Billionaire couple Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez are tying the knot in Venice this weekend. Here’s what we know about the high-profile nuptials and multi-day celebrations.
Where and When Is Jeff Bezos’ and Lauren Sanchez’s Wedding?
Amazon founder Bezos, 61, and former journalist Sanchez, 55, have planned several wedding events this weekend.
The exact location of their wedding has not been disclosed, although Reuters and the Associated Press reported the couple will exchange vows on the small island of San Giorgio on Friday. The event is speculated to be ceremonial and not a legally binding wedding ceremony.
The wedding reception is scheduled to take place on Saturday at the Arsenale, an ancient complex of former shipyards and armories located on the eastern side of the historic center. The location is used as an exhibition space for the Venice Biennale art fair.
The couple, staying at the five-star Aman hotel, welcomed guests Thursday night in Venice, Italy, before sharing a kiss and departing by water taxi through the famous “City of Canals.”
Reuters estimated the wedding cost between $46 million and $56 million.
Celebrities Attending Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez’s Wedding
The A-list guest roster is expected to include more than 200 people from a range of industries, including politics, entertainment, technology, and finance.
Several notable figures will be in attendance, including Ivanka Trump, the first daughter, and her husband, Jared Kushner.
Oprah Winfrey, Orlando Bloom, Tom Brady, Bill Gates, and members of the Kardashian-Jenner family, including Kim, Khloe, Kris, Kylie, and Kendall, all arrived on Thursday.
Other guests include Leonardo DiCaprio, Sarah Foster, Tommy Hilfiger, Crown Prince Hussein of Jordan, Andy Jassy, Karlie Kloss, Queen Rania of Jordan, Mick Jagger, Usher, Sarah Staudinger, Edward Enninful, Vittoria Ceretti, Natasha Poonawalla, among others.
On Thursday, guests were guided through the canals via water taxis to bring them to the Madonna dell’Orto cloister in the Cannaregio district.
Venice Locals Protest Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez’s Wedding
Locals, including the group “No Space for Bezos,” have protested the couple’s lavish wedding, citing concerns of over-tourism to the city and exploitation by billionaires. The group threatened to disrupt the ceremony.
However, city officials have backed the wedding as an economic and reputational benefit to the city.
Who Were Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez Married to Before?
Bezos and Sanchez were both married to other spouses, with both marriages ending in 2019. The Blue Origin founder was married to philanthropist Mackenzie Scott in 1993, and the couple shares four children.
Sanchez was wed to Patrick Whitesell, the executive chair of talent firm Endeavor, in 2005. They have two children together. Whitesell has remarried.
Sanchez had her first son with her ex-boyfriend and former Kansas City Chiefs player Tony Gonzalez. Gonzalez will be in attendance.
Timeline of Jeff Bezos’ Relationship with Lauren Sanchez
Several media outlets reported that Bezos and Sanchez were dating in early January 2019. The couple was seen multiple times throughout their romance, including at the 2019 Wimbledon Men’s Tennis Championship.
Four years after they began dating, in May 2023, Bezos proposed to Sanchez in France with a large cushion-cut diamond ring that People estimates to be about 30 carats.
The couple has been engaged for two years.
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