Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez’s wedding is coming up soon. I forgot that this is supposed to be a three-day affair in Venice – June 26-28. While that hasn’t been solidly confirmed, the New York Times had a story about Italians organizing protests and demonstrations against Bezos for those dates. So far, about 300 Italians are planning something. But I don’t think they’ll do much to disrupt what sounds like a huge military operation at this point. This is Jeff Bezos using his money to rent out one of the most famous cities in the world for three days.
In a little under two weeks, Bezos will marry Lauren Sánchez in a ceremony that will be markedly different from his first. This time, Bezos is essentially buying Venice.
However, at times like this it’s important to retain some sense of relativity. Sure, the wedding party has reportedly booked out five luxury hotels for the three-day bash as well as an island monastery that has twice hosted G7 summits, and it has commandeered the city’s entire fleet of water taxis; plus, Elton John and Lady Gaga are apparently playing at the reception. And, sure, the wedding itself might happen onboard Bezos’s $500 million super-yacht, Koru—a boat so ostentatious that it requires an additional $75 million yacht to trail it—which has to be moored away from the center of Venice because its size will disrupt the eco-system. But, still, let’s not forget that this is the pared-back version.
No, really. Rumors initially pegged the Bezos-Sánchez union for Aspen, which would host a $600 million blowout event. But that idea was shelved, possibly as a response to the almighty blowback the couple experienced when Bezos flew Sánchez to space with Katy Perry in matching skintight designer jumpsuits. Instead, they have chosen to be what one guest described as “less Marie Antoinette” about it, limiting themselves to a low-key $10 million bash. Try telling that to the locals, though.
That said, it should be pointed out that Venice wanted this. In fact, it actively lobbied for it, with the city council’s director general, Morris Ceron, being tipped off about it seven months beforehand by none other than Domenico Dolce, half of the Dolce & Gabbana design duo. “We were in competition with other places but we won out,” bragged Mayor Luigi Brugnaro of Ceron’s hustle. Or, as local activist Matteo Secchi told The Telegraph, “This is Venice behaving as a prostitute.”
In truth, for all its city-stopping spectacle, the most awe-inspiring thing about the Bezos-Sánchez marriage might be the pre-nup. Described by the Economic Times as “ironclad” and “on par with a major business merger, the deal has been months in the making and was apparently drafted because Bezos endured such a hit during his last divorce that his lawyers expressly forbade him from marrying Sánchez until something unsinkable had been put into place. After all, true love might be eternal, but so are those 007 rights. And let’s be honest, those are probably harder to replace.
Honestly, I understand the perspective of the Venice officials though – if they work with Bezos and lay some ground rules, things will move along smoothly and there won’t be any catastrophic damage to the delicate Venice ecosystem. People are acting like Bezos is going to drop the Koru’s anchor in the middle of a Venice canal – that is not what this is, although I think it’s accurate to describe it as “renting out an entire city.” As for the prenup… we’ve heard about that before, and it’s one of the least notable gossip stories. Of course Bezos is getting a prenup! He actually doesn’t need one though – Lauren isn’t leaving him.
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Cover Images, Backgrid.
