Wedding planning by Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez included a lavish three-day wedding celebration in Venice. An invitation-only guest list that included celebrities such as Oprah Winfrey, Orlando Bloom and Kim Kardashian enjoyed a night to remember at the remarkable event. The celebration’s reported cost was a mere €40-48 million. It invited, as few other events could, the millions of fascinated spectators to watch the merger between the Amazon billionaire and the media mogul.
Their decision to host their wedding in Venice, Italy, speaks to the couple’s taste for extravagance. Following her wedding celebrations in Spain, Bezos and Sánchez traveled to Taormina, Sicily for their honeymoon. They feasted in extravagance at the sumptuous San Domenico Palace. The honeymoon spot is known for its picturesque landscapes and dramatic history, serving as the perfect setting for the newlyweds.
To get ready for the wedding, Sánchez filled her suitcase with 27 jaw-droppingly beautiful designer frocks. Sadly, during the celebration, one of these dresses was stolen. This led to widespread fear that a potential gatecrasher might have made off with it. While this incident cast a pall on what should have been a joyous occasion, it has fostered discussion on the future of security at major events.
The wedding coincided with protests in Venice, where demonstrators expressed their discontent through various means. A huge green laser projected on the bell tower in St Mark’s Square had spelled out the words “No Kings No Bezos.” Protesters even threatened to clog the canals with inflatable crocodiles to block the wedding guests’ arrival.
“No Kings, No Bezos” – Protesters
Between the celebrations and the street protests, the mayor of Furci Siculo, Matteo Francilia, welcomed the couple heartily. As he described the beauty and hospitality of his town contrasted with the chaotic environment in which their wedding was taking root,
“Jeff and Lauren, we welcome you with open arms. Leave behind the beautiful lagoon with its absurd complaints! Here in Furci Siculo you’ll find sun, sea and genuine people, who would welcome you with open arms.” – Matteo Francilia
The couple’s wedding showcased not only their love but their extravagant lifestyle, further evidenced by Bezos’s ownership of a 127-metre super-yacht. When it plied the waters of Sicily last summer, it was this luxurious vessel—which the Papadopoulos’ pointedly call “the ship”—that drew headlines, symbolizing the couple’s love of opulence.
As the wedding festivities wrapped up, the media and public continued to discuss both the glamorous aspects of the event and the controversies that accompanied it. The resulting juxtaposition of glamour and protest raised a powerful national dialogue about concentration of wealth and social injustice. This discussion seems particularly timely in a city like Venice, which often finds itself at the epicenter of these conflicts.