Jeff Bezos weds Lauren Sanchez in grand Venice ceremony

The Advertiser

12 hours ago

Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and journalist Lauren Sanchez have married in a lavish Venice wedding, after multiple days of star-studded nuptial events.
Sánchez, 55, posted to Instagram a photo of herself beaming in a white gown as she stood alongside a tuxedo-clad Bezos, the world's fourth-richest man.
The bride wore a classic mermaid-line gown, featuring Dolce & Gabbana's signature Italian lace. A traditional tulle-and-lace veil completed her look.
"Not just a gown, a piece of poetry," she wrote on Instagram, where her name now appears as Lauren Sánchez Bezos.
Friday night's ceremony had no legal status under Italian law, a senior city hall official told Reuters, suggesting the couple may have already legally wed in the United States, avoiding the bureaucracy associated with an Italian marriage.
The festivities, estimated to cost about $US50 million ($A77 million), culminate on Saturday with a party in a former medieval shipyard where media outlets say Lady Gaga and Elton John are set to perform.
Bill Gates, Leonardo DiCaprio, Orlando Bloom, Tom Brady, the queen of Jordan, Oprah Winfrey, Kris Jenner and Kim and Khloe Kardashian as well as Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner and Domenico Dolce from Dolce & Gabbana are among the 200-250 guests.
Amid tight security, there have been glimpses of the celebrities moving around town, the women in summer dresses and high heels stepping somewhat gingerly off boats ferrying them around the city's canals.
Celebrations began on Thursday evening in the cloisters of Madonna dell'Orto, a medieval church in the central district of Cannaregio that hosts masterpieces by 16th-century painter Tintoretto.
"This magical place has gifted us unforgettable memories," the bride and groom said on their wedding invitation, in which they asked for "no gifts" and pledged charity donations for three Venetian institutions.
Their donations are worth three million euros ($A5.4 million).
Businesses have welcomed the glitz and glamour but it is opposed by a local protest movement whose members resent what they see as Venice being gift-wrapped for ultra-rich outsiders.
Bezos, 61, is No.4 on Forbes' global billionaires list.
Giulia Cacopardo, a 28-year-old representative of the "No Space for Bezos" movement, complained that the needs of ordinary people were being neglected in a city that is a tourist magnet and fast depopulating largely due to the soaring cost of living.
Venice's city centre has less than 50,000 residents, compared to almost 100,000 in the late 1970s.
"When you empty a city of its inhabitants, you can turn it into a stage for big events," Cacopardo told Reuters.
"(But) the money that Bezos spends on this wedding does not end up in the pockets of Venetians. The owners of luxury hotels are not Venetians."
Cacopardo was one of 30-40 activists who staged a protest in St Mark's Square on Thursday, chanting, "We are the 99 per cent" as a masked couple posed as bride and groom and one man climbed a pole to unfurl a banner reading "The one per cent ruins the world".
Police intervened, forcibly removing the protesters.
The anti-Bezos front is planning a march on Saturday, and their activities have already led authorities to step up security and move the location of the closing party to a more secluded part of Venice, the Arsenale former shipyard.
Charlotte Perkins, an Australian tourist, said she could understand the locals' resentment at their city being treated as a celebrity playground.
"I'd probably feel the same if I lived here," she said.
But politicians, hoteliers and some other Venice residents are happy about the wedding, saying such events do more to support the local economy than the multitudes of day-trippers who normally overrun the city.
"We are happy and honoured to welcome Jeff Bezos and his consort Lauren Sanchez," mayor Luigi Brugnaro said.
Bezos, Amazon's executive chair, got engaged to Sanchez in 2023, four years after the collapse of his 25-year marriage to MacKenzie Scott.
with AP
Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and journalist Lauren Sanchez have married in a lavish Venice wedding, after multiple days of star-studded nuptial events.
Sánchez, 55, posted to Instagram a photo of herself beaming in a white gown as she stood alongside a tuxedo-clad Bezos, the world's fourth-richest man.
The bride wore a classic mermaid-line gown, featuring Dolce & Gabbana's signature Italian lace. A traditional tulle-and-lace veil completed her look.
"Not just a gown, a piece of poetry," she wrote on Instagram, where her name now appears as Lauren Sánchez Bezos.
Friday night's ceremony had no legal status under Italian law, a senior city hall official told Reuters, suggesting the couple may have already legally wed in the United States, avoiding the bureaucracy associated with an Italian marriage.
The festivities, estimated to cost about $US50 million ($A77 million), culminate on Saturday with a party in a former medieval shipyard where media outlets say Lady Gaga and Elton John are set to perform.
Bill Gates, Leonardo DiCaprio, Orlando Bloom, Tom Brady, the queen of Jordan, Oprah Winfrey, Kris Jenner and Kim and Khloe Kardashian as well as Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner and Domenico Dolce from Dolce & Gabbana are among the 200-250 guests.
Amid tight security, there have been glimpses of the celebrities moving around town, the women in summer dresses and high heels stepping somewhat gingerly off boats ferrying them around the city's canals.
Celebrations began on Thursday evening in the cloisters of Madonna dell'Orto, a medieval church in the central district of Cannaregio that hosts masterpieces by 16th-century painter Tintoretto.
"This magical place has gifted us unforgettable memories," the bride and groom said on their wedding invitation, in which they asked for "no gifts" and pledged charity donations for three Venetian institutions.
Their donations are worth three million euros ($A5.4 million).
Businesses have welcomed the glitz and glamour but it is opposed by a local protest movement whose members resent what they see as Venice being gift-wrapped for ultra-rich outsiders.
Bezos, 61, is No.4 on Forbes' global billionaires list.
Giulia Cacopardo, a 28-year-old representative of the "No Space for Bezos" movement, complained that the needs of ordinary people were being neglected in a city that is a tourist magnet and fast depopulating largely due to the soaring cost of living.
Venice's city centre has less than 50,000 residents, compared to almost 100,000 in the late 1970s.
"When you empty a city of its inhabitants, you can turn it into a stage for big events," Cacopardo told Reuters.
"(But) the money that Bezos spends on this wedding does not end up in the pockets of Venetians. The owners of luxury hotels are not Venetians."
Cacopardo was one of 30-40 activists who staged a protest in St Mark's Square on Thursday, chanting, "We are the 99 per cent" as a masked couple posed as bride and groom and one man climbed a pole to unfurl a banner reading "The one per cent ruins the world".
Police intervened, forcibly removing the protesters.
The anti-Bezos front is planning a march on Saturday, and their activities have already led authorities to step up security and move the location of the closing party to a more secluded part of Venice, the Arsenale former shipyard.
Charlotte Perkins, an Australian tourist, said she could understand the locals' resentment at their city being treated as a celebrity playground.
"I'd probably feel the same if I lived here," she said.
But politicians, hoteliers and some other Venice residents are happy about the wedding, saying such events do more to support the local economy than the multitudes of day-trippers who normally overrun the city.
"We are happy and honoured to welcome Jeff Bezos and his consort Lauren Sanchez," mayor Luigi Brugnaro said.
Bezos, Amazon's executive chair, got engaged to Sanchez in 2023, four years after the collapse of his 25-year marriage to MacKenzie Scott.
with AP
Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and journalist Lauren Sanchez have married in a lavish Venice wedding, after multiple days of star-studded nuptial events.
Sánchez, 55, posted to Instagram a photo of herself beaming in a white gown as she stood alongside a tuxedo-clad Bezos, the world's fourth-richest man.
The bride wore a classic mermaid-line gown, featuring Dolce & Gabbana's signature Italian lace. A traditional tulle-and-lace veil completed her look.
"Not just a gown, a piece of poetry," she wrote on Instagram, where her name now appears as Lauren Sánchez Bezos.
Friday night's ceremony had no legal status under Italian law, a senior city hall official told Reuters, suggesting the couple may have already legally wed in the United States, avoiding the bureaucracy associated with an Italian marriage.
The festivities, estimated to cost about $US50 million ($A77 million), culminate on Saturday with a party in a former medieval shipyard where media outlets say Lady Gaga and Elton John are set to perform.
Bill Gates, Leonardo DiCaprio, Orlando Bloom, Tom Brady, the queen of Jordan, Oprah Winfrey, Kris Jenner and Kim and Khloe Kardashian as well as Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner and Domenico Dolce from Dolce & Gabbana are among the 200-250 guests.
Amid tight security, there have been glimpses of the celebrities moving around town, the women in summer dresses and high heels stepping somewhat gingerly off boats ferrying them around the city's canals.
Celebrations began on Thursday evening in the cloisters of Madonna dell'Orto, a medieval church in the central district of Cannaregio that hosts masterpieces by 16th-century painter Tintoretto.
"This magical place has gifted us unforgettable memories," the bride and groom said on their wedding invitation, in which they asked for "no gifts" and pledged charity donations for three Venetian institutions.
Their donations are worth three million euros ($A5.4 million).
Businesses have welcomed the glitz and glamour but it is opposed by a local protest movement whose members resent what they see as Venice being gift-wrapped for ultra-rich outsiders.
Bezos, 61, is No.4 on Forbes' global billionaires list.
Giulia Cacopardo, a 28-year-old representative of the "No Space for Bezos" movement, complained that the needs of ordinary people were being neglected in a city that is a tourist magnet and fast depopulating largely due to the soaring cost of living.
Venice's city centre has less than 50,000 residents, compared to almost 100,000 in the late 1970s.
"When you empty a city of its inhabitants, you can turn it into a stage for big events," Cacopardo told Reuters.
"(But) the money that Bezos spends on this wedding does not end up in the pockets of Venetians. The owners of luxury hotels are not Venetians."
Cacopardo was one of 30-40 activists who staged a protest in St Mark's Square on Thursday, chanting, "We are the 99 per cent" as a masked couple posed as bride and groom and one man climbed a pole to unfurl a banner reading "The one per cent ruins the world".
Police intervened, forcibly removing the protesters.
The anti-Bezos front is planning a march on Saturday, and their activities have already led authorities to step up security and move the location of the closing party to a more secluded part of Venice, the Arsenale former shipyard.
Charlotte Perkins, an Australian tourist, said she could understand the locals' resentment at their city being treated as a celebrity playground.
"I'd probably feel the same if I lived here," she said.
But politicians, hoteliers and some other Venice residents are happy about the wedding, saying such events do more to support the local economy than the multitudes of day-trippers who normally overrun the city.
"We are happy and honoured to welcome Jeff Bezos and his consort Lauren Sanchez," mayor Luigi Brugnaro said.
Bezos, Amazon's executive chair, got engaged to Sanchez in 2023, four years after the collapse of his 25-year marriage to MacKenzie Scott.
with AP
Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and journalist Lauren Sanchez have married in a lavish Venice wedding, after multiple days of star-studded nuptial events.
Sánchez, 55, posted to Instagram a photo of herself beaming in a white gown as she stood alongside a tuxedo-clad Bezos, the world's fourth-richest man.
The bride wore a classic mermaid-line gown, featuring Dolce & Gabbana's signature Italian lace. A traditional tulle-and-lace veil completed her look.
"Not just a gown, a piece of poetry," she wrote on Instagram, where her name now appears as Lauren Sánchez Bezos.
Friday night's ceremony had no legal status under Italian law, a senior city hall official told Reuters, suggesting the couple may have already legally wed in the United States, avoiding the bureaucracy associated with an Italian marriage.
The festivities, estimated to cost about $US50 million ($A77 million), culminate on Saturday with a party in a former medieval shipyard where media outlets say Lady Gaga and Elton John are set to perform.
Bill Gates, Leonardo DiCaprio, Orlando Bloom, Tom Brady, the queen of Jordan, Oprah Winfrey, Kris Jenner and Kim and Khloe Kardashian as well as Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner and Domenico Dolce from Dolce & Gabbana are among the 200-250 guests.
Amid tight security, there have been glimpses of the celebrities moving around town, the women in summer dresses and high heels stepping somewhat gingerly off boats ferrying them around the city's canals.
Celebrations began on Thursday evening in the cloisters of Madonna dell'Orto, a medieval church in the central district of Cannaregio that hosts masterpieces by 16th-century painter Tintoretto.
"This magical place has gifted us unforgettable memories," the bride and groom said on their wedding invitation, in which they asked for "no gifts" and pledged charity donations for three Venetian institutions.
Their donations are worth three million euros ($A5.4 million).
Businesses have welcomed the glitz and glamour but it is opposed by a local protest movement whose members resent what they see as Venice being gift-wrapped for ultra-rich outsiders.
Bezos, 61, is No.4 on Forbes' global billionaires list.
Giulia Cacopardo, a 28-year-old representative of the "No Space for Bezos" movement, complained that the needs of ordinary people were being neglected in a city that is a tourist magnet and fast depopulating largely due to the soaring cost of living.
Venice's city centre has less than 50,000 residents, compared to almost 100,000 in the late 1970s.
"When you empty a city of its inhabitants, you can turn it into a stage for big events," Cacopardo told Reuters.
"(But) the money that Bezos spends on this wedding does not end up in the pockets of Venetians. The owners of luxury hotels are not Venetians."
Cacopardo was one of 30-40 activists who staged a protest in St Mark's Square on Thursday, chanting, "We are the 99 per cent" as a masked couple posed as bride and groom and one man climbed a pole to unfurl a banner reading "The one per cent ruins the world".
Police intervened, forcibly removing the protesters.
The anti-Bezos front is planning a march on Saturday, and their activities have already led authorities to step up security and move the location of the closing party to a more secluded part of Venice, the Arsenale former shipyard.
Charlotte Perkins, an Australian tourist, said she could understand the locals' resentment at their city being treated as a celebrity playground.
"I'd probably feel the same if I lived here," she said.
But politicians, hoteliers and some other Venice residents are happy about the wedding, saying such events do more to support the local economy than the multitudes of day-trippers who normally overrun the city.
"We are happy and honoured to welcome Jeff Bezos and his consort Lauren Sanchez," mayor Luigi Brugnaro said.
Bezos, Amazon's executive chair, got engaged to Sanchez in 2023, four years after the collapse of his 25-year marriage to MacKenzie Scott.
with AP