Jeff Bezos, Lauren Sánchez depart Venice after multi-day wedding extravaganza
Amazon and Blue Origin founder Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez, a journalist, author and helicopter pilot, have departed Italy after they tied the knot during a multi-day wedding extravaganza.
The billionaire husband and wife were photographed waving goodbye as they left a luxury hotel in Venice.
Their departure wraps days of festivities that included a parade of celebrities and three epic parties, including Saturday's pajama-themed party.
Bezos and Sánchez, who reportedly dated for about five years before they got engaged in May 2023, were joined by family and friends for their destination wedding.
Here's what to know about the high-profile celebration.
When did Bezos and Sánchez tie the knot?
Sánchez shared a photo on Instagram Friday, updating followers that she and Bezos are officially married and changed her username to Lauren Sánchez Bezos.
The photo showed Sánchez and Bezos smiling as they walked up the aisle surrounded by their guests.
Sánchez appears in the photo wearing a stunning white lace mermaid gown while Bezos sports a sharp, black tuxedo.
In the accompanying photo caption, Sánchez added the date, "06/27/2025," along with a pink heart emoji.
Ahead of their big day, the couple was photographed on Thursday sharing a kiss while on their way to an evening reception, held at the gardens of the Madonna dell'Orto Church.
What did Sánchez wear?
Following their ceremony, Sànchez took to social media and shared a post about her dress.
The post included three images of Sánchez trying on the dress, which was designed by Dolce & Gabbana.
In an interview with Vogue, she said the dress was inspired by Sophia Loren.
Read more about the dress here.
Where did Bezos and Sánchez wed?
The couple said "I do" in the capital of the Veneto region.
According to People, the island of San Giorgio Maggiore was the scene of the main event -- a black-tie ceremony.
Workers were seen ahead of Friday, assembling tents, while police patrolled the area, with extra police boats surrounding San Giorgio Maggiore.
Who attended the Bezos-Sánchez wedding?
Among the big names on the approximately 200-person guest list for the Bezos-Sánchez wedding were celebrity guests including Oprah Winfrey, Kris Jenner, Khloé Kardashian, Kim Kardashian, Ellie Goulding and Ivanka Trump, who were all photographed leaving Venice hotels on Friday.
Tom Brady, Usher and Orlando Bloom were also photographed stepping out in suits for the evening.
Who worked the Bezos-Sánchez wedding?
Sánchez and Bezos, who Forbes estimates is worth $215 billion, reportedly relied 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.
What did 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 asked guests to forgo gifts for the billionaire couple and instead, listed three Venetian charities that Bezos and Sánchez would donate to on the behalf of guests.
Why were people protesting the Bezos-Sánchez wedding?
The wedding drew protests, dubbed "No Space for Bezos," among some local residents and organizations like Greenpeace, who spoke out against over-tourism, disruption to everyday life and more.
Protests continued Saturday with about 1,000 protesters taking over Venice's famous Rialto Bridge, shooting off flares and hanging a banner that read "No Space for Bezos."
One Greenpeace banner, unfurled earlier at Venice's St. Mark's Square also 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 welcomed the high-profile wedding, saying the city was "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 minimizing 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 as well 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 during 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.
