Tech magnate Jeff Bezos, founder of Amazon, and his fiancée Lauren Sanchez celebrated their multi-million dollar nuptials over three days in Venice, Italy, drawing a star-studded guest list and significant local attention. The elaborate festivities, widely dubbed the “wedding of the century,” reportedly involved an estimated cost of 40-48 million euros ($46-$56 million) and saw approximately 200 to 250 VIP guests descending upon the romantic lagoon city.

The celebrations commenced on a Thursday with an open-air soiree held in the cloisters of the 14th-century Madonna dell'Orto church. High-profile attendees, including US reality TV personalities Kim and Khloe Kardashian, talk show host Oprah Winfrey, Jordan's Queen Rania, British actor Orlando Bloom, US football player Tom Brady, Ivanka Trump, and American fashion designer Spencer Antle, were seen arriving by speed boat and water taxis. Many of the celebrities, along with the couple themselves, were reported to be staying at the exclusive Aman Venice Hotel, a luxury 16th-century palazzo situated on the Grand Canal.

The main wedding ceremony, a black-tie event, took place on Friday on the small island of San Giorgio Maggiore, located directly across from St. Mark’s Square. According to Italian media reports, the vows were exchanged in a vast open-air amphitheater on the island, which is also home to the Cini Foundation. The newlyweds were reportedly serenaded by Matteo Bocelli, son of famed opera singer Andrea Bocelli. The lavish events were set to conclude on Saturday with a grand party at the Arsenale, a vast former medieval shipyard complex in the eastern Castello district, chosen for its secure, water-surrounded location.

Despite the opulence and celebrity glamour, the event was met with significant local protests. Demonstrators gathered in St. Mark's Square, accusing authorities of prioritizing the super-rich while the city struggled with overtourism. Concerns were also raised by environmental activists regarding the carbon footprint generated by the estimated 90 private jets and numerous mega yachts bringing guests to Venice, with some locals expressing frustration that the city was being turned into a “private amusement park for the rich.”

In response to the criticism, Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez made a notable donation of 3 million euros to three local Venetian institutions: CORILA (an academic consortium focused on the lagoon ecosystem), UNESCO's local office, and the Venice International University. Veneto’s regional president, Luca Zaia, publicly welcomed Bezos to Venice and thanked the couple for their “gesture of extraordinary generosity.” While some locals echoed the protesters' sentiments, others, like an 83-year-old resident named Adriana, saw the event as a positive for local business, filling luxury hotels and potentially inspiring others to marry in Venice, distinguishing it from