Ellie Goulding shows off her incredible figure in a skintight sequin burgundy dress as she joins A-listers at Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez's $20M Venice wedding

Daily Mail​

4 hours ago

Ellie Goulding turned heads in a figure-hugging gown as she arrived at Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez 's lavish wedding in Venice on Friday.
The singer, 28, showed off her incredible figure a skin-tight gown covered in burgundy sequins with a plunging neckline.
The Lights hitmaker carried a matching plum-coloured clutch bag and folded red fan amid the balmy temperatures and accessorised with several silver rings.
She was all smiles as she waved at the crowds while travelling to the luxury $20million festivities, which was also attended by the likes of the Kardashians and Leonardo DiCaprio.
Ellie's appearance at the wedding came as a slight surprise to fans, as no connection between her and the bride and groom has been made publicly known.
The pop star did not previously make an appearance at the bachelorette party of Lauren, 55, and wasn't thought to be friends with either the journalist-turned-philanthropist nor Jeff, 61.
Jeff and Lauren tied the knot in a ceremony on the island of San Giorgio Maggiore in Venice on Friday afternoon.
Described as the 'wedding of the century,' the Amazon founder and former journalist exchanged vows in front of almost 200 VIP guests.
Following the ultra-exclusive ceremony, the billionaire couple threw a star-studded reception attended by high-profile guests, including the Kardashian sisters, Oprah Winfrey, Ivanka Trump, Usher, and Orlando Bloom.
The extravagant affair - reportedly costing $20million and drawing ire from locals - was capped off with an eyebrow-raising gift from the bride.
While Jeff chose stylish ViBi Venezia blue velvet slippers for the gentleman guests, Lauren gave the ladies black open-toe slippers from Amazon - seizing the opportunity to promote her billionaire husband's e-commerce empire.
Festivities for the Bezos wedding began on Thursday night – the first of three days of lavish parties in the Floating City as guests will once again celebrate on Saturday night.
But ahead of the star-studded nuptials, sourcesed reveal that the couple are already married.
A closely connected source said: 'They have been married for at least a month, more than a month.
The 'Lights' hitmaker was all smiles as she waved at the crowd as she posed with Brooks Nadar (right) and Sarah Jane
Ellie's appearance at the wedding came as a slight surprise to fans, as no connection between her and the bride and groom has been made publicly known
Described as the 'wedding of the century,' the Amazon founder and former journalist exchanged vows in front of almost 200 VIP guests on San Giorgio Maggiore island on Friday
'The marriage is fully legal and took place in America under American law.'
'When they were planning the wedding, they were clear about the fact that they were already secretly married,' they added.
'There is no application for a wedding licence from the couple because it was not required.'
The source continued: '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.
Celebrities, politicians and business titans gathered in the city for the wedding amid local protests.
Among them were some of the world's most eligible bachelors, including Orlando Bloom, freshly split from fiancée Katy Perry; divorced sporting superstar Tom, and divorced talent agent and billionaire music executive Scooter Braun.
Former US President Barack Obama was among guests – he and Bezos have been on warm terms for years, and Bezos donated $100 million (£72 million) to the Obama Foundation in 2021.
Others attending included 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 attended along with husband Jared Kushner, but the President himself – reportedly invited – will not come to Venice.
Both Jeff and Lauren were there for Trump's inauguration earlier this year and he 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 had also been seen, as were fashion duo Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana.
However, things have not gone smoothly, following huge protest from locals and environmental groups over the nuptials, with one gigantic banner in St. Mark's Square reading: 'If you can rent Venice for your wedding, you can pay more tax.'
Greenpeace and the UK-based collective Everyone Hates Elon have joined the protests attempting to disrupt, or even prevent, the planned wedding celebrations.
'Jeff Bezos is the second-richest man in the world yet is reported to pay a 1.1 percent true tax rate,' the two groups said in a joint statement.
'The multi-million-dollar wedding is reportedly happening over three days, with the wedding ring alone worth as much as $5million.'
A spokesperson from Everyone Hates Elon said: 'As governments talk about hard choices and struggle to fund public services, Jeff Bezos can afford to shut down half a city for days on end just to get married.'
As a result of the public hostility to their descent on Venice, plans were ripped up and remade over the past week.
The bride and groom 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.