Jeff Bezos and his fiancée, Lauren Sánchez, are set to tie the knot in one of the most expensive and talked-about weddings of the year — with TMZ estimating their three-day Venetian celebration could run as high as $20 million.
Wedding of the Year?
While $20 million might sound unimaginable for most, it’s basically spare change for Bezos, whose estimated net worth hovers around $230 billion. But even with that level of wealth, the power couple’s glamorous Italian wedding is stirring up headlines, not in a good way. The exclusive event is drawing protests and backlash from Venice locals concerned about the city becoming a billionaire’s playground.
The festivities, which reportedly are taking place from June 24 to June 26, include luxury accommodations for guests at the opulent Aman Venice hotel, where rooms can cost up to $10,000 per night.
A guest list nearing 200 attendees reportedly includes Hollywood names like Orlando Bloom and Sanchez’s ex, former NFLer Tony Gonzalez. Bezos and Sanchez’s team insists they’re minimizing disruption for Venice locals, with wedding planners said in a statement, “Rumors of ‘taking over’ the city are entirely false.”
Still, local protests have started, with some residents wary of the city’s fragile infrastructure and growing concerns that Venice is being reduced to a playground for the global elite, Fox Business reports.
Bezos and Sanchez have reportedly sourced 80 percent of their wedding vendors locally, including iconic pastry company Rosa Salva and glassware designer Laguna B.
Still, photos obtained recently by Page Six show environmental group Greenpeace staging a bold protest in Venice, unfurling a massive banner at St. Mark’s Square featuring a photo of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos laughing, alongside the words: “If you can rent Venice for your wedding you can pay more tax.”
On Instagram the group posted a photo of the moment with the caption, “Jeff Bezos pays his staff poverty wages and dodges tax.”
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