If passionate local protesters don’t run them out of town, Jeff Bezos, founder of Amazon and Blue Origin, is set to marry Lauren Sánchez, former news anchor, in a multiday wedding celebration in Venice.
During recent weeks leading up to the ceremony, a group of local Venice protesters have publicly opposed the event, citing a range of concerns such as environmental impact and an influx of tourists.
“Bezos is basically going to treat the whole city as a private ballroom, as a private event area, as if the citizens are not there,” protester Alice Bazzoli told Sky News.
But not all of Venice is averse to the event. Venice Mayor Luigi Brugnaro said he is “proud” the city was selected for the wedding, he told The Associated Press.
Brugnaro added that he hopes for an opportunity to meet Bezos. “I don’t know if I will have time, or if he will, to meet and shake hands, but it’s an honor that they chose Venice. Venice once again reveals itself to be a global stage.”
Details of the upcoming ceremony have mostly been kept under tight lips, but according to Sánchez’s brother, Paul Sánchez, the wedding will be “just huge and fun, and just a blast,” he told TMZ in March.
“I think it’s gonna be like a Princess Di thing,” he added, in reference to Princess Diana’s 1981 wedding to then-Prince Charles.
According to the wedding organizers, Lanza & Baucina Limited, claims that the Bezos-Sánchez wedding will take over Venice are “entirely false and diametrically opposed to our goals and to reality,” the company said in a statement to NPR.
“From the outset, instructions from our client and our own guiding principles were abundantly clear: the minimizing of any disruption to the city, the respect for its residents and institutions and the overwhelming employment of locals in the crafting of the events,” the statement from Lanza & Baucina Limited added.
Still, protesters have not let up on public displays and opposition to the event — pushing wedding organizers to modify plans days ahead of the ceremony.
Local protests push wedding to ‘isolated’ location
In light of ongoing protests from Venice locals, the Bezos-Sánchez wedding ceremony has been moved to an “isolated, less accessible” location within the city, reported Reuters.
The new location is considered more secure than in Misericordia, a former religious school, where the ceremony was widely rumored to take place.
“The news that Bezos has run away from the Misericordia is a great victory for us,” Tommaso Cacciari, a leader in the “No Space for Bezos,” protests told Reuters.
A Tuesday statement from the “No Space for Bezos” protest group claimed victory over the wedding celebration, per CNN. “We won! The protest managed to ruin Bezos’ plans and Mayor Brugnaro’s palace games,” the statement said.
“They were forced to flee and take refuge in Tese 91 of the Arsenale. Even Bezos’ two yachts, Koru and Abeona, will not arrive in Venice.”
Earlier this month, Venice’s mayor, Luigi Brugnaro, told reporters he is “ashamed” by the local protests, according to CNN.
“I want Jeff Bezos to be welcomed with open arms in Venice. Protesting against those who bring visibility and wealth to our territory is, in my opinion, a disgrace,” Brugnaro added. “We will have to apologize to Bezos.”
Who is invited to the Bezos-Sánchez wedding?
Roughly 200 guests made the Bezos-Sánchez wedding invite list. The bulk of guests spots will be taken by close friends and family.
Also included on the guest list are several high-profile celebrities, including Oprah Winfrey, Gayle King, Mick Jagger, Jay-Z, Beyoncé, Jewel and Eva Longoria, per The New York Times. Media mogul Barry Diller and his wife, Diane von Furstenberg, also reportedly made the list.
President Donald Trump is not reported to attend, though his daughter, Ivanka Trump, and her husband, Jared Kushner, will likely be there.
Several of Sánchez’ bachelorette party guests, which included Kim Kardashian, Katy Perry, Krish Jenner and Charissa Thompson, are also likely invited.
Cost of the wedding
Tabloids report the wedding costing anywhere from $10 million to $48 million. But, there is no official price tag for the event.
If Bezos and Sánchez host 200 guests at a budget of $10 million, the cost of their wedding rounds out to about $50,000 per person at the event, per Brides.com.
Bezos’ 250-foot-long, $500 million yacht is also expected to play a role in their wedding festivities, People confirmed.
When is the wedding?
An official date for the event has not been made public, but the three-day wedding is expected to occur between June 24-26 or June 26-28, according to The Associated Press and The New York Times.