Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez's wedding: Everything we know so far
Billionaire Amazon founder Jeff Bezos is getting ready to walk down the aisle with his fiancée of several years, Lauren Sánchez.
The two, who went public with their relationship in 2019 and got engaged in 2023, will tie the knot in Venice, Italy, the city previously confirmed.
The wedding comes about six years after the Amazon founder began dating Sánchez following his split from ex-wife and author MacKenzie Scott. The former couple shares four children together. Sanchez, meanwhile, has three children, two with her former husband of 13 years, Patrick Whitesell and one with former NFL tight end Tony Gonzalez.
The union between the tech mogul, 61, and former television journalist, 55, is shaping up to be a star-studded event.
Lauren's older brother, Paul Sánchez likened his sister's wedding to a royal wedding, telling TMZ in March "I think it's gonna be like a Princess Di thing," referring to Princess Diana’s 1981 wedding to then Prince Charles.
"Just huge and fun, and just a blast," he said.
Here's what to know about the upcoming Bezos-Sánchez wedding.
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When is Jeff Bezos' wedding to Lauren Sánchez?
Bezos and Sánchez have been rather tight-lipped about their upcoming nuptials, and the exact date of their wedding has not been revealed. Reuters and The New York Times reported the three-day wedding is likely to occur between June 26 and 28.
But first, a foam party
The couple has seemingly kicked off their wedding week with a foam party on Bezos' multi-million dollar yacht Koru off the coast of Europe on June 22, according to photos published by media outlets including Fox News and People. Bezos, Sánchez and their guests were photographed in swimsuits, playing with foam that bubbled up on the deck.
Where are Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez getting married?
Bezos and Sánchez's destination wedding is expected to take place in Venice, according to city administration.
"The many speculations and fake news circulating about Jeff Bezos' wedding are completely unfounded," the city said in a March statement. "Only two hundred guests will have been invited and therefore it will be easy for Venice to accommodate such an event, without any disruption whatsoever to the city, its residents and visitors.
"The organization (Bezos and guests) have categorically not booked large amounts of gondolas or excessive numbers of water taxis," the statement added. "It is their utmost priority to make sure the city functions as normal, for all, with no abnormal disruption to anyone."
Amid ongoing protests and threats of disruption to the wedding party, the celebrations have reportedly been moved to an isolated, less accessible part of the lagoon city, Reuters and CNN reported.
After the wedding ceremony, the location of which is unknown, the newlyweds and their guests will head to a hall of the Arsenale, a renovated maritime area on the outer edge of Venice. The vast 14th-century complex in the eastern Castello district, known for hosting the Venice Biennale art fair, is surrounded by water and impossible to reach by land when connecting bridges are raised.
When did Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez get engaged? Relationship timeline
Bezos popped the question to Sánchez on Koru during a trip to the Cannes Film Festival in May 2023, when he hid a box containing a $2.5 million pink engagement ring under her pillow, Sánchez shared with Vogue.
"When he opened the box, I think I blacked out a bit," she told the outlet.
Who is on the guest list?
Given the secrecy around the nuptials, it comes as no surprise that the guest list has also been kept tightly under wraps.
However, several media outlets, including The New York Times and People, have reported the star-studded guest list will include the likes of Katy Perry and Gayle King, who traveled to space with Sánchez on a Blue Origin flight in April, Oprah Winfrey, Mick Jagger, Salma Hayek, Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner. President Donald Trump has also reportedly been invited but will not be attending the wedding, the Times reported.
Other attendees may include Kris Jenner, Kim Kardashian and Eva Longoria, all of whom were part of Sánchez's bachelorette party, which took place in May in Paris.
Guests who were part of the couple's two engagement parties could also be in attendance.
While the first party took place on Bezos' yacht on the Amalfi Coast in Italy in August 2023, the second one took place at designer Diane von Furstenberg and businessman Barry Diller's home in Beverly Hills, Paste BN previously reported. Those in attendance at the California celebration included Winfrey, Hayek, Jenner, actors Barbra Streisand and Robert Pattinson, recording artist Jewel, models Suki Waterhouse and Miranda Kerr, and designer Sarah Staudinger.
Which designer will Lauren Sánchez wear to her wedding?
Sánchez has not revealed which designer she will be wearing to her wedding. The former TV anchor said in a November interview with the "Today" show she's "thinking about the dress."
"I have to say, I do have a Pinterest − I'm just like every other bride, so I do have a Pinterest board," Sánchez said.
Earlier, in an interview with Vogue, the future Mrs. Bezos named Christian Dior, Dolce & Gabbana and Valentino as her favorites.
Italy protests
As the nuptials draw closer, locals in Venice are protesting against the wedding and seeing the celebrations as a sign of garish commodification of a fragile city, that has long been overrun with tourism while steadily depopulating, Reuters reported. However, city authorities are defending the grand wedding, estimated to cost $23 million-$34 million according to regional governor Luca Zaia, who added it is expected to bring an economic boost to local businesses.
Activists from Greenpeace Italy and U.K. group "Everyone hates Elon" (Musk) unfolded a giant banner in central St. Mark's Square June 23 with a picture of Bezos laughing and a sign reading: "If you can rent Venice for your wedding, you can pay more tax."
Locals have also threatened peaceful blockades against the event on the day of, saying Venice needed public services and housing, not VIPs and over-tourism.
"The problem is not the wedding, the problem is the system. We think that one big billionaire can't rent a city for his pleasure," one of the protesters, Simona Abbate told Reuters.
Bezos and Sánchez, meanwhile, will make generous charity donations, including a million euros for Corila, an academic consortium that studies Venice's lagoon ecosystem, Italy's Corriere della Sera newspaper and the ANSA news agency reported. The couple has reportedly also requested wedding guests to make donations in lieu of gifts.
Celebrity weddings in Venice, Italy
Bezos and Sánchez are not the first celebrity couple to choose Italy for their destination wedding. A hot spot for celebrity nuptials, George and Amal Clooney also wed in Venice in 2014, as did Salma Hayek and her billionaire husband François-Henri Pinault in 2009.
Contributing: Anna Kaufman, Amanda Lee Myers, Paste BN; Reuters
Saman Shafiq is a trending news reporter for Paste BN. Reach her at sshafiq@gannett.com and follow her on X and Instagram @saman_shafiq7.