Jeff Bezos, Lauren Sanchez to get married in Venice

Amazon tycoon Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez are expected to tie the knot Friday (June 27, 2025) at a sumptuous, secluded ceremony attended by celebrity friends on an island in Venice’s lagoon.

The tech magnate, 61, and his fiancee, 55, kicked off a three-day wedding celebration Thursday with guests including Kim and Khloe Kardashian, Oprah Winfrey and Orlando Bloom.

Venice, home to the oldest film festival in the world, is used to VIPs whizzing around in speed boats, and happily hosted the star-studded nuptials of Hollywood actor George Clooney in 2014.

Donald Trump’s daughter Ivanka Trump, centre, and her husband Jared Kushner, rear left, arrive in Venice, Italy
| Photo Credit:
AP

But Mr. Bezos — one of the world’s richest men and founder of a company regularly scrutinised for how it treats its workers — is different.

And the festivities have sparked protests from environmentalists and locals who accuse authorities of pandering to the super rich while the city drowns under tourists.

Kim Kardashian gestures on a boat, ahead of Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez in Venice, Italy
| Photo Credit:
Reuters

Mr. Bezos and former news anchor and entertainment reporter Ms. Sanchez are staying at the Aman hotel, a luxury 16th-century palazzo on the Grand Canal with a view of the Rialto bridge.

They will exchange vows at a black-tie ceremony on the island of San Giorgio Maggiore, according to Italian media reports.

The wedding itself is expected to take place in a vast open-air amphitheatre on the island, which sits across from St Mark’s Square.

A child kneels next to a mannequin depicting Amazon Founder Jeff Bezos covered in fake dollar bills installed at St. Mark’s Square as part of a parody stunt by art collective Konn Artiss, ahead of the wedding in Venice
| Photo Credit:
via Reuters

The newlyweds will then be serenaded by Matteo Bocelli, the son of famed opera singer Andrea Bocelli, the reports said.

Ms. Sanchez is alleged to have prepared 27 outfits to wear during the festivities.

Italian designer Domenico Dolce — half of the duo Dolce & Gabbana — was seen leaving the Aman hotel on Thursday, possibly following a fitting.