What will Jeff Bezos' "wedding of the century" be like, for which he rented Venice for three days (11 photos)

Bezos invited 250 guests to the wedding, most of whom are the most famous and richest people on the planet.





On the evening of June 26, celebrities gathered for a festive event in the cloister (a rectangular courtyard surrounded by walls in a medieval monastery or church) of the Church of Madonna dell'Orto. Venice authorities have restricted pedestrian traffic around the 14th-century cathedral, which houses works by Venetian artist Tintoretto, from late evening until midnight.







The details of the celebration are kept secret, and the guests strictly observe the "information embargo", that is, do not post photos from the wedding on social networks. However, the paparazzi have besieged the luxury hotels of Venice and are even launching drones to spy on the "wedding of the century".



The Madonna dell'Orto church, where Bezos and his guests strolled

The three-day celebration will continue until Saturday, with about 250 guests joining the Amazon founder and former journalist to celebrate their marriage.



Kim Kardashian in a snakeskin dress

According to Reuters, the event will cost between $46.5 million and $55.6 million (this is far from a record; the wedding of the children of Indian billionaires in 2024 cost $150 million). Venice tourism adviser Simona Venturini told CNN that the city will earn between $23.4 million and $35.1 million from the parties during the week.

The wedding ceremony will take place on Friday on the island of San Giorgio. A Venice City Hall spokesperson told CNN on Thursday that the city had not received an official request from the couple, meaning the event was ceremonial in nature and Bezos and Sanchez had previously registered their marriage.



Ivanka Trump with husband Jared Kushner in Venice. Source: @ivankatrump

A number of celebrities were spotted in the city. Kim Kardashian arrived with sister Khloe and mother Kris Jenner; they were later seen chatting with actor Orlando Bloom (who was apparently there to find a bride for himself, as he recently split from Katy Perry). Oprah Winfrey and former NFL quarterback Tom Brady were also among the VIPs boarding water taxis at the airport, as were Bill Gates and Kendall and Kylie Jenner.

Ivanka Trump, Jared Kushner and their children have been in town for several days. Trump's daughter Ivanka posted a photo of her hotel room on social media with the caption: "Ready to celebrate our friends' love story." Through Ivanka, Bezos is getting closer and closer to Trump. After Trump's split with Musk, Bezos wants to become the billionaire closest to the president. The Amazon CEO reportedly even invited Donald Trump to his wedding party, but he declined, citing his busy schedule.



DiCaprio hides from paparazzi



Usher

Other guests included Usher in a cream suit and burgundy low-cut shirt, and Leonardo DiCaprio, hiding his face under a black cap.



Protesters unfurl a banner in St. Mark's Square: "If you can rent Venice for your wedding, you can pay more taxes"

Due to the threat of protests, locations and plans are being kept secret. Venice has hosted many celebrity weddings, including François-Henri Pin and Salma Hayek (2009), George and Amal Clooney (2014), and Alexandre Arnault and Géraldine Guyot (2021). However, activists from the group "No Space for Bezos" (a pun that can be translated as "No Place for Bezos" or "No Place for Bezos in Space") have already influenced the plans, forcing one of the events to be moved from the central site to a former shipyard on the outskirts of the city.



Lauren Sanchez's bachelorette party on a boat cruising the Seine in Paris. Guests included Katy Perry and Eva Longoria

The wedding planners, who also handled George Clooney's wedding, said their main goal was to minimize "interference with the life of the city" by using local suppliers. About 80% of the services were ordered from Venetians, including desserts from the oldest Rosa Salva confectionery and gifts from Murano glassblowers.



The Aman Hotel, where room rates start at 4,000 euros. Incidentally, this hotel is owned by billionaire Doronin

About 30 of the city's 280 water taxis have been reserved. One taxi driver told CNN that he was booked for a "big wedding" from June 25 to 30, but declined to elaborate. Gondoliers also confirmed their readiness for the event.

Two three-star hotels near the monastery have been booked to accommodate the 150 staff involved in organizing the wedding. The event's famous guests stayed at the luxurious five-star hotels Aman, The Gritti Palace and Cipriani.