Lauren Sánchez, with a new Instagram username, revealed to the world that she and billionaire and Amazon founder Jeff Bezos had exchanged “I dos.”
In 2019, Bezos divorced his wife of 25 years, MacKenzie Scott. The divorce was expensive for Bezos, as Scott received $38.3 billion worth of Amazon stock as part of the divorce agreement. That same year, Sánchez divorced her husband of 13 years, Patrick Whitesell. Their divorces came months after they were photographed spending time together.
Four years after his divorce from Scott, Bezos proposed to Sánchez in 2023 on his yacht, Koru. Sánchez disclosed to Vogue that Jeff hid the engagement ring under her pillow after dinner. Unaware that she was about to be a fiancée for a second time, she removed her makeup and got ready for bed. That is when she found the box. “I think I blacked out a bit,” she told the magazine about the moment Bezos asked her to be his wife.
The speculations about where and when the couple would get married, and what fashion designer Sánchez would wear on her wedding day, began immediately after they announced their engagement.
In March of this year, the city of Venice confirmed that Bezos and Sánchez would be getting married there. To quell fears and dispel rumors that the wedding would disrupt the city, its inhabitants, and other guests, the city also revealed that the couple was only inviting 200 people to their wedding. A number that the city said it could accommodate, given its experience hosting much larger events such as the G20 and G7 summits.
After this revelation, people began speculating how many days the wedding would last, how much it would cost, and who would be one of the 200 lucky wedding guests. While some speculated about the wedding, others protested it. Venetians and activists from around Italy came together under the movement No Space for Bezos, a play on Jeff’s aerospace company, Blue Origin, to protest the anticipated arrival of Bezos, Sánchez, and their 200 wedding guests in Venice.
In the lead-up to the wedding, protesters held demonstrations, plastered anti-Bezos stickers, erected mannequins of Bezos, and hung up banners around Venice.
The purpose of the protests was to “highlight the profound impact that the richest, like Bezos, are having on governments, the climate, media outlets, and ultimately on justice,” said Extinction Rebellion Italia, a faction of the international science-based and grassroots movement, Extinction Rebellion (XR).
Extinction Rebellion Italia joined the protests by having some of its members climb a crane in front of a hotel they believed some of the 200 guests were staying at and unveil a banner that read “Tax the rich to give back to the planet.”
City officials were not pleased with the protests and demonstrations against Bezos and the wedding happening around Venice. Mayor Luigi Brugnaro said he was “ashamed” and couldn’t comprehend why people would protest the wedding of Bezos. Telling the BBC, “What other city would organise a committee against the wedding of such an important person?”
The protests and demonstrations seemed to have also caught the attention of Bezos and Sánchez, as they decided to move their post-wedding party from the Scuola Grande della Misericordia, a medieval former religious school, to the Arsenale, a complex of former shipyards that is surrounded by water and unaccesable by foot when the connecting bridges are raised, because of “security concerns and to prevent the risk of protests,” a source told Reuters.
The change of venue came after some protesters threatened to use their bodies and inflatable alligators to block the canals and pathways used to reach the Scuola Grande della Misericordia, so that the wedding guests would have trouble reaching it.
Protesters claimed the change of venue as an “enormous victory.” We are very proud of this! We are nobodies, we have no money, nothing!” Tommaso Cacciari, a leader of No Space for Bezos, told the BBC. “We’re just citizens who started organising and we managed to move one of the most powerful people in the world – all the billionaires – out of the city,” Cacciari continued.
Nonetheless, undeterred by the protesters, Bezos and Sánchez arrived in Venice via helicopter on June 25 to kick off their wedding week after months of anticipation. The couple made their way via a water taxi to the Aman Hotel, where they stayed for the duration of their wedding week. Many news outlets reported that the couple had booked out the Aman Hotel and four other luxurious hotels, the Hotel Gritti Palace, Hotel Danieli, St. Regis, and Belmond Cipriani for the week.
June 26: Arrivals and Welcome Party
The next day, the wedding guests arrived. The who’s who of the entertainment industry arrived for the wedding. They included the Kardashian-Jenners, Oprah Winfrey, Tom Brady, Orlando Bloom, Usher, and Leonardo DiCaprio, who hid his face from the prying eyes of the public and the lenses of the paparazzi by accessorizing his looks for the week with a black Los Angeles Dodgers baseball hat that he wore down to his nose.
One invitee who was unable to attend the wedding was President Donald Trump. The Wall Street Journal reported that Bezos invited President Trump to his wedding. The president was unable to attend because of scheduling conflicts, people close to him told the newspaper. However, the President’s daughter, Ivanka Trump, and her family were in attendance.
Protesters continued to demonstrate against Bezos and the wedding as guests arrived with Extinction Rebellion Italia holding a “protest wedding” at the Piazza San Marco.
A male and female demonstrator appeared to be on stilts, wearing masquerade masks, and wearing a tuxedo and a dress, respectively. Each of them was holding two leashes that were loosely around the necks of four fellow demonstrators who were on their knees, wearing black masks, and signs around their necks that read “Media,” “Justice,” “Governments,” and “Business.”
Meanwhile, another male demonstrator climbed up a nearby pole and unveiled a banner that read “The 1% ruins the world.” Another female demonstrator attempted to climb a pole as well, but the police stopped her by holding onto her ankles. Other demonstrators held up signs and chanted “We are the 99%.”
The police carried away some of the demonstrators one by one by their ankles and wrists.
That evening, Bezos, Sánchez, and their wedding guests walked out of their hotels onto water taxis that took them to the Madonna dell’Orto church, the venue for the welcome party. The party officially marked the start of the three-day wedding celebrations.
There are no photos of the wedding events except for the one that Sánchez shared on Instagram to announce to the world that she and Bezos were now married, as guests had to adhere to a no-phone policy.
However, a source shared with PEOPLE what was on the menu for the welcome party.
According to this source, the menu included pizza cooked on-site by a famous Neapolitan chef, fried zucchini flowers, arancini, octopus, and cod. Lemon cakes and pastries were available if guests still had room for dessert. The source described the atmosphere inside as “low-key.” Unfortunately, the roaring and downpour of a thunderstorm ended the party early.
While guests ate pizza, mingled with one another, and got soaked by the thunderstorm, protesters from Reclaim The Tech lit up the San Marco bell tower with a green laser. They projected messages such as “FCK BZS” and “No Kings No Bezos.”
June 27: Wedding day
After going to sleep to the sounds of a thunderstorm, Sánchez woke up to clear blue skies on June 27, her wedding day. She waved and blew kisses to the crowd and paparazzi waiting to catch a glimpse of her before stepping onto a water taxi to head over to San Giorgio Maggiore, the wedding venue. Wearing a black tuxedo, Bezos made his way to San Giorgio Maggiore hours after Sánchez arrived at the venue.
Later in the day, the wedding guests, in their formal attire, arrived at the venue.
According to “Business Insider” journalist Joshua-Nelken Zitser, who was one of the many journalists who went to Venice to cover what some called the “wedding of the century”, the guests entered the venue through a hidden entrance that was out of the view from him and others trying to catch a glimpse of the A-list guests arriving.
Sánchez, in a pre-wedding interview with Vogue and several news outlets, revealed details about the wedding ceremony and the party that followed.
According to Vanity Fair, Matteo Bocelli, the son of legendary Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli, serenaded the A-list crowd with “Anime Imperfette” and Elvis Presley’s “Can’t Help Falling in Love” as the groom and bride made their entrance. A gospel choir also serenaded attendees with Whitney Houston’s “Higher Love,” reported “Page Six.”
Sánchez, wearing a Dolce & Gabbana lace wedding dress inspired by the wedding dress actress Sophia Loren wore in the film Houseboat, was walked down the aisle by her two sons, Niko, whose father is NFL Hall of Famer Tony Gonzalez, and Evan, from her previous marriage to Whitesell. Her daughter, Ella, whose father is also Whitesell, was her maid of honor and delivered a reading.
TMZ revealed that the wedding after-party went until 2 a.m.. Norwegian DJ Kygo had the newly married couple and their guests dancing. Tom Brady reportedly took over at one point for Kygo. Singer and wedding guest Ellie Goulding sang 4 or 5 songs. Matteo continued his serenading at the after-party.
As for the menu, it was Italian. The guests feasted on lots of pasta and meats.
Guests were treated to a fireworks display to conclude the day’s itinerary, reported “Page Six.”
Some guests continued partying past 3 a.m.. TMZ reported that Bloom, Brady, Sydney Sweeney, the Kardashians, Scooter Braun, Michael Keeves, and Gonzalez took the after-party to the Hotel Gritti Palace.
As for protests, there were no reports of protests that day. The protesters may have wanted to rest their vocal cords and legs for the planned protests the following day.
June 28: Pajama Party
The following day, on June 28, the newlyweds stepped out for the first time as a married couple and headed to a Venice staple, Harry’s Bar, to have lunch. They had lunch with Usher and Tommy Hilfiger, reported “Page Six.” The restaurant was closed for the duration of their lunch. After lunch at Harry’s, the couple returned to their hotel to get ready for the final wedding celebration, a pajama party.
While the newlyweds and their wedding guests were getting ready for the pajama party, protesters descended to the streets of Venice to protest Bezos and the wedding once again. Protesters held a variety of flags and signs as they walked behind a banner that read “No Bezos No War.” Some of the signs held up by protesters read “Kisses Yes Bezos No” and “No Kings.” Other protesters walked to the Rialto Bridge, where they set off flares and unveiled a banner that read “No Space For Bezos!”
City officials resorted to insults in response to Saturday’s protests. Venice’s deputy mayor called the protesters “narcissists,” and Mayor Brugnaro said Bezos was more Venetian than they were.
As the protests were happening, the newlyweds and their guests headed to the Arsenale in their pajamas for the pajama party. The pajama party started at 7 p.m. and went until 4 a.m., according to a source PEOPLE spoke to. Usher and DJ Cassidy provided the entertainment. The two had everyone dancing, which is a perfect way to sweat away the calories from Italian desserts. Guests could enjoy an assortment of Italian desserts from a buffet, including tiramisu, cannolis, and chocolate.
The newlyweds also treated their guests to a fireworks display over the Venice Laguna around 10:30 p.m., said the source.
June 29: Departure
The following day, the newlyweds and their 200 wedding guests exited their hotels, boarded water taxis, hopped on their private jets, for some, their yachts, and left Venice. Officially concluding the Bezos’ three-day multi-million-dollar wedding spectacle.
As for the protesters, they rolled up their flags, banners, and signs and vanished back into the community they care so much about. But before they vanished, some had a departing message for Mayor Brugnaro.
Extinction Rebellion Italia’s message to the Mayor:
“Make Venice great again for its inhabitants. Communicate clearly and with urgency the devastating effects of the climate and ecological crisis on the city. Invest in structural and long-term measures required to respect the Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy signed by the city in 2012 and to restore the lagoonal ecosystems, which are on the verge of collapse because of increasing temperatures and decades of industrial pollution. To reach these honourable objectives, we also ask you to implement public participation methods. Venetians have been left out from the conversation for too long. We want a say in the future of the city, and we are committed to protecting our existence and future in the city.”