Bezos and Sanchez’s Venice wedding draws A-list celebrities
It was the most public and secret wedding of the year.
Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez wrapped up their three-day Venetian extravaganza on Saturday night with a party at the Arsenale, a former medieval shipyard. The pair were seen traveling by boat to the site of the annual Venice Biennale, flanked by reporters and paparazzi, CE Report quotes Kosova Press.
CNN's Melissa Bell reported from a boat speeding past the couple as they waved goodbye. Sanchez was seen wearing a pink dress, which Vogue later revealed was designed by Atelier Versace, while Bezos wore a matching suit and black shirt.
Earlier in the day, the bride and groom were seen heading to Harry's Bar, a famous establishment that once counted Ernest Hemingway among its patrons. Meanwhile, protesters gathered at the city's train station for a march.
On Friday, the Amazon billionaire and the former journalist tied the knot in a private ceremony held on the secluded historic island of San Giorgio Maggiore in the San Marcos archipelago. The celebrity guest list included the Kardashian-Jenner family, Bill Gates, Karlie Kloss, Oprah Winfrey and Usher. The roughly 200 guests apparently took a social media hiatus during each of the weekend events.
The ceremony was low-key, save for one sign from the fashion world — a digital cover of Vogue that offered a first look at Sanchez’s gown. After much speculation (and not-so-subtle glimpses of designer Domenico Dolce in Venice), it was revealed that her gown was a custom design by Dolce & Gabbana and had been a year and a half in the making. The high-necked gown with a lace bodice featured 180 priest buttons covered in silk chiffon down the front.
San Giorgio Maggiore is known for its magnificent Renaissance-era marble basilicas designed by Italian architect Andrea Palladio. But there may have been another, more pragmatic reason why the couple chose the island: privacy.
During the ceremony, the pair likely exchanged rings symbolically. It remains unclear when the couple were legally married (or if they had already gotten married, before this week, in the U.S.). A spokesperson for the Venice mayor's office told CNN on Thursday that the city had not received an official request from the couple, meaning the events this week are ceremonial and will not be legally binding.
Shortly after the Vogue photos were published, Sanchez changed her Instagram account name to Lauren Sanchez Bezos.
