All Jeff Bezos needed was Venice, la Serenissima. After Hollywood, Wall Street and the White House, the Amazon founder decided to marry Lauren Sánchez in the most romantic city in the world. Will it exorcise the stormy beginnings of their love affair? In 2019, the National Enquirer published evidence of their secret (and mostly extramarital) affair, after stalking them for months “across five states and 40,000 miles”: clandestine meetings, intimate messages—“I love you, alive girl. I will show you with my body, and my lips and my eyes, very soon,” he wrote—and private jets.
After that, there was no going back: Bezos divorced MacKenzie Scott after 25 years of marriage and four children. (To the tune of $40 billion, 4 percent of Amazon’s stock.) Sánchez also ended things with her then-husband Patrick Whitesell. But today, all this is just the prequel. After they said “yes” secretly in the United States, the most powerful couple of the summer decided to remarry in Venice, as befits any globalized fairy tale. A new beginning, she said, “in an unforgettable place.” That means more than 200 high-profile guests, three days of festivities, a theater on the water, a star-studded menu, and a floating dance floor set up behind the Teatro Verde on the island of San Giorgio.
The highlight is today, June 27. After cocktails at the Aman hotel, an “intimate” dinner at the home Diane von Furstenberg, and a welcome party in the cloister of the Madonna dell’Orto—paying homage to Italian and Neapolitan cuisine—the official ceremony will be held at sunset in the Cini Foundation’s famous white marble amphitheater, made private with white marquees so that not even drones can gain access.
Guests—including Leonardo DiCaprio, Oprah Winfrey, Queen Rania of Jordan, Tom Brady, and nearly the entire Kardashian family—will depart from various luxury hotels aboard more than 30 water taxis, then walk through the Foundation’s gardens, like a Paolo Sorrentino blockbuster with a Bezos budget. Only the flamingos are missing—but they might pop up at the last minute.
Meanwhile on the island of San Giorgio, in the dock overlooking the Lido, a floating dance floor is taking shape, where the newlyweds will dance under the stars after a signature dinner by three-star chefs. Opening the dancing will be Matteo Bocelli, who arrived in Venice yesterday. Desserts will be handled by Cédric Grolet, a Parisian pastry star with millions of followers and very Instagrammable cakes.
But the grand finale is scheduled for Saturday night at the Arsenale, where—inside the former military fortress—work is being done at a rapid pace to finish the fittings. Furniture, lampposts, pianos and dozens of crates were unloaded until this morning. The guests of honor: Lady Gaga and Elton John, predicted to give a private concert.
Venice, ITALY Tom Brady and Orlando Bloom arrive together at Madonna Dell Orto for Jeff and Lauren’s pre-wedding party in Venice.Pictured: Tom Brady, Orlando BloomBACKGRID USA 26 JUNE 2025 BYLINE MUST READ: affinitypicture / BACKGRIDUSA: +1 310 798 9111 / usasales@backgrid.comUK: +44 208 344 2007 / uksales@backgrid.comUK Clients – Pictures Containing ChildrenPlease Pixelate Face Prior To PublicationPETE / ipa-agency.net
