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Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez marry in Venice

Roshni Majumdar | Zac Crellin with AP, AFP
June 27, 2025

Amazon founder Jeff Bezos married his fiancée Lauren Sanchez in a controversial three-day celebration. Estimated to cost up to $56 million, the guest list included Hollywood stars, athletes and even royalty.

The couple married on the small island of San Giorgio Maggiore
The couple married on the small island of San Giorgio MaggioreImage: Guglielmo Mangiapane/REUTERS

Amazon tycoon Jeff Bezos married Lauren Sanchez in a lavish ceremony on Friday in Venice's San Giorgio Maggiore island.

Sanchez first stepped out from the luxury Aman hotel the couple were staying at, wearing a skirt suit, and Bezos followed some two hours later.  

Sanchez's wedding dress was still kept under wraps at the time she hopped onto a motorboat from her hotel, but she later revealed the dress on her newly branded Instagram page with the name: Lauren Sanchez Bezos.

The former journalist reportedly has 27 outfits prepared for festivities over three days, with Dolce & Gabbana having been the fashion house behind her wedding gown.

Bezos wore a black tuxedo and a bow tie over a white shirt, as the official photo Sanchez shared on her Instagram photo showed.

The couple exchanged their vows on the island of San Giorgio MaggioreImage: Matteo Chinellato/ipa-agency/dpa/picture alliance

Bill Gates, Kim Kardashian, Oprah Winfrey among some famous guests at wedding

The interest around the power couple's wedding sent the media into a tizzy, with dozens of photographers having parked themselves in boats outside Aman, and other hotels where guests stayed.

Papparazzi took photos of numerous VIP guests including Kim Kardashian, Oprah Winfrey, Orlando Bloom, Jordan's Queen Rania, US football player Tom Brady, singer Usher and Ivanka Trump — the daughter of US President Donald Trump.

But the lavish wedding was not without its objectors.

Protesters flag taxes, cost-of-living and a massive carbon footprint

Venice is one of the most iconic cities in the world, but it is also among the most vulnerable to rising sea levels caused by climate change.

Its popularity has also led to overtourism, with local residents complaining of a lack of affordable housing and poor access to essential services.

Protesters have objected to Venice being the venue for the wedding of Jeff Bezos and Lauren SanchezImage: Florian Poitout/abaca/picture alliance

At least 95 private planes requested permission to land at Venice's Marco Polo airport for the wedding, the Corriere della Sera Italian daily reported, while several megayachts have also moored off the city.

Environmentalists, housing advocates, anti-cruise ship campaigners and university groups have come together to protest the wedding under the banner "No space for Bezos."

A broad coalition of protesters came together to declare: 'No space for Bezos'Image: Manuel Silvestri/REUTERS

The slogan is a play on words that references his space exploration company, Blue Origin, as well as the bride's recent space flight.

Greenpeace unfurled a banner in St Mark's Square denouncing the billionaire tech mogul for not paying enough in taxes.

Venetians protest opulent Bezos-Sanchez wedding

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Other activists displayed mannequins mocking Bezos around the city, including one that bobbed in the city's canals, clinging to an Amazon parcel to stay afloat.

Bezos and Sanchez are donating €3 million ($3.5 million) to the city, according to Veneto's regional president Luca Zaia, and are employing historic Venetian artisans.

A mannequin of Jeff Bezos clinging to an Amazon package to stay afloat was seen in the canals of VeniceImage: Julien Reynaud/APS-Medias/ABACAPRESS.COM/picture alliance

What else do we know about Bezos' wedding plans?

The celebrations are set to wrap up on Saturday with a party likely at the Arsenale, a vast shipyard complex dating back to when the city was a naval powerhouse and which nowadays serves as a venue for the Venice Biennale.

Lauren Sanchez is expected to make more than two dozen outfit changes over the three-day ceremony, according to local media reportsImage: SGP Italia/dpa/picture alliance

The party bags will reportedly feature glassware from Laguna B as well as traditional Venetian cookies made by the city's oldest pastry maker Rosa Salva.

The governor of Veneto told reporters that the most recent price tag for the three-day event was between €40 and €48 million (up to $56 million).

That's more than 1,000 times the cost of the average US couple's wedding, which came in at $36,000 in 2025, according to wedding planning site Zola.

Edited by: Kieran Burke

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