A star-studded guest list gathered in Venice on Friday as Amazon tycoon Jeff Bezos prepared to tie the knot with his partner Lauren Sanchez.
The tech magnate, 61, and his fiancee, 55, kicked off a three-day wedding celebration on Thursday with the price tag believed to exceed tens of millions of dollars.
Details of the nuptials have been a closely-guarded secret, but paparazzi have spotted 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.
Protesters flag taxes, cost-of-living and a massive carbon footprint
The lavish wedding is not without its objectors.
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.
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.”
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.
Other activists displayed mannequeins 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.
What do we know about Bezos’ wedding plans?
Italian media reported that Bezos and Sanchez will exchange vows at a black-tie ceremony on the island of San Giorgio Maggiore.
The newlyweds will then be serenaded by Matteo Bocelli, the son of famed opera singer Andrea Bocelli, the reports said.
Sanchez has reportedly prepared 27 outfits to wear throughout the festivities. Italian designer Domenico Dolce — half of the duo Dolce & Gabbana — was seen leaving their luxury hotel on Thursday, possibly following a fitting.
The party bags will reportedly feature murano glassware from Laguna B as well as traditional Venetian cookies made by the city’s oldest pastry maker Rosa Salva.
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.
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
