Jeff Bezos, Lauren Sánchez kick off high-profile wedding festivities in Venice
Amazon and Blue Origin founder Jeff Bezos and his fiancée Lauren Sánchez, a journalist, author and helicopter pilot, have officially kicked off their wedding festivities in Venice, Italy.
The couple were photographed on Thursday departing a hotel in Venice for their pre-wedding reception.
When asked what the best part of Venice was while traveling by water taxi to their party, Bezos replied, "it's an impossible city. It can't exist and yet, here it is."
Bezos and Sánchez are expected to tie the knot on Friday, June 27.
The celebrity couple, who reportedly dated for about five years before they got engaged in 2023, will be joined by family and friends for the multi-day affair.
Here's what to know about the upcoming high-profile nuptials.
What does the wedding invitation say?
ABC News exclusively obtained a portion of Bezos and Sánchez's wedding invitation, which was sent to guests in May. In it, the invitation asks guests to forgo gifts for the billionaire couple and instead lists three Venetian charities that Bezos and Sánchez will donate to on the behalf of guests.
When will Bezos and Sánchez tie the knot?
The exact dates of Bezos and Sánchez's wedding have not been made public but People reports the main wedding ceremony will take place June 27.
Where will Bezos and Sánchez wed?
The couple will say "I do" in the capital of the Veneto region, although specific venues are not public knowledge.
According to People, the island of San Giorgio Maggiore is expected to be the scene of the main event -- a black-tie ceremony.
Workers were seen assembling tents and police patrolled the area, with extra police boats surrounding San Giorgio Maggiore.
Who will attend the Bezos-Sánchez wedding?
Among the big names on the approximately 200-person guest list for the Bezos-Sánchez wedding are potential celebrity guests including Oprah Winfrey, Kris Jenner, Khloé Kardashian, Kim Kardashian and Ivanka Trump, who were all photographed heading to the pre-wedding party in Venice.
Tom Brady, Usher and Orlando Bloom were also photographed joining the couple for the evening celebration, held at the gardens of the Madonna dell'Orto Church.
Who is working the Bezos-Sánchez wedding?
Sánchez and Bezos, who Forbes estimates is worth $215 billion, are reportedly relying on about 80% of local Venetian vendors and organizations for their big day, according to the AP, including pastry-maker Rosa Salva, which has been in business for over 140 years, and glassware firm Laguna B, known for its Murano glasswork.
Why are people protesting the Bezos-Sánchez wedding?
The wedding has drawn protests, dubbed "No Space for Bezos," among some local residents and organizations like Greenpeace, who are speaking out against over-tourism, disruption to everyday life and more.
One Greenpeace banner, unfurled at Venice's St. Mark's Square, read, "If you can rent Venice for your wedding you can pay more tax."
"We think that one big billionaire can't rent a city for his pleasure," a protester named Simona Abbate told Reuters.
Despite protests, the mayor of Venice has welcomed the high-profile wedding, saying the city is "very proud" to host Bezos, Sánchez and their guests.
The couple's wedding planners, Lanza and Baucina, the same global events company behind George Clooney and Amal Clooney's 2014 Venice nuptials, added in a statement to ABC News, "From the outset, instructions from our client and our own guiding principles were abundantly clear: the minimising of any disruption to the city, the respect for its residents and institutions and the overwhelming employment of locals in the crafting of the events."
Simone Venturini, the deputy mayor of Venice, told ABC News that the city didn't have to compete to host the celebrity-studded wedding celebration.
"No, we play in another league, so people compete to get married in Venice," Venturini said.
A man named John, who works in tourism in Venice, also told ABC News that business has picked up amid the wedding festivities.
"The work in the city is at a high level in this moment and everybody is excited or anxious for the event," he said.
Have Bezos and Sánchez been married before?
Both Bezos and Sánchez have been in past relationships and were married to other people previously.
Bezos made headlines in January 2019 after revealing that he and his ex-wife MacKenzie Scott were divorcing after 25 years of marriage. The former couple share four children.
Sánchez was previously married to talent agent and businessman Patrick Whitesell for 14 years. Both Sánchez and Whitesell filed for divorce in April 2019, as reported by the AP. They share two children.
Sánchez is also mom to model Nikko Gonzalez, her eldest son from a previous relationship with former NFL tight end Tony Gonzalez.
