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Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Lauren Sánchez Has an Audrey Hepburn Style Moment on Her Wedding Day
Lauren Sánchez was channeling old Hollywood glamour on the morning of her wedding day in Venice, on Friday. The soon-to-be wife of Jeff Bezos left the Aman Hotel, where she has been staying during her three-day wedding event, wearing an outfit reminiscent of Audrey Hepburn's signature style. Sánchez wore a fitted blazer with a structured silhouette, notched lapels and black button details. The jacket had a nipped waist that created an hourglass shape. She completed the look with a matching cream pencil skirt that hit around knee length. More from WWD Can High Heels Survive Venice's Cobblestone Streets? Here's What Shoes Guests at the Bezos-Sánchez Wedding Should Wear Emilia Wickstead's Latest Bridal Collection Cements Category Growth Jonathan Anderson on Building His Dior World, One Show at a Time For accessories, the bride opted for large sunglasses by Tom Ford and a silk headscarf, adding to the vintage appeal of her look. Sánchez started her wedding week on Wednesday, wearing a vintage Alexander McQueen dress from the brand's spring 2003 collection. She wore a black one-shoulder evening gown with a fitted, floor-length silhouette. The dress featured diagonal white beaded stripes that create a dynamic pattern across the entire garment. On Thursday, Sánchez joined her wedding guests at a welcome party, wearing a dress from Schiaparelli's spring 2025 couture collection, featuring a strapless design with a balconette-inspired neckline embroidered with greens and blues. Guests of the wedding have also delivered high fashion looks while in Venice. Kendall Jenner wore a minidress from Roberto Cavalli's spring 2001 ready-to-wear collection, while Kim Kardashian was seen in Balenciaga. Lauren Sánchez and Jeff Bezos are hosting a grand wedding celebration in Venice, Italy, spanning multiple days and attracting worldwide attention along with a celebrity-filled guest list. Among those attending the event are Leonardo DiCaprio, Kim Kardashian, Oprah Winfrey, Eva Longoria, Sydney Sweeney, Khloe Kardashian, Tom Brady and Ivanka Trump. View Gallery Launch Gallery: Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez's Wedding Photos: All the Celebrity Guests in Venice Best of WWD Lauren Sánchez's Fashion Evolution Through the Years: From Her Days as TV News Anchor to Today Labubu vs. 'Lafufu': How to Spot the Differences Between Real and Fake Bob Haircut Trend: Leslie Bibb, Halle Berry & More Looks [Photos]
The Guardian
6 hours ago
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Till Jeff us do part: divisive, star-studded Bezos wedding hits full swing in Venice
The Black Death. Byron on the prowl. Rising water levels. Cruise ships the size of city blocks. Venice may have endured many tumultuous events and sinister challenges over the centuries but rarely in its long history has it had to contend with an issue quite as odd and quite as divisive as the sort-of nuptials of the world's fourth-richest person. Friday morning found the lagoon city doing what it does best: looking gorgeous and slightly unreal as it played host to thousands of tourists who posed in silver-prowed gondolas, chugged mid-morning spritzes or simply wilted in the muggy heat. But across the water from St Mark's Square, Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez's big day was getting under way. The precise choreography of events may not have been clear, but an elaborately planned and stealthily executed operation was unfolding on the tiny island of San Giorgio Maggiore, where the couple would later pledge eternal love and fidelity before a crowd of 200 mainly famous guests. A handful of camera crews mooched around the entrance to the Giorgio Cini foundation, where a pair of tight-lipped but polite individuals sat before monitors under a gazebo and politely fended off requests for information. And no, they really didn't know when the ceremony would begin. According to reports, the couple had already tied the knot in the US, making Friday's event as symbolic as it was expensive. The long Venetian afternoon stirred from its torpor at 5pm when Sánchez emerged from the Aman hotel, wearing a cream suit, sunglasses and a headscarf. The bride then boarded a water taxi that ferried her past the legions of photographers and over to the island. The groom, dressed in black tie, followed an hour later. Despite the heavy media presence and the epic scale of the festivities, however, not everyone on San Giorgio Maggiore was fizzing with excitement. Hosing down the deck of his boat in the island's harbour, 100 metres away from the venue, one local man had offered a laconic and not untypical take on what has become known, a little tediously, as 'the wedding of the century'. What did he make of all the fuss? 'I'm not thinking about it at all,' he said. 'I don't care.' The wedding celebrations – which began in earnest on Thursday night and are due to culminate in a reception held at the Arsenale historic shipyard complex on Saturday – have split the city into three groups. There are those, such as the yachtsman, who simply don't care; there are those furious that Venice is prostrating itself before a man with an estimated net worth of $212bn (£154bn), and then those who, like the city's mayor, see the £40m extravaganza as a welcome money-spinner and a wonderful showcase for the area's attractions. Bezos and Sánchez's famous friends do not appear to have been put off by the controversy, and there have been imaginative protests over the past few days – including rumours of a reserve armada of canal-blocking inflatable crocodiles. Thursday night's welcome party in the cloisters of the Madonna dell'Orto, a 14th-century church in the Cannaregio area, was attended by celebrities including Leonardo DiCaprio, Oprah Winfrey, Kim Kardashian, Ivanka Trump, Tom Brady and Orlando Bloom. But it was followed by yet another resourceful display of disapproval. A little before 11pm, a green laser was used to spell out the slogan, 'No Kings, No Bezos', on the belltower in St Mark's Square. Similar guerrilla actions over recent days have included the unfurling of a banner reading: 'If you can rent Venice for your wedding you can pay more tax.' Those behind the protests – a coalition of groups angered by the selling-out of the city, housing activists and anti-cruise ship campaigners – say their punning 'No Space for Bezos' alliance has already paid off. They claim their sustained pressure, not least the threat to deploy the blow-up crocodile fleet, had prompted the couple to switch the location of the reception from the Scuola Grande della Misericordia, a majestic 16th-century building in the city centre, to the more private Arsenale. Others have a different take on the superyachts and the 90 private jets that have descended on Venice this week. The city's mayor, Luigi Brugnaro, has dismissed the protesters as 'shameful' and said the Bezos-Sánchez union will fill Venetian coffers. That view is shared by Italy's tourism minister, Daniela Santanchè. 'There will be photos everywhere, social media will go wild over the bride's dress, over the ceremony,' she told Associated Press. 'All of this translates into a massive free publicity campaign. In fact, because they will spend a lot of money, they will enrich Venice – our shopkeepers, artisans, restaurateurs, hotels. So it's a great opportunity both for spending and for promoting Italy in the world.' One man, however, had his very own reasons for wishing the Amazon founder all the best. Cagdas Halicilar, a 47-year-old German who runs a delivery truck company, has a sideline as a pretty convincing Bezos lookalike. He had travelled to Venice to greet and confound the crowds and was also hoping for a quick encounter with Bezos so that he could give him the €3,000 (£2,600) bottle of whiskey he had bought him as a wedding present. 'I realised the resemblance three years ago,' he said. 'My life has changed a lot since then. Wherever I go, people are like, 'Jeff! Jeff!'' He had come tantalisingly close to his doppelganger on Thursday night when a beautiful burgundy boat cruised past him. 'He saw me and I waved and he gave me a thumbs-up,' said Halicilar. 'I was so happy. I cried.' If the German delivery boss does finally get to meet Bezos, he has a simple message. 'I will just tell him that I'm proud to look like him. That's all. He's not arrogant and he has a big heart. He makes people smile and I'm a huge fan.' (He also hopes that if Bezos is reading this piece, his people can arrange a meeting to hand over the whiskey.) As the day wore on, the secret preparations continued and the vicious June sun beat down on tourists, guests and journalists, one visitor making her way around San Giorgio Maggiore shook her head. This was all proof, if further proof were needed, of the awesome power of the 21st-century super-rich. 'It's grotesque,' said the woman, who was from northern Spain. 'Two hundred and fifty guests and a bill of €50m? This is why I don't buy anything on Amazon.'
Times
9 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Times
Jeff Bezos wedding: guests watch on as vows exchanged
Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez Bezos have exchanged vows at their extravagant wedding ceremony, to the applause of their star-studded guests in Venice. The bride wore a long Dolce & Gabbana gown with button embellishments and lace sleeves inspired by the dress Sophia Loren wore in the 1958 film Houseboat. Guests had been welcomed to the Venetian island of San Giorgio Maggiore, where the ceremony took place, to the sound of Matteo Bocelli, the son of the Italian opera singer Andrea Bocelli, singing Elvis Presley's Can't Help Falling in Love. To applause from partygoers, a female singer followed up with gospel-tinged version of Steve Winwood's Higher Love and Candi Staton's You've Got the Love. Sánchez Bezos had earlier left the luxury Aman hotel on Venice's Grand Canal to head for the wedding wearing a headscarf and large sunglasses which again bore a striking resemblance to Loren. She was followed by Bezos who stepped into a motor launch in which champagne in an ice bucket had been placed minutes earlier by staff at the hotel. Earlier in the evening, the couple's guests, enjoying a drink in the garden of the St Regis hotel before heading to the weekend's main event, were joined by a falconer and a falcon to ward off seagulls, which are known to steal snacks in Venice. After Ivanka Trump and Queen Rania of Jordan left the hotel to head for the party, Leonardo DiCaprio was seen leaving the Gritti Palace hotel with a baseball cap pulled down over his face, prompting groans from photographers positioned on boats on the Grand Canal. Soon after the newlyweds exchanged vows, Vogue's front digital cover was released with Sánchez Bezos featured in her wedding dress. The Italian designer Domenico Dolce had been seen arriving at the Aman on Thursday afternoon, fueling speculation that the fashion duo Dolce & Gabbana had dressed Sánchez Bezos for the wedding. It later emerged that Sánchez Bezos had been dreaming up the wedding dress design with Dolce & Gabbana a year and a half ago. 'It went from, 'I want a simple, sexy modern dress' to 'I want something that evokes a moment, and where I am right now',' Sánchez Bezos told the magazine. 'It is a departure from what people expect… but it's very much me.' Her public Instagram was then left with only three posts remaining on her feed — a picture of Sánchez Bezos in her pre-wedding dress, a post from her bachelorette party and a quote reading: 'It's never too late to be what you might have been.' She also changed her Instagram name, adding the second surname 'Bezos'. Venice town hall officials have said the wedding will have no legal status under Italian law since a marriage application was not registered in the city, raising speculation the couple have previously married in a private ceremony in the US. Around 30 riot police with shields were stationed in the small, walled-off public section of the island in case protesters arrived to disrupt the wedding. • Gallery: the wedding in pictures Bezos arrived in Venice on Thursday night and lavished praise on the lagoon city that has been blighted by days of protest over his star-studded, three-day wedding party. 'We love Venice, look at this!' he told The Times, waving his arms around him as he sped down the Grand Canal in a water taxi beside his bride-to-be. 'It can't exist and yet here it is!' the Amazon tycoon added as he passed The Times's boat. ANTONIO CALANNI/AP Bezos, 61, and Sánchez Bezos, 55, a journalist, were on their way to the first party of their nuptials — an event dubbed 'Jeff in Venice' by locals. Throughout the day on Friday, A-list invitees were seen out and about in Venice. Khloé Kardashian and her mother, Kris Jenner, were spotted shopping in Chanel as Khloé celebrated her 41st birthday. Orlando Bloom, the actor, was seen sharing a water taxi with Tom Brady, the former NFL player, after eating breakfast on the terrace of the luxury Gritti Palace hotel — where earlier Oprah Winfrey and Gayle King, the CBS anchor, had been seen eating. Sydney Sweeney, the Euphoria actress, was also pictured roaming the streets of Venice hours before the wedding was due to begin. Other guests to have arrived on Thursday include Bill Gates, Kim Kardashian and the singer Usher. Tom Brady GUGLIELMO MANGIAPANE/REUTERS Ivanka Trump and her husband Jared Kushner LUIGI COSTANTINI/AP Before Bezos and Sánchez Bezos left the Aman Hotel on the Grand Canal for the Madonna dell'Orto cloister on Thursday — the location of the first party — two well-dressed women in a water taxi came alongside a boat containing photographers and handed over ice creams and cold water. 'From Jeff and Lauren,' said one of the women. The following day, a camera crew and group of tourists thought they had lucked out by spotting the Amazon boss roaming the streets, with social media users sharing footage of who they thought was Bezos. It was later revealed the sighting was of Cagdas Halicilar, who quit his job last year to become a full-time Bezos lookalike, and who has since secured a role in a Netflix show. The couple will round off the weekend with a party on Saturday at Venice's former shipyard — the Arsenale, which is set to be filled with 80,000 roses, according to Italian media. San Giorgio Maggiore is ideal for a wedding party. When the Vatican decided to enter Venice's architecture Biennale exhibition, it commissioned ten architects to build avant garde chapels among the trees, including one by the British architect Norman Foster. The weather, the one thing even one of the world's richest men cannot plan for, has been far from ideal. A-listers were forced to take cover during Thursday's pre-wedding party as a thunderstorm struck the lavish event at the Madonna dell'Orto, ultimately bringing the party to an early end. For the rest of the weekend, a red alert for extreme weather has been issued with temperatures expected to hit close to 40C. Anti-Bezos protesters are also looking to rain on the wedding's parade, with campaigners No Space For Bezos planning a flash mob protest over the next two days, while a march is scheduled for Saturday at the main Santa Lucia railway station. Extinction Rebellion staged a protest in St Mark's Square on Thursday afternoon, in which an activist unfurled a banner stating 'The One Per Cent Ruins The World', a reference to Bezos's estimated $224 billion fortune. The activist was later detained by police. Over at the supporters' club of local football team Venezia, a group of men enjoying mid-morning glasses of white wine with ice said they did not agree with the protests. 'Why shouldn't they get married? For us it's meant more police, less rubbish and fewer pickpockets,' said gondolier Roberto Orio, 63. 'My only gripe is I wasn't invited,' said retired postman Livio Cappello, 68.
News.com.au
16 hours ago
- Entertainment
- News.com.au
Bezos, Sanchez say 'I do' in a divided Venice
Amazon tycoon Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez tied the knot Friday at a sumptuous ceremony with the rich and famous on an island in Venice's lagoon, out of the sight and sound of protesters. "This city seems impossible! It can't exist and yet, here it is!" an enchanted Bezos told a La Repubblica journalist Thursday who got close to the magnate as he whizzed around the canals by boat. But protesters had a different view, wondering how long Venice can endure: While the billionaires party, activists say the fragile city is sinking, overrun by tourists, and a victim of depopulation as locals unable to pay soaring rents are forced out. "No Kings, No Bezos" read a sign in green neon projected on the St Mark's Campanile tower on Thursday night. - Serenaded - Bezos and Sanchez, a former news anchor and entertainment reporter, celebrated their nuptials with guests including Kim and Khloe Kardashian, Oprah Winfrey and Orlando Bloom. The tech magnate, 61, and Sanchez, 55, are staying at the Aman hotel, a luxury 16th-century palazzo on the Grand Canal with a view of the Rialto bridge. Other A-list guests are staying at the Gritti Palace and the St. Regis. The couple exchanged vows at a black-tie ceremony on the island of San Giorgio Maggiore Friday afternoon, according to Italian media reports. The wedding is thought to have taken place in a vast open-air amphitheatre on the island, which sits across from Venice's iconic St Mark's Square. The newlyweds were to be serenaded by Matteo Bocelli, son of the famed opera singer Andrea Bocelli, reports said. Michelin-starred chef Fabrizio Mellino prepared the wedding dinner, while the cake has been made by French pastry chef Cedric Grolet, the Corriere della Sera said. Sanchez is alleged to have prepared 27 outfits to wear during the festivities. - 'Enchanted' - Wedding guests snapped by paparazzi as they hopped into boats included Jordan's Queen Rania, French luxury goods executive Francois-Henri Pinault, American football player Tom Brady, US fashion designer Spencer Antle, the singer Usher, and Ivanka Trump, daughter of US President Donald Trump, and her husband Jared Kushner. The guests reportedly lunched Thursday in the gardens of Villa Baslini, on the islet of San Giovanni Evangelista. The celebrations are set to end Saturday with a party likely at the Arsenale, a vast shipyard complex dating back to when the city was a naval powerhouse. Bezos and Sanchez are donating three million euros ($3.5 million) to the city, according to Veneto's regional president Luca Zaia, and are employing historic Venetian artisans. Venice's oldest pastry maker Rosa Salva is baking 19th-century "fishermen's biscuits" for party bags that will also contain something by Laguna B, renowned for its handblown Murano glass. Trump and her family visited a glass-blowing workshop on the small island of Murano on Wednesday, according to the owner. "They were amazed and enchanted by the magic of glass," Massimiliano Schiavon told the Corriere della Sera, adding that the family had a go at blowing glass. Venice, home to the oldest film festival in the world, is used to VIPs whizzing around in speed boats, and happily hosted the star-studded nuptials of Hollywood actor George Clooney in 2014. Some say this wedding too brings good business. Italy's tourism ministry said Friday it expected the wedding to bring the city nearly one billion euros, with about 895 million of that estimated to come from the "media visibility" generated. But critics say Bezos, one of the world's richest men and founder of a company regularly scrutinised for how it treats its workers, is different. "Tax Billionaires", read protest signs along canals. "In the time it takes you to read this, Jeff Bezos's wealth has increased by more than your monthly salary", they read in English and Italian. Environmental activists have also pointed to the carbon footprint of the mega yachts and dozens of private jets -- at least 95 -- bringing the rich and famous to the city. But Samuel Silvestri, a 55-year-old salesman, welcomed the extravaganza. "Over-tourism is caused by those people who come with a backpack and their own food, and contribute very little," he said, "not those who transform Venice into a mini-Monte Carlo. This marriage helps the image of the city." Italy's health ministry has issued a red heat alert for Venice for the weekend, part of a heatwave affecting much of southern Europe.
Yahoo
17 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez Are Married! Couple Ties the Knot in Star-Studded Venice Wedding
Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez married in a ceremony on the island of San Giorgio Maggiore in Venice, Italy, on Friday, June 27, PEOPLE confirms The couple hosted a multi-day celebration in the Floating City, welcoming numerous celebrity guests including Oprah Winfrey, Gayle King, Orlando Bloom, Kim Kardashian, Khloé Kardashian, Kris Jenner, Usher, Leonardo DiCaprio and Tom Brady PEOPLE confirmed that Bezos and Sánchez were engaged in May 2023, four years after news broke that they were in a relationship Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez are married, PEOPLE confirms. The Amazon founder, 61, and the Emmy-winning journalist, 55, tied the knot in a black-tie ceremony on the island of San Giorgio Maggiore in Venice, Italy, on Friday, June 27. The couple celebrated their Italian nuptials over several days, welcoming a number of their celebrity friends for the lavish festivities in the Floating City, including Oprah Winfrey, Gayle King, Orlando Bloom, Kim Kardashian, Khloé Kardashian, Kris Jenner, Kylie Jenner, Karlie Kloss, Leonardo DiCaprio, Usher and Tom Brady. Other notable guests included Queen Rania of Jordan, Bill Gates and his girlfriend, Paula Hurd, François-Henri Pinault, and fashion designers Diane von Fürstenberg, Domenico Dolce and Tommy Hilfiger. A source tells PEOPLE the couple's wedding ceremony kicked off with a performance of 'Can't Help Falling in Love' by Elvis Presley, sung by Matteo Bocelli to cheers from the guests. Ahead of the ceremony, Bezos and Sánchez were photographed leaving the Aman Hotel separately, presumably headed for their wedding venue. The bride wore a retro-inspired, all-white suit and silk head scarf, while the groom sported a sleek black tuxedo and aviator-style shades. Ahead of their wedding celebrations, the bride and groom were photographed arriving in Venice via helicopter on Wednesday, June 25, smiling as they walked hand-in-hand. They later hosted a welcome party for their guests on Thursday night, June 26, at a closed cloister adjacent to the Madonna dell'Orto church. A source told PEOPLE that the party-goers dined on pizza cooked onsite by a famous Neapolitan chef, along with fried zucchini flowers, arancini, octopus and cod. Dessert included pastries and lemon cakes. The couple had planned to hold their wedding ceremony on Saturday, June 28, at Scuola Grande della Misericordia, but made a last-minute location change due to security concerns amid ongoing local protests over the wedding. To show their appreciation to Venice for hosting them and their guests, Bezos and Sánchez made a point of spotlighting the city's rich artisanal history during their wedding festivities. They sourced about 80% of their provisions from Venetian vendors, among them pastry shop Rosa Salva and glass design studio Laguna B, a source told The Associated Press. In addition, the couple asked their guests to make financial donations to the city of Venice instead of giving them wedding gifts. On their wedding invitation, they listed three Venetian charities they planned to donate the contributions to: the UNESCO Venice Office, CORILA and Venice International University. They also shared on the invitation why Venice holds such a special place in their hearts. "This magical place has gifted us unforgettable memories," they wrote. "Our hope is that through these efforts and by you joining us, Venice will continue to inspire wonder for generations to come." "We are definitely happy to have this funding for the protection of our very delicate city," Sebastiano Costalonga, local city councillor for commerce and productive activities of the municipality of Venice, told PEOPLE ahead of the wedding. News of Bezos and Sánchez's relationship first broke in January 2019, around the same time that the Blue Origin founder announced his divorce from MacKenzie Scott after 25 years of marriage. At the time, Sánchez was divorcing her husband of 13 years, Patrick Whitesell. While it's unclear when and how Bezos and Sánchez first met, sources previously told PEOPLE that the pair struck up a working relationship while teaming up on several projects and "gradually" developed romantic feelings for each other. Sánchez later opened up about her relationship with Bezos in January 2023, telling WSJ Magazine that the pair were "together all the time." "We love to be together and we love to work together," she told the outlet, before revealing that Bezos has a side that the public doesn't get to see. "He's really funny," she shared. "He makes me laugh all the time. He can be goofy." In May 2023, a source confirmed to PEOPLE that the two had gotten engaged. The news came as the couple was vacationing together in the South of France. Sánchez was photographed wearing a dazzling ring on that finger while spending time on Bezo's superyacht Koru and stepping out in town. At the time, a source told PEOPLE the newly engaged pair were "on cloud nine" and "so happy and madly in love." As for Sánchez's "huge" ring, the insider said the former Good Day LA co-host "keeps playing with it and looking at it. You can tell she loves it." When Bezos celebrated his milestone 60th birthday last year, Sánchez shared a sweet tribute to her then-fiancé on Instagram. "Today is another day where your laughter fills our home, and that smile of yours lights up every room. Wishing you an abundance of simple joys and quiet moments of happiness," she wrote. "May this year be filled with everything you love, from peaceful mornings to joyous celebrations." Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. She added: "I hope each day brings you countless reasons to smile, just like you give me a reason to smile every single day. Love you, and happy birthday, my love." With their Venetian wedding, Bezos and Sánchez have now officially merged their families. The billionaire mogul shares four children with his ex-wife, and Sánchez shares son Nikko, 24, with ex Tony Gonzalez, and son Evan, 19, and daughter Ella, 17, with Whitesell. Read the original article on People
