Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez Celebrate Wedding in Venice

Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and media personality Lauren Sánchez have commenced their three-day wedding celebrations in Venice, Italy, with guests arriving in the picturesque lagoon city since Thursday morning. After extensive preparations and discussions surrounding security concerns, the couple did not arrive via Bezos's luxury sailing yacht, Koru, as initially planned. Instead, they used a helicopter from Croatia, where their vessels were anchored due to advice from Italian authorities regarding heightened security risks related to ongoing regional conflicts.

The couple is staying in the opulent 'wedding suite' at the Aman hotel, a lavish establishment located in the Palazzo Papadopoli along the Grand Canal, with nightly rates reaching approximately EUR11,000. Many of the 250 invited VIP guests are also accommodated at the Aman, while others have chosen various luxury hotels throughout the city, including the Gritti Palace and the St. Regis.

As the wedding festivities began, a breakfast gathering took place in the garden of Villa Baslini, an ancient monastery situated on Torcello Island. The evening's agenda includes a gala dinner held in the cloister of the Madonna dell'Orto church in the Cannaregio district, expected to extend into the early hours.

In anticipation of the wedding, security measures have intensified around event locations. Only 35 motorboats, chartered specifically for wedding guests, are allowed to navigate the canals near Madonna dell'Orto, and pedestrian traffic in the vicinity has been restricted. Access to San Giorgio Island, where the actual ceremony is scheduled for Friday, has been closed to the public, with additional security protocols in place, including bans on drone and aircraft activity.

Meanwhile, a small group of protestors gathered on St. Mark's Square, displaying signs denouncing Bezos and advocating for peace in the Gaza Strip. The protests were organized by the initiative 'No Space for Bezos' and the environmental organization Greenpeace, both of which have previously expressed their dissent against the lavish wedding and its environmental implications. Further demonstrations have been announced for the day of the wedding, with estimates suggesting the total cost of the celebrations could reach up to EUR30 million.