When billionaires get married, you can expect quite the soirée, and the Venice, Italy, nuptials of Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez were certainly that. This wedding had everything: couture fashion, a star-studded guest list, private jets, and—because a $50 million wedding without a little drama simply isn’t done—some very irked locals.
In case you missed it, Jeff Bezos got hitched again. That’s right, the founder of Amazon, Blue Origin space dude, and ex-husband of MacKenzie Scott has once again tied the knot. His bride is none other than Lauren Sánchez, an American journalist, helicopter pilot, and entertainment reporter. The pair have been together since 2019 and became engaged on board Bezos’ yacht. Because of course they did.
Their big day was June 27th, 2025, and because they could, they rented most of Maggiore Island in Venice for their nuptials. Their guest list was more star-studded than a planetarium. Oprah, Leonardo DiCaprio, at least two Kardashians, members of the Jordanian royal family, and numerous high-end models all received invitations. The music was handled by none other than Matteo Bocelli, and while the wedding itself was only one day, there were dinner parties and possibly even a PJ party or two leading up to “I do.”
Now. This is an article about a wedding, so let’s talk about the dress. Sánchez was escorted down the aisle by her two sons, wearing a custom Dolce & Gabbana gown. The high-necked number was fully covered in lace, had no fewer than 180 buttons, and was inspired by Sophia Loren. That dress? It took 900 hours to make. In addition to a wedding gown that belongs in a museum, Sánchez rocked couture looks all weekend, so if she was looking to earn her “well-dressed” badge for scouts, she’s got that locked down.
All of the above sounds fine and dandy, but not everyone was thrilled with the happenings. Venice locals held protests throughout the week. Hot-button issues include: over-tourism of their home, disruption of their day-to-day life, and rising local costs in order to accommodate said over-tourism. The backlash was so intense that the ceremony had to be moved back. The good news is that the happy couple heard the critics calling them tone-deaf, and asked their guests to please open their wallets and donate to local charities. It helped, but given that this wedding was so extra it literally changed the city’s traffic patterns… you can see the locals’ point.
Was the Bezos-Sánchez wedding an event to remember? Probably. Was it glamorous? Absolutely. Was it maybe a little bit out of touch? Also yes. Regardless, Jeff and Lauren have ridden happily off into the sunset, and the City of Venice can take a minute and recover from the post-wedding hangover.
