By Nadia Ntiamoah
What was billed as the “wedding of the year” for Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and media personality Lauren Sanchez turned into a striking demonstration of both opulence and outrage, as the couple’s multi-day celebration in Venice, Italy, drew not only A-list celebrities but also fierce criticism from local residents and activists.
The star-studded event, which culminated on Saturday, June 28, was hosted across multiple lavish venues throughout Venice, including the iconic Harry’s Bar and the historic Arsenale—a venue chosen at the last minute due to growing security concerns amid planned protests.
A Tale of Two Venices
While Bezos and Sanchez celebrated in true Hollywood fashion—surrounded by the likes of Leonardo DiCaprio, Kim and Khloe Kardashian, Ivanka Trump, and Bill Gates—hundreds of Venetians and activists took to the streets with a very different message.
Chants of “No Space for Bezos” echoed through the narrow alleys as climate activists, anti-capitalist groups, and Venetians fed up with overtourism staged demonstrations.
Members of Extinction Rebellion draped banners from the iconic Rialto Bridge, lit colorful flares, and voiced their frustrations about billionaires using Venice as their personal playground.
Though initial plans to disrupt the ceremony by launching inflatable crocodiles into the canals were abandoned, the protests were loud enough to prompt the relocation of Saturday’s main event away from the city center.
“We’re becoming an amusement park,” lamented Paola, one of the activists. “The elite fly in on private jets, pollute our skies, and treat Venice like a theme park while locals are being priced out of their homes.”
Locals Losing Ground
Indeed, the tensions go beyond a single wedding. Residents like 77-year-old Roberto Zanon face eviction as landlords sell to developers eager to convert homes into tourist properties.
“There are fewer and fewer Venetians here,” Roberto said, pointing to once-residential buildings now serving short-stay visitors. “You lose your friends, your community, your heart.”
Even with the glamour, not all locals are protesting. Some, like Leda, a souvenir shop owner, welcomed the high-profile attention and spending power that came with it. “Bezos’s guests are better than low-budget tourists who spend nothing,” she argued, referencing the low-cost airlines that have flooded Venice with brief, budget-conscious visits. “We need quality, not quantity.”
City Officials Defend the Celebration
Venice’s city officials largely welcomed the Bezos-Sanchez wedding, branding it a beacon for “high-quality tourism.”
Deputy Mayor Simone Venturini praised the couple’s choice to wed in Venice, arguing it could revitalize the city’s wedding tourism industry. “We are not Iran,” he told the BBC. “We can’t decide who is allowed to get married here.”
Despite the backlash, officials also confirmed that Bezos had made a goodwill donation of €3 million to local conservation organizations working to protect the fragile lagoon city.
However, critics were quick to downplay the significance of that gesture.
“That’s about three euros for an average person if you consider Bezos’s net worth,” said Lorenzo, another Extinction Rebellion member. “It’s a symbolic drop in the lagoon.”
A Grand Affair with Subtle Fallout
The wedding itself lived up to its billing, complete with a luxurious Dolce & Gabbana gown for Sanchez said to be inspired by 1950s Italian film icon Sophia Loren, a regional codfish banquet, and photo ops across Venice’s most iconic locations.
Despite fears of major disruptions, tourist activity in Venice continued relatively undisturbed. Gondolas remained operational, streets were briefly closed only around event areas, and many onlookers had more luck spotting a German Bezos impersonator than the billionaire himself.
