Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez are hosting one of the most extravagant weddings of the year, a three-day spectacle unfolding in Venice from June 26 to 28. The celebrations blend Hollywood glamour, aristocratic mystery, and philanthropic intent, all against the backdrop of one of the world’s most historic and delicate cities. With a guest list packed with royalty, tech giants, and fashion icons, the event is already making headlines before the vows have even been exchanged.
Set across Venice’s iconic San Giorgio Maggiore and the historic Arsenale district, the wedding is expected to cost over €40 million and has drawn more than 200 high-profile guests. Oprah Winfrey, Leonardo DiCaprio, Kim and Khloé Kardashian, Diane von Fürstenberg, Queen Rania of Jordan, and Bill Gates are just a few of the names expected to attend. Many have arrived by private yacht or helicopter, joining a swirl of pre-ceremony events including a foam party aboard Bezos’s $500 million superyacht, Koru.
Planning for the wedding has been tightly controlled by the Italian event masterminds behind George Clooney’s Lake Como ceremony. Lanza & Baucina are known for their discretion and efficiency, which has proven essential as protests erupted around the city, forcing some schedule changes. Environmental activists opposing Bezos’s presence in Venice staged symbolic demonstrations, including a floating crocodile and signs reading “No Space for Bezos.” In response, parts of the celebration were discreetly shifted away from central landmarks to more private venues.
Despite its extravagance, the event leans heavily on a theme of local support and environmental care. More than 80% of vendors involved are from Venice, and the couple has requested no wedding gifts. Instead, they’re making personal donations to UNESCO Venice, lagoon conservation group CORILA, and Venice International University. Bezos has already doubled his donation to lagoon research from €1 million to €2 million, highlighting a philanthropic thread running beneath the spectacle.
The ceremony itself is set to take place at the 16th-century Basilica di San Giorgio, with a musical performance by Matteo Bocelli. The weekend will close with a Gatsby-style ball at the Arsenale, where some of the world’s most influential figures will toast under the stars in a celebration that merges prestige, power, and careful intention. At a time when billionaire weddings can easily feel out of touch, this one strikes a rare balance—lavish but considered, high-profile yet intimate in meaning.
Bezos and Sánchez’s wedding is more than a display of wealth. It’s a curated moment of cultural weight, a global media event, and, at its heart, a declaration of style and substance that’s as much about Venice as it is about the couple.
