A three-day wedding in Venice, a potential spread in Vogue, and a jam-packed guest list. In any other case, this might be considered the chicest wedding of the decade. But Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez’s nuptials this week are already proving pretty controversial.
The tech billionaire, currently the 4th richest man in the world, has ruffled feathers by deciding to wed in the Italian lagoon city, which is sinking at a rate of one to two millimetres a year, exacerbated by rising sea levels. Oxfam has previously estimated that it would take an average person 207 years to emit as much carbon as Jeff Bezos does in 12 months — and that’s only counting the impact of his private jet.
And let’s not forget the controversy of Bezos’s courtship with the 55-year-old former TV journalist. Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez were found to be romantically involved while both still married to their previous partners, Mackenzie Scott and Patrick Whitesell. When their affair was exposed in 2019, it came with a series of embarrassing sexts and alleged nude pictures.
So they’re not exactly America’s sweethearts, nor Venice’s. But there will be some people looking on fondly as the pair tie the knot: their close, personal, powerful friends — many of whom have already arrived as the three-day affair kicked off yesterday. Though the pair’s welcome party was rained off by an unseasonal thunderstorm — no doubt the locals will relish this as delicious schadenfreude.
Here’s all the celebrities that have been sighted boarding some of the many water taxis reserved by the newlyweds-to-be so far.
Arriving in Dolce & Gabbana in keeping with the Italian backdrop on Thursday were Kylie Jenner and Kendall Jenner.
While their sister Skims founder Kim Kardashian was spotted landing in the city alongside mum Kris Jenner and Khloe Kardashian earlier the same day.
Kim wore a Balenciaga boob tube, skirt and snakeskin heels, while Khloe opted for a leopard print jumpsuit and their matriarch wore a black lace confection.
Kim has become close with Sánchez over the past few years and recently attended her bachelorette party in Paris. “Lauren and I are always sending DMs building each other up,” Kardashian has previously told Vogue of their friendship. “Every time there’s a look that we like, she’ll say, ‘WOW,’ or, ‘OMG you look amazing.’ She’s such a girl’s girl.”
Kris is also close with Sánchez, and is attending with her partner Corey Gamble as her plus one. “You are an amazing mom, fiancé, sister, daughter, and girlfriend, and I am so blessed to have you and Jeff in our lives,” Kris Jenner wrote on Instagram for Sánchez’s birthday last year. “We have made the most delicious memories together and I can’t wait to make more!”
There appears to be one very famous face absent from the wedding proceedings. Katy Perry, Sánchez’s “space sister” who accompanied her on the all-female Blue Origin flight to space this April performed in Australia on June 26, the first day of the wedding celebrations. Meanwhile, Orlando Bloom was seen arriving in white, alone, amid rumours of the couple having split.
However, one of Sanchez’s space sisters, the presenter Gayle King has been seen arriving alongside TV royalty Oprah Winfrey.
Fashion designer Diane Von Furstenberg was one of the first guests to arrive in Venice, having jetted into Venice Marco Polo airport on Wednesday afternoon.
Ivanka Trump, partner Jared Kushner and their three kids, Arabella Rose, Joseph Frederick and Theodore James have also all made their way into the city of water. As has Italian model Vittoria Ceretti, as well as Leo DiCaprio.
According to reports, the entertainment for the wedding is pretty impressive, with Elton John allegedly scheduled to perform as well as Lady Gaga. “Lauren wanted some big talent to sing for them and it just doesn't get any bigger than Gaga and Elton,” a source told the Daily Mail before the big day.
“It also helps that Gaga and Elton are good friends and were happy to do it together, which is cool. It will be like a mini vacation for the besties.” However, reps for Lady Gaga and Elton John have denied the stars will be performing at the wedding, despite repeated reports.
Other high-profile A-listers slated to attend are Fantastic Four actress Jessica Alba, who has been friends with Sánchez for years, since before her relationship with Bezos, and Desperate Housewives star Eva Longoria, who also attended the bachelorette party.
Longoria and Sánchez bonded over their position as Latina women who have worked in the entertainment industry. Speaking in a joint interview for The Hollywood Reporter, Longoria said of their friendship: “You and I constantly have these conversations that inspire each other. Instead of sending each other memes, we send [reports] about the Latin community not being represented in TV and movies and the media.”
“I know, we send each other white papers,” Sánchez responded. “I'll send you a study, and you'll text back, “I already read it.’ You and I both have this huge commitment to empowering underrepresented communities, especially Latinas.”
TMZ have also reported that Karlie Kloss and her husband Joshua Kushner have made the list.
As for the other tech bros: billionaire Bill Gates and CEO of TKO Group Holdings Ari Emanuel were also present for the couple's engagement party, promoting suspicion that they will attend the wedding.
