Topline
A wedding between billionaire Jeff Bezos and his fiancée Lauren Sanchez will be hosted in Venice, the Italian city said Saturday, as local officials decried “fake news” that claimed the event would feature hundreds of attendees and disrupt locals and tourists.
Bezos and Sanchez have been engaged since May 2023.
Key Facts
Venice will host Bezos’ nuptials with Sanchez in an event featuring 200 guests, a limit creating ease for the city to “accommodate such an event, without disruption whatsoever to the city, its residents and visitors,” the city said in a statement.
Venice did not disclose the date for Bezos’ wedding in its announcement, though city officials have reportedly confirmed a three-day celebration will span June 24 to June 26.
The city appeared to deny reports by Italian outlets that claimed the wedding had booked most of Venice’s gondolas and water taxis, noting that Venice has “categorically not booked large amounts of gondolas or excessive numbers of water taxis.”
While hosting the wedding, Venice said it is the “utmost priority” to make sure its functions are “as normal, for all, with no abnormal disruption to anyone.”
Venice Mayor Luigi Brugnaro said the city is “mutually working and supporting” the wedding organizers “to ensure that the event will be absolutely respectful of the fragility and uniqueness of the city.”
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Crucial Quote
“The many speculations and fake news circulating about Jeff Bezos’ wedding are completely unfounded,” Venice said in a statement, adding, “Our city has much experience in international events much larger than this.”
Forbes Valuation
Bezos, Amazon’s chairman and founder, is the second-wealthiest person in the world with an estimated net worth of $209.2 billion.
Key Background
Speculation about Bezos’ wedding with Sanchez has spread in recent weeks in the lead-up to the event. Some reports have suggested Bezos’ upcoming wedding would feature hundreds of celebrities, with several of Venice’s luxury hotels already fully booked and the city’s entire fleet of water taxis made available to guests. Venice’s gondola association said the city did not report an increase in reservations for June, CNN reported. Bezos and Sanchez, a former broadcast journalist, became engaged in May 2023, after first going public as a couple in 2019. Bezos was previously married to MacKenzie Scott, with whom he has four children, for 25 years.
Further Reading
Jeff Bezos Is Planning A Lavish Venice Wedding. But It Might Not Have The Best View In Town (CNN)
