VENICE: Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and journalist Lauren Sanchez began three days of lavish wedding celebrations in Venice on Thursday (Jun 26), with tight security shielding their VIP guests from protesters.
Bill Gates, Orlando Bloom and the Queen of Jordan were among the latest arrivals, joining Oprah Winfrey, Kris Jenner and Kim and Khloe Kardashian.
US President Donald Trump’s daughter Ivanka and son-in-law Jared Kushner, who arrived earlier this week, have used the extra time for sightseeing and shopping.
Some 200 to 250 guests from show business, politics and finance are expected to attend the event, widely dubbed the “wedding of the century” and estimated to cost around US$50 million.
The event has stirred debate about its impact on one of the world’s most iconic cities. Protesters see it as an example of Venice being gift-wrapped for ultra-wealthy outsiders, while others have welcomed the spectacle and the spending.
An activist climbed one of the poles in St Mark’s Square on Thursday, unfurling a banner that read “The 1% ruins the world” in protest against the presence of billionaire Bezos.
Guests gathered on Thursday evening in the cloisters of Madonna dell’Orto, a medieval church in the Cannaregio district that hosts masterpieces by 16th-century painter Tintoretto.
The city council banned pedestrians and water traffic from the area from 4.30pm to midnight, to ensure security and privacy for the attendees.
LUXURY VENUE AND SECRET CEREMONY
Bezos, 61, and Sanchez, 55, landed in Venice by helicopter on Wednesday and took up residence in the luxury Aman hotel, where rooms overlooking the Grand Canal start at €4,000 (US$4,686) per night.
They are expected to exchange vows on Friday on the island of San Giorgio, opposite St Mark’s Square, in a ceremony that reportedly will not have legal status under Italian law.
Some reports suggest the couple may already have legally wed in the United States.
Celebrations are set to conclude on Saturday with a wedding party at the Arsenale, a former shipyard now used as an arts venue in the Castello district.
The “No Space for Bezos” movement has pledged more protests against what they call the commodification of Venice. However, many locals have voiced support for such high-end events.
