Venice, the city of canals and romance, transformed into a glittering stage for what is already being hailed as the “wedding of the year.” Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and journalist-aviator Lauren Sánchez tied the knot in a celebration that blended old-world glamour, modern luxury, and high-profile celebrity spectacle—while also stirring local controversy and global fascination.
A City Transformed
The festivities began days before the official ceremony, with Venice’s Grand Canal and historic palazzos serving as the backdrop for a series of lavish events. The couple arrived in style by helicopter, settling into the opulent Aman Venice hotel, where rooms with canal views command upwards of €4,000 per night. The city’s waterways bustled with private yachts, water taxis, and paparazzi boats, reminiscent of Venice’s most iconic celebrity weddings.
A Dazzling Guest List
The guest list was a testament to Bezos and Sánchez’s global stature. Around 200 to 250 guests attended, including titans from entertainment, business, and politics. Oprah Winfrey, Kim and Khloé Kardashian, Tom Brady, Leonardo DiCaprio, Orlando Bloom, Beyoncé, Jay-Z, Ivanka Trump, Jared Kushner, Bill Gates, Queen Rania of Jordan, Barbra Streisand, and Mick Jagger were among the luminaries spotted arriving by private jet and water taxi. The arrival of such a star-studded crowd only heightened the city’s excitement and the event’s exclusivity. But only one guest from India had been invited to the wedding and that is Natasha Poonawalla. Natasha is a well-known businesswoman, fashion icon, and the wife of Adar Poonawalla, the CEO of Serum Institute of India, one of the largest vaccine makers in the world.
Festivities and Fashion
The wedding celebrations kicked off with a foam party on Bezos’s superyacht, Koru, off the European coast—a nod to the couple’s shared love of adventure and the sea. The welcome party in Venice saw Lauren Sánchez in a golden strapless gown with baroque floral details, while Bezos donned a classic tuxedo. Guests enjoyed Venetian delicacies, Murano glass gifts, and live music, all set against the city’s Renaissance architecture.
Kim Kardashian turned heads in an all-black ensemble, while Khloé opted for a cheetah print jumpsuit. Orlando Bloom was seen in crisp white, and Tom Brady arrived in a sleek black sweatsuit and white hat, underscoring the event’s blend of high fashion and relaxed luxury.
Ceremony and Secrecy
The official wedding ceremony was set for Saturday at a closely guarded, undisclosed location, with pre-wedding events held at the Madonna dell’Orto church and other historic venues. Originally, the main reception was to take place at the Scuola Vecchia della Misericordia, but protests from local Venetians—concerned about overtourism and the city’s use as a “billionaire’s playground” prompted a last-minute venue change to the more secluded Island of San Giorgio Maggiore and the Arsenale shipyard complex. Security was tight, with police cordoning off areas and shielding guests from demonstrators.
Local Backlash and Global Attention
While the wedding dazzled attendees, it also drew criticism from Venetians and activists. The “No Space for Bezos” campaign unfurled banners and staged protests, arguing that the event symbolized the city’s struggle with overtourism and rising living costs. Some locals saw the wedding as a disruption, but others were captivated by the spectacle and the global spotlight it brought to Venice.
A Love Story in the Limelight
For both Bezos, 61, and Sánchez, 55, this marks a second marriage. Their relationship, which began in the public eye, has been marked by high-profile appearances, philanthropic ventures, and a shared sense of adventure—including a journey into space. The couple’s seven children from previous marriages joined in the celebrations, making it a family affair as well as a global event.
The Legacy of a Modern Fairy Tale
The Bezos-Sánchez wedding will be remembered not just for its extravagance, but for its blend of tradition, modernity, and star power. With a rumored budget exceeding $40 million, the event rivaled royal weddings in scale and spectacle. From foam parties on superyachts to candlelit dinners in Venetian palazzos, the couple’s nuptials set a new benchmark for celebrity weddings.
Comparisons have been drawn to the recent wedding of Anant Ambani and Radhika Merchant in India, which far surpassed the Bezos-Sánchez affair in both scale and expenditure, with costs estimated between $600 million and $1 billion, making it one of the most expensive weddings in history.
The Ambani wedding was a multi-day spectacle in Mumbai, featuring 11 pre-wedding events, a luxury cruise, and performances by international stars like Rihanna, Justin Bieber, Katy Perry, and the Backstreet Boys. The guest list was vast and global, including thousands of dignitaries, Bollywood celebrities, business leaders, and international icons such as Kim Kardashian, Tony Blair, and Priyanka Chopra.
While both weddings blended celebrity, luxury, and public scrutiny to become global spectacles, the Ambani celebration stood out for its unprecedented opulence, scale, and diversity of guests, whereas the Bezos-Sánchez wedding was distinguished by its European elegance, intimate setting, and the cultural conversation it sparked about wealth and exclusivity in iconic cities.