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The Guardian
7 hours ago
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Jeff in Venice: seven takeaways from the Bezos-Sánchez wedding
Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and journalist Lauren Sánchez held their wedding ceremony in Venice's Grand canal on Friday, the centrepiece of a three-day gala that drew dozens of stars but also protests by local activists. Here are seven takeaways. The couple kicked off celebrations with a foam party on their $500m (£364m) super yacht moored near the Croatian island of Unije. Coinciding with Sánchez's son Evan Whitesell's 19th birthday, paparazzi photos showed the couple wearing swimwear and sunhats covered in frothy suds as they partied alongside Whitesell and his friends. Foam parties can cause conjunctivitis, so the decision to hold one just days before their nuptials was somewhat surprising but maybe billionaire foam hits different. What do you get for the fourth richest person in the world? Apparently nothing. A portion of the official invitation obtained by ABC News stipulated an early request from the couple; 'please, no gifts'. Instead it stated that Bezos and Sánchez would be making donations 'with gratitude' on their guests' behalf to causes including the Venice International University and an organisation dedicated to restoring the city's lagoons. On social media, the biggest question users had was: who had designed the invite? Featuring doodle-like illustrations of butterflies, shooting stars, feathers and the Rialto Bridge, some argued the invitations had been generated by AI or, perhaps, bulk bought via Amazon. Alongside donations on their behalf, each guest will receive a goodie bag. We are still waiting for one of the Kardashian clan to do an official unboxing on YouTube but so far it has been revealed that they feature sweet treats from the historic Venetian pastry shop Rosa Salva and vibrant coloured glassware from the Murano specialist Laguna~B. First came the anti-capitalist public protests. Then it turned out one of Bezos and Sánchez's three chosen venues was covered by unsightly scaffolding. The next disaster to hit? A freak thunderstorm on Thursday night during a welcoming party at the Madonna dell'Orto cloisters. Heavy lightning and rain reportedly left many guests soaked, forcing the event to end early. Perhaps Bezos and Sánchez should have followed fashion week's lead and hired a rain shaman. The biggest hint that Sánchez will at some point wear a dress by Dolce & Gabbana stems from a photo of Domenico Dolce enjoying aperitivo hour at the Gritti Palace, a five-star hotel on Venice's Grand canal. Sánchez is a long-time fan of the Italian label but, saying that, she isn't particularly loyal to any brand, and it's thought that Anna Wintour – who is likely attending – is supportive of the idea. As she recently told Vogue after decades of dressing in tailoring during her TV presenting days, she is now focusing on 'having fun' with fashion. Plus, she has the budget to buy whatever she wants rather than rely on designers to approve her wearing a loan. Sánchez appeared to whizz off to the ceremony in an Audrey Hepburn cosplay in a headscarf and dark glasses. Getting lost in Venice is part of the charm. Not so if you have a staged paparazzi shot to get to. As anyone who's been in a city tour group will know, ensuring all parties are dressed in the same garb is the easiest way to stay with the party. Literal dressing, where you pay homage to the place, is one thing. The fetishisation of postwar Italian cultural icons such as Monica Vitti or Sophia Loren in some archive Cavalli (Kendall and Kylie) or vintage Versace snakeskin (Kim) is another. Still, it's probably the simplest way to stay with the crowd while reminding people you're in Italy. In case anyone had forgotten. With the ceremony not taking place until Friday evening, many guests found themselves with time to kill. With a personal art collection valued at $127mn, it came as no surprise that Bill Gates and a friend popped into the Gallerie dell'Accademia that houses the Pietà by Titian.
CNN
9 hours ago
- Entertainment
- CNN
Celebrities dazzle in their wedding attire as they leave for the Bezos-Sanchez ceremony
Corseting, feathers and plenty of diamonds adorn guests as they step into water taxis set to take them to the Friday evening festivities for Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez.
CNN
9 hours ago
- Entertainment
- CNN
Celebrities dazzle in their wedding attire as they leave for the Bezos-Sanchez ceremony
Corseting, feathers and plenty of diamonds adorn guests as they step into water taxis set to take them to the Friday evening festivities for Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez.
South China Morning Post
11 hours ago
- Entertainment
- South China Morning Post
Bezos and Sanchez head to wedding ceremony in star-studded Venice
Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and journalist Lauren Sanchez left their luxury hotel on Venice's Grand Canal on Friday to head to their wedding ceremony, the centrepiece of a three-day gala featuring dozens of stars but also protests by local activists. Advertisement Sanchez, 55, waved and blew kisses to onlookers as she boarded a sleek motor boat outside the Aman hotel wearing short-sleeved, cream fitted skirt suit, with shades and a headscarf to protect her from the blistering summer sun. Around two hours later Bezos, 61, wearing a black tuxedo and bow tie over a white shirt, made the same short trip across the lagoon to the small island of San Giorgio where the couple will exchange rings, accompanied by singing from Matteo Bocelli, son of Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli. The evening ceremony will have 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 around US$50 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. Lauren Sanchez leaves the Aman Venice hotel in Venice, Italy, on Friday. Photo: Reuters 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.
Malay Mail
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Malay Mail
Fifa throws US$1,000-a-head Wall Street bash to mark Club World Cup
NEW YORK, June 25 — If you want to celebrate the Club World Cup in New York City with Fifa higher-ups and star players, it will cost you. Big Art, an international event management company, is promoting a gala that will take place on Wall Street and will be attended by Fifa president Gianni Infantino as well as World Cup stars Kaka, Ronaldo and Roberto Carlos, among others. The event, billed as 'the official celebration of the Fifa Club World Cup finals,' will also feature a headlining performance by pop star Rita Ora. Ticket prices start at US$1,000 (RM4,240) per person for the 'silver' category before rising to US$2,000 for platinum and US$3,000 for black. The event is scheduled for July 10, one day after the second semifinal match and three days before the final. According to The Athletic, Fifa said it would not receive revenue from the event but did not indicate where it would go. — Reuters
