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Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez have officially arrived in Venice, Italy, ahead of what is shaping up to be one of the most lavish celebrity weddings of the year. The couple, seen stepping off a helicopter onto Bezos' yacht support vessel Abeona on Wednesday, later made a glamorous arrival at the Aman Hotel via water taxi—marking their first public appearance in the city since news of the event broke.
Their wedding, slated to unfold across three days from June 26 to June 28, will feature a cascade of high-profile guests. Ivanka Trump, Jared Kushner, and designer Diane von Fürstenberg were spotted arriving Tuesday, June 24, hinting at the scale of the guest list. A source told People the ceremonies will begin with a welcome dinner at a cloister near the Madonna dell'Orto church, followed by the main event at San Giorgio Maggiore—an island transformed by the Giorgio Cini Foundation into a prestigious venue.
Adding a musical flourish to the black-tie affair, Matteo Bocelli—son of Andrea Bocelli—is scheduled to perform. "It's going to be an amazing event... star-studded and fun," Sánchez's brother, Paul, told TMZ earlier this year.
However, the glamour has not gone unnoticed by the local community. Reports from Reuters and BBC News revealed that a planned celebration at Scuola Grande della Misericordia was relocated to the Arsenale due to rising security concerns and the potential for public protests. The new venue, surrounded by water and only accessible when connecting bridges are lowered, allows for tighter control and minimal disruptions.
Local response has been mixed. While Venice Mayor Luigi Brugnaro called the occasion "an honor," others expressed concern over the strain such events place on a city already grappling with mass tourism. In response, the wedding's planners—Lanza & Baucina—issued a detailed statement through Fox News Digital, affirming that "minimizing disruption" was central to Bezos and Sánchez's vision. "Rumors of 'taking over' the city are entirely false... no exaggerated quantity of water taxis or gondolas have ever been booked," the statement read.
Notably, the couple was also photographed days earlier enjoying a foam party aboard Bezos' \$500 million yacht Koru off the Croatian coast. That scene—a mix of playful beach balls and frothy bubbles—stood in stark contrast to the tight-lipped precision of the unfolding Venetian spectacle.
As Venice braces for the culmination of the three-day affair, all eyes remain on the floating city. One thing is certain: this wedding, like its hosts, refuses to go unnoticed.
