Billionaire Jeff Bezos to wed Lauren Sanchez in four-day extravaganza in Venice
It’s set to be the wedding of the year.
Billionaire Jeff Bezos (61) is poised to marry journalist and author Lauren Sanchez (55) a bit later this year.
The guest list reportedly features the who’s who of Hollywood, the tech world and politics.
The couple, who’ve been engaged for two years, have sent wedding invites to, among others, Oprah Winfrey, Eva Longoria, Orlando Bloom, Kim Kardashian, Kris Jenner, Ivanka Trump and her husband, Jared Kushner, and his younger brother, Joshua, and wife model Karlie Kloss.
Apple CEO Tim Cook, OpenAI leader Sam Altman and former Nasa rocket scientist Aisha Bowe have also been invited, as well as fashion designer Diane von Furstenberg and her husband, billionaire media mogul Barry Diller.
The four-day summer wedding is set to take place in Venice in June, and the couple have booked out the best hotels in the city, including The Gritti Palace and Aman Venice, where rooms start at $3 200 (roughly R60 000) a night.
The couple are reportedly planning a huge fireworks display after the nuptials.
Venice media are reporting that the city has set aside an entire fleet of water taxis to transport the happy couple and their guests.
The bride-to-be will reportedly wear an Oscar de la Renta dress on the advice of Anna Wintour, editor-in-chief of Vogue.
Jeff previously said he wouldn’t be involved in planning the wedding, adding, “Oh, God, no. Do I look that dumb?”
He also denied rumours that the wedding is set to cost $600 million (R10,8 billion).
“This whole thing is completely false – none of this is happening.”
The wedding will take place just a month after Lauren embarks on an all-women-crewed space trip aboard one of Jeff’s Blue Origin rockets in May.
The space trip is reportedly his wedding gift to his wife-to-be, who’s also a qualified helicopter pilot.
After five years of dating, Jeff proposed to Lauren in May 2023 aboard his superyacht Koru, surprising her with a 20-carat diamond engagement ring valued at approximately $2,5m (then R47,5m).
He reportedly hid the ring under her pillow after a dinner under the stars. She found it at bedtime. “When he opened the box, I think I blacked out a bit,” she says.
Lauren has revealed that she intends to take the Amazon founder’s surname.
“I am looking forward to being Mrs Bezos,” she says.
Jeff says Lauren has made him a better person.
“She has really helped me put more energy into my relationships,” he says. “She’s always encouraging me: ‘Call your kids. Call your dad. Call your mom.’ And she’s also just a very good role model.”
As for why the couple chose Venice, a source says it’s far more than just a “romantic gesture”.
“It’s a nod to the couple’s shared history with the city, which they’ve frequently visited during their relationship. The wedding is poised to be a defining social event of 2025, not only for the couple but for Venice itself.”
“You won’t miss this one when it happens.”