Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and former journalist Lauren Sanchez are set to tie the knot in Italy this week, even as local frustrations mount over the multi-million dollar event.
Here’s what to know about the three-day wedding celebration, as well as the protests unfolding in the background.
Where and when is the wedding?
Bezos, 61, and Sanchez’s wedding extravaganza kicks off in Venice this Thursday, with the ceremony scheduled to take place Saturday at an undisclosed location.
The nuptials will mark Bezos’ second marriage, after his first marriage to philanthropist Mackenzie Scott ended in 2019. Sanchez, 55, was previously married to Patrick Whitesell, the executive chair of talent firm Endeavor, with their marriage also ending in 2019.
The wedding ceremony is likely to be held on San Giorgio Maggiore, according to CNN. One of the islands that make up Venice, San Giorgio Maggiore is known for the Church of San Giorgio Maggiore, designed by the architect Andrea Palladio in the 1500s.
A protest group called “No Space for Bezos” declared victory this week, saying that the couple has moved their planned post-wedding party on June 28 to a shipyard on the outskirts of Venice rather than the 14th-century Grande Scuola Misericordia in central Venice, CNN reported.
How much will the Bezos-Sanchez wedding cost?
The three-day event could cost between about $64 million to $76 million, Luca Zaia, president of the Veneto regional government that comprises Venice, told reporters on Tuesday, according to The Globe and Mail.
About 80% of the wedding provisions will be sourced from Venetian vendors, the Associated Press reported, citing people close to the couple. These products include locally made pastries and hand-blown glass from Murano, an island known for its long history of glassmaking.
Bezos has a net worth of $230 billion, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index. That ranks him No. 3 on the index’s list of the world’s richest people, after Mark Zuckerberg ($246 billion) and Elon Musk ($385 billion)
Who is attending?
Bezos and Sanchez invited about 200 guests to celebrate with them in the Italian city, according to media reports. The event is expected to draw plenty of star power, with guests said to include Leonardo DiCaprio, Mick Jagger, Kim Kardashian, Oprah Winfrey, Orlando Bloom and President Trump’s daughter, Ivanka Trump.
According to the Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera, at least 95 private planes have requested permission to land at Venice’s Marco Polo airport.
Who is Lauren Sanchez?
Jeff Bezos, the Amazon founder and owner of The Washington Post, is marrying Lauren Sanchez, a former journalist turned children’s book author. The couple went public with their relationship in 2019 and became engaged in 2023.
Sanchez recently participated in Blue Origin’s first all-women’s space flight, which included “CBS Mornings” anchor Gayle King and singer-songwriter Katy Perry. A licensed pilot, Sanchez pitched the idea for a female-led flight to Bezos, the founder of Blue Origin, shortly after he completed his own trip to space in 2021.
Sanchez’s bachelorette party in Paris last month included Perry, Kardashian, Kris Jenner and Eva Longoria, according to AFP.
What are the wedding protests about?
Some Venice locals are expressing frustration over the city’s decision to welcome wealthy tourists while failing to meet residents’ needs.
This comes amid a broader pushback against tourism in parts of Europe. Last week, protestors gathered in Venice and other popular European destinations to protest a flood of visitors, who some critics blame for driving up housing costs and pushing out local residents. For the second year, Venice is requiring people visiting the city for a day to pay a tax to enter on certain summer dates.
Among those protesting the wedding are the organizers of the “No Space for Bezos” campaign, which has the backing of a dozen different local organizations including housing advocates and university groups.
Greenpeace joined the mix on Monday, with a handful of activists unfurling a giant banner in Venice’s St. Mark’s Square with a photo of Bezos and text that read: “IF YOU CAN RENT VENICE FOR YOUR WEDDING YOU CAN PAY MORE TAX.” Local police folded up the banner and took it away.
Venetian officials have stood their ground, even as criticism of the event escalated. In March, the city issued a statement denying reports that there would be any major disruption to daily Venetian life, even with hundreds expected to descend on the city this week for the wedding.
Venice and the surrounding metropolitan area has a population of roughly 250,000, according to Statista. But fewer than 50,000 people live in the city’s historic district, which is composed over 100 islands connected by Venice’s famous canals and footbridges.
AFP and
The Associated Press
contributed to this report.
Mary Cunningham is a reporter for CBS MoneyWatch. Before joining the business and finance vertical, she worked at “60 Minutes,” CBSNews.com and CBS News 24/7 as part of the CBS News Associate Program.
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