Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez’s Italian wedding festivities appear to be underway, while locals in Venice continue to protest the upcoming nuptials amid the swell of overtourism in the city.
The couple was spotted on Bezos’ $500 million yacht, Koru, on the island of Cres in Croatia on Sunday, leading up to their lavish wedding in Venice.
In paparazzi photos obtained by the Daily Mail, the pair were seen covered in soap during a foam party with their friends on the boat. Sanchez opted for a black bikini and tan brim hat, while her soon-to-be husband wore green swim trunks and a white bucket hat.
The Mail also noted that there was a “Happy Birthday” sign on the boat, suggesting that the party may also have been in celebration of Sánchez’s son Evan, who turned 19 on Sunday.
Bezo and Sánchez, who got engaged in 2023, will begin their three-day wedding in Venice later this week — an exact date has not been confirmed; however, multiple outlets report it will take place from Thursday to Saturday. Ahead of their arrival, there have been many protests against the couple in the floating city.
Last week, demonstrators took to the Rialto bridge — one of Venice’s most famous landmarks — where they hung a giant banner reading “No Space for Bezos,” a nod to the billionaire’s space exploration company, Blue Origin.
One of the protesters, Marta Sottoriva, told The Independent that allowing the billionaire to have his wedding in Venice creates the idea that “a city can be sold to the highest bidder with the most money.”
On Monday, global environmental organization Greenpeace joined the protests, with members of the organization unfurling a giant banner in St. Mark’s Square that read: “IF YOU CAN RENT VENICE FOR YOUR WEDDING YOU CAN PAY MORE TAX.” Local police quickly folded the sign up and took it away.
The wedding is estimated to cost anywhere from $11.5 million to upwards of $21.5 million. About 30 of Venice’s 280 water taxis have been reserved for the weekend, city hall officials said in a statement.
The city’s mayor, Luigi Brugnaro, addressed the wedding back in March, denying claims that he booked a large number of hotel rooms, gondolas, and water taxis for the event. “We are mutually working and supporting the organizers to ensure that the event will be absolutely respectful of the fragility and uniqueness of the city,” he said in a statement to People magazine at the time.
“The many speculations and fake news circulating about Jeff Bezos’ wedding are completely unfounded,” the municipality added in its own statement, saying its “utmost priority to make sure the city functions as normal, for all, with no abnormal disruption to anyone.”
