VENICE, Italy – The historic canals of Venice are set to host one of the year’s most high-profile events—the wedding of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and journalist Lauren Sanchez—but the celebration has sparked fierce debate in the lagoon city. While some anticipate a star-studded spectacle, others fear the billionaire’s nuptials will exacerbate Venice’s struggles with over-tourism and inequality.
With exact details still shrouded in secrecy, the wedding is expected to take place between June 23 and 28, drawing A-list guests from Hollywood, Silicon Valley, and the fashion world. Yet not everyone is rolling out the red carpet. Activists have plastered banners across the Rialto Bridge declaring “No space for Bezos” and threatening peaceful blockades.
“Bezos arrogantly believes he can take over the city and turn it into his own private party venue,” said Tommaso Cacciari, a prominent figure in the protest movement. Critics argue Venice, already buckling under mass tourism, needs affordable housing and public services—not another celebrity spectacle.
Local officials, including Mayor Luigi Brugnaro and Veneto Governor Luca Zaia, insist the wedding will deliver an economic windfall for gondoliers, hotels, and restaurants. The event is expected to be far more intimate than initially feared, with just 200 guests, according to city reassurances aimed at calming residents’ concerns.
The Bezos-Sanchez wedding is not Venice’s first brush with high-profile matrimony. In 2014, George and Amal Clooney’s lavish ceremony transformed the city into a Hollywood playground, thrilling locals and visitors alike. But a decade later, patience for such events appears to be wearing thin.
Bezos, 61—the world’s third-richest man—and Sanchez, 55, got engaged in 2023 after years of dating. Both bring blended families to the union: Bezos has four children with ex-wife MacKenzie Scott, while Sanchez shares two children with ex-husband Patrick Whitesell and a son with former NFL star Tony Gonzalez.
The couple’s choice of Venice comes as the city tightens tourism controls, including a new entry fee for day-trippers. Yet critics say the wedding symbolizes a deeper issue—a city increasingly catering to the ultra-wealthy while locals struggle with rising costs and dwindling space.
As final preparations unfold, Venice braces for a clash of glamour and discontent. Will the wedding be remembered as a dazzling moment in the city’s storied history—or another flashpoint in the battle over its soul?
