Jeff Bezos, founder of Amazon, and Lauren Sanchez tied the knot in a lavish three-day celebration in Venice, Italy, that wrapped up on June 28, 2025. The wedding, dubbed by many as the “wedding of the century,” reportedly cost between $46.5 million and $56 million according to Venice regional governor Luca Zaia.
The main ceremony took place on Friday, June 27, on the picturesque island of San Giorgio Maggiore. Shortly after the ceremony, Sanchez changed her Instagram handle to “Lauren Sanchez Bezos,” making their union official to her followers.
For her big day, Sanchez wore a custom Dolce & Gabbana gown that took 900 hours to create. The high-necked, hand-appliquéd Italian lace dress featured 180 silk chiffon-covered priest buttons and a mermaid-style silhouette. Inspired by Sophia Loren’s wedding dress in the 1958 film “Houseboat,” the creation process began a year and a half ago when Sanchez met with designer Domenico Dolce in New York.
The guest list included approximately 200 A-list celebrities, business moguls, and other high-profile individuals. Among them were Oprah Winfrey, Kim and Khloé Kardashian, Kris Jenner, Kendall and Kylie Jenner, Leonardo DiCaprio, Tom Brady, Bill Gates, Ivanka Trump, and Jared Kushner. The celebrations spanned across several luxury venues in Venice, with five of the city’s most exclusive hotels booked for guests.
The festivities began on Thursday with a welcome party near Madonna dell’Orto Church. After Friday’s ceremony, the celebration continued on Saturday with a grand finale at the Arsenale, a former medieval shipyard. Reports suggested performances by Lady Gaga and Elton John at the closing party, though these details weren’t officially confirmed.
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The wedding sparked both fascination and controversy. While the economic impact was substantial—Italy’s tourism ministry estimated it at nearly €1 billion (about $1.12 billion), with €896 million attributed to “media visibility” alone—the event also drew protests from locals. Some Venetians demonstrated against what they viewed as the city being used as a playground for the ultra-wealthy, with banners calling for Bezos to pay more taxes amid growing concerns about wealth inequality.
In a gesture toward the local community, Bezos and Sanchez donated €3 million to three Venetian institutions: €1 million each to CORILA (an academic consortium studying the lagoon ecosystem), UNESCO’s local office, and the Venice International University.
The couple reportedly began dating in 2019 and got engaged in May 2023 during a vacation in the South of France. For Bezos, this marks his second marriage following his 2019 divorce from MacKenzie Scott after 25 years together. Sanchez was previously married to Hollywood agent Patrick Whitesell.
As the wedding concluded, the newly married couple was spotted at Harry’s Bar, a famous Venice institution once frequented by Ernest Hemingway, before heading to their final celebration—ending what was undoubtedly one of the most talked-about weddings of recent years.
