
Bezos and Sanchez will now say their vows in the restored amphitheatre on the island while Matteo Bocelli, the son of tenor Andrea, sings.
Although one slight wrinkle is that impeccable sources revealed to the Mail's Alison Boshoff last night that the Amazon founder and journalist-turned-philanthropist Lauren Sanchez are already married with a pre-nuptial agreement to protect his $244billion (£177billion) fortune signed and sealed.
But whether they knew already or not, the world's most rich and powerful were not going to miss the nuptials of a lifetime.
After the couple walk down the aisle, a budget of 1,000 Euros a head has been set for the wedding breakfast and according to local reports it will include the local Venetian delicacy of cuttlefish stew washed down with fine wines.
It is thought that singer-songwriter Usher, who also arrived yesterday, may be performing. Reports that Sir Elton John and Lady Gaga will sing have been denied by representatives for both.
But the aspirational couple's wedding celebrations, pencilled in to last three days with the wedding ceremony ongoing and 'grand ball' on Saturday night, have already been branded 'more Vegas than Versailles'.
Five of the city's most luxurious hotels have been booked out to host an estimated 250 influential guests. Make up tycoon Kylie Jenner needed a separate water taxi to carry her 25 pieces of monogrammed luggage to her Venetian home for the weekend.
Some of the world's most eligible bachelors are in Venice for the wedding – Orlando Bloom, freshly split from fiancée Katy Perry.
Divorced sporting superstar Tom Brady, and divorced talent agent and billionaire music executive Scooter Braun, were on a lads' night out with him.
Former US President Barack Obama is among guests – he and Bezos have been on warm terms for years, and Bezos donated $100million (£72million) to the Obama Foundation in 2021.
The event has also attracted a near-quorum of Kardashians.
Matriarch Kris Jenner is close friends with Lauren Sanchez, while daughters Kim and Khloe were also in attendance.
Kylie Jenner, her daughter by Olympic athlete Caitlin, arrived at the Gritti Palace hotel on Thursday afternoon.
Others at today's ceremony include former chat show host Oprah Winfrey and her best friend, TV presenter and author Gayle King, who went on the much-mocked space 'flight' on Bezos Blue Origin rocket last month with Sanchez and an all-female team.
Donald Trump's daughter Ivanka is there along with husband Jared Kushner, but the President himself – reportedly invited – will not come to Venice.
Both Bezos and Sanchez were there for Trump's inauguration earlier this year and Bezos attracted much criticism when his Washington Post newspaper declined to endorse Democratic candidate Kamala Harris in the US election last year.
Queen Rania of Jordan has also been seen, as have fashion duo Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana.
Protests by disgruntled locals continue, and are planned for during the ceremony and throughout the wedding celebrations.
Sources says that Mayor Luigi Brugnaro has assured the couple that he can guarantee their safety in the middle of the city.
The Bezos wedding began on Thursday with the first of three days of parties in Venice.
A source closely connected to the organisation of the week's events said: 'They have been married for at least a month, more than a month.
'The marriage is fully legal and took place in America under American law.'
The source adds: 'When they were planning the wedding, they were clear about the fact that they were already secretly married.
'There is no application for a wedding licence from the couple because it was not required.
'Whatever happens at the wedding on Friday, it will not be a wedding. Under Italian law, it will not be a wedding celebration, any vows said or rings exchanged will have no legal meaning.'
The source added that Bezos had personally confirmed that he and Sanchez – who met when both were married to other people – are already legally married, and that they had also signed a pre-nuptial agreement to protect his $244 billion (£177 billion) fortune.
As the eyes of the world focused on the event, staff at the privately owned Madonna dell Orto cloisters - where the couple held their 'eve of' reception on Thursday night with finger food and pizza - erected tents to stop overflying drones from picturing the guests.
It's thought that the event included speeches from the bride to the groom and vice versa.
Policemen on jetskis meanwhile patrolled the entrance to the nearest canal.
The two three star hotels neighbouring the cloister were booked up to house the 150 staff who are working on the wedding.
The guests are staying rather more comfortably at the five star Aman, The Gritti Palace and the Cipriani.
The build-up has not gone smoothly, however. Plans were ripped up and remade over the past week as the bride and groom reeled from public hostility to their descent on Venice, and responded to global political turbulence following US airstrikes in Iran.
They have now left their $500 million (£363 million) yacht, the Koru, off the coast of Croatia, although it was initially intended to be moored in Venice.
The venues for the various celebrations have changed, too, with plans for Saturday's party now moved to Arsenale, the shipbuilding yards, which are easier to make secure.
'The feeling was that the protests started to die down on Monday, so this was possible,' said one.
Sydney Sweeney, 27, put on a very leggy display in a black mini dress with a plunging neckline, which she styled with a pair of pointed, buckled shoes hours before the wedding
The Bezos wedding began on Thursday with the first of three days of parties in Venice (pictured: Bezos and Sanchez yesterday afternoon)
The couple held their 'eve of' reception tonight with finger food and pizza (pictured heading to the event on Thursday with Sanchez sporting a new gigantic ring)
Forty people were held by police after Extinction Rebellion held a small protest in St Mark's Square on Thursday morning.
On Thursday lunchtime, the couple and a few of their guests enjoyed a private lunch in the gardens of the Villa Baslini on the tiny island of San Giovanni Evangelista.
The island offers perfect privacy and the couple were able to totally evade the army of paparazzo who have descended on Venice.
Meanwhile preparations also continued at the Arsenale – in warehouse 91 to be specific - which was the last-minute switch of venue for Saturday night's grand ball, from Scuola della Misericordia, after protesters said they would dive into the bordering canal.
One staff member said: 'I can tell you that [warehouse 91 is] a beautiful location. All the tables have a wonderful flower display, and they are putting up large chandeliers in the ceiling – it's going to have a Venetian masked ball theme is what I have heard but we've been told no photos, and we have to leave our phones with security.'
The celebrations began on Wednesday evening with a drinks reception in the ballroom of the stunning 16th century Aman hotel, in one of Venice's most venerable palazzos, which overlooks the Grand Canal.
Then the wedding guests including Bezos and Sanchez made their way to a private dinner party at the Palazzo Brandolini, hosted by Diane von Furstenberg.
Usher looked dapper in a white suit with a maroon striped top last night
Kim Kardashian pictured in a snake skin dress as she headed to the festivities on Thursday
Khloe Kardashian joined her, donning a silver and black gown that accentuated her stunning curves
Kendall Jenner (top) and Kylie Jenner leave their hotel
Gayle King and Oprah Winfrey were also there. Gayle was seen in a white and yellow dress while Oprah flaunted her figure in a maroon number that had cut-outs on the midriff area
The designer, 77, is close to the bride and groom to be, with her husband, the mogul Barry Diller, serving as a mentor and inspiration to Jeff Bezos for the past decade. Diller said in an interview that Bezos is a 'very dear, very loving friend' and has also been vocal in his admiration for Sanchez, a former local TV anchor and helicopter pilot.
The party was in Diane's Venetian home, which occupies the second floor of the spectacular 15th century palazzo, filled with mirrors, gilding and frescoes. The magazine Architectural Digest visited last year and described it as 'stupendous' – and they are not easily impressed.