Jeff Bezos needed a Tequila fix—Venture capitalist Chamath Palihapitiya sent a plane FULL of it to Venice
'I sent my plane with a case of our tequila to Venice as a wedding present,' Palihapitiya wrote. The brand, newly launched June 21 in Los Angeles, retails for $1,200 per bottle and features bottles shaped like poker chips. The limited edition sold out within hours.
Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez capped a star-studded, three-day wedding celebration in Venice that drew global headlines—not only for its celebrity guest list but also for sparking protests over wealth and environmental concerns.
Jeff Bezos, 61, world's fourth-richest man, married former news anchor Lauren Sanchez, 55, in a private ceremony on Friday (June 27) inside a 16th-century basilica on the island of San Giorgio Maggiore. The festivities began on Thursday with a welcome event at Madonna dell'Orto, continued with Friday's formal vows, and concluded on Saturday night with a dance party headlined by Usher.
About 200 VIP guests attended, including Oprah Winfrey, Leonardo DiCaprio, Kim Kardashian, Orlando Bloom, Bill Gates, Tom Brady, Ivanka Trump, and the Kardashian-Jenner family.
While celebrities gathered for the opulent celebration, hundreds of Venetians and activists marched through the city's narrow streets carrying banners reading 'Kisses Yes, Bezos No' and 'No Bezos, No War.'
Protesters condemned the wedding as a symbol of the deepening divide between the wealthy elite and ordinary residents grappling with skyrocketing housing costs, overtourism, and the threat of climate-driven flooding.
Organisers claimed a partial victory when security concerns prompted a last-minute change of venue for the final party—from central Venice to the medieval Arsenale shipyard.
Bezos donated €1 million ($1.17 million) each to three environmental research organisations working to protect Venice's fragile lagoon. The Venetian association Corila confirmed the donations. However, protesters dismissed the gesture as an attempt to 'appease angry residents.'
Bezos and Sanchez confirmed their engagement in May 2023, several years after going public with their relationship. Their wedding capped a whirlwind romance sealed in one of Europe's most iconic cities, amid both lavish celebration and criticism.
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