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Sydney Morning Herald
13 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Sydney Morning Herald
Inside Jeff Bezos' ‘wedding of the century' in Venice
And there will be another seven vessels of various kinds to provide transport for guests, who are expected to include the British actor Orlando Bloom and his long-time fiancee Katy Perry, Mick Jagger, Kim Kardashian, Kris Jenner, Oprah Winfrey, Eva Longoria and Leonardo DiCaprio. Bezos' fellow tech titans Bill Gates, Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg are also expected at the multimillion-dollar shindig. As befits a man worth $US230 billion ($355 billion), Bezos has booked the most luxurious suites in Venice's finest hotels for his guests. They include the Aman, a five-star hotel on the banks of the Grand Canal that boasts private gardens and Rococo works of art, as well as the equally swanky Gritti Palace, the Danieli, the Marriott and the St Regis – where Ivanka Trump and her husband Jared Kushner will reportedly stay. Her father, Donald Trump, may even reportedly make an appearance at the wedding. A short distance away from the Grand Canal is the Belmond Cipriani on the island of Giudecca, which is expected to host Lady Gaga, who is rumoured to perform for the newlyweds. Loading Wedding celebrations and cocktail receptions will reportedly be held in Palazzo Pisani Moretta, a historic building in the heart of Venice, as well as the Scuola Grande della Misericordia, a Renaissance building, and the Hotel Excelsior on the Lido, the slender island that separates the Venetian lagoon from the Adriatic. The wedding is likely to cost around $25 million, according to one detailed breakdown. The sum includes up to $1.5 million for flowers and the decoration of the various venues, up to $4.5 million for wedding planners, $3 million for the hire of the venues, $1.5 million for the catering and $2.3 million for the bride's dresses. There will also be mooring fees for Bezos' superyachts and the cost of providing lavish gifts for the guests. Luxury hotel suites will make up around $3 million of the overall cost, according to Manuela Pivato, the founder of an online publication called MyFairVenice. She told D Donna, an Italian women's magazine: 'A suite at the Hotel Cipriani costs about €14,000 [$24,768] a night and the hotel recently restored 13 of its top suites.' Hair and make-up, not just for the bride but for her guests, will also cost a bomb. Loading Pivato added: 'For George Clooney's wedding, 50 hairdressers came from Rome. We can estimate a cost of around €500,000 [$890,000].' The two possible wedding venues – the Fondazione Cini on the island of San Giorgio and the Scuola Grande della Misericordia in Venice itself – are both large, meaning that they will need a wealth of flower arrangements and other decorations. Pivato said the overall bill for three different locations could easily reach $1.5 million. Between 35 and 50 sleek wooden water taxis have been hired out for the event. Mario Gasparini, a water taxi operator, told La Repubblica newspaper: 'The exact routes are being kept a secret. We will only discover who our passengers are and where we are taking them the day before the wedding service.' The lavish affair is expected to bring revenue to the city, with water taxi operators earning about $26,000 each over five days. Gasparini says the event should be embraced, adding: 'Most Venetians are not protesting – it is just the usual 150 communist extremists who are opposed to everything.' The wedding ceremony itself may be held in a complex of historic buildings known as the Fondazione Cini on the island of San Giorgio, opposite St Mark's Square. Fireworks will light up the sky as the couple say their vows and exchange rings. Last week, activists climbed to the top of the bell tower on the island, let off coloured smoke bombs and unfurled a giant banner with a large red cross scrawled across the word 'Bezos'. They hung a similar banner from the Rialto Bridge. The protesters were from an umbrella group called No Space for Bezos, a slogan that plays on the billionaire's ownership of Blue Origin, the space rocket venture. In a statement, campaigners said: 'Venice is not for sale, it is not for rent, it should not be the backdrop for the wedding of one of the world's richest men. 'As Venetians, we are ready to defend the dignity of our city. Those who expect Venice to be docile and subservient, happy to gather the crumbs that fall from the king's table, will be disappointed. What we did today is just a taste of what is to come.' The protesters have threatened to hurl themselves into canals to impede the arrival of Mr Bezos and his bride-to-be at their wedding ceremony. Tommaso Cacciari, an activist from No Space for Bezos, said: 'To block their arrival peacefully, we will jump into the canals that surround the venue, and we will also block the alleyways that lead to it. 'Bezos is not just any VIP – he is a multibillionaire who supports the world view of Trump.' Loading He added that by choosing the World Heritage city as his wedding venue, the Amazon founder was 'confusing Venice with Las Vegas'. While the activists have commanded plenty of attention, they have been sharply criticised by other Venetians, who say the city should be honoured to host such a high-profile wedding. Simone Venturini, Venice's councillor in charge of tourism, said: 'I struggle to understand how a private event like this, which won't cause any kind of stress to the city, can be considered detrimental. 'Each year Venice hosts hundreds of events, of every type. Is it Venice's fault that it is the most beautiful city in the world? We should all be proud that the wedding of Jeff Bezos will be held in our lagoon.' He said the protests and banners had been organised by 'the usual' Left-wing activists who have campaigned in the past against giant cruise ships, mass tourism and the entrance fee for day trippers which was imposed last year. He also asked whether the spray canisters that the activists had used to create their banners 'were bought on Amazon'. The governor of Veneto, the region that includes Venice, also criticised the protests. Luca Zaia said that the banners strung from the bell tower on San Giorgio island and the Rialto Bridge sent an 'unacceptable' message to the world. Zaia told Corriere della Sera newspaper: 'The history of La Serenissima is cosmopolitan, a story of openness. We have warehouses that were built by Germans, by Turks, we have the oldest Jewish ghetto in the world. Our cuisine is influenced by spices that came from other parts of the world. Our history has never been about forbidding entry to anyone.' Loading The governor, a heavyweight in the conservative League party, said only around 200 guests have been invited to the wedding – a number that Venice can easily handle given that, during the busiest periods of the year, 150,000 tourists descend on the place each day. He added: 'What message are we sending? That Venice is not a welcoming city? That we are going to start squirting tourists with water pistols? Tourism is Venice's main business, it's worth €18 billion a year and we all benefit from it, even people who don't work in the sector.' The Bezos wedding will pump between $35 million and $50 million into Venice's economy, Zaia said. He conceded that there was a need for tourist numbers to be better managed as tourist hordes overwhelm an ever-dwindling population of residents. The city's population has dropped from 175,000 in 1950 to around 48,000. The governor said Venice had managed to host celebrity weddings in the past without much disruption, including that of George Clooney and British-Lebanese human rights lawyer Amal Alamuddin in 2014. Unlike the impending Bezos wedding, the Clooney nuptials attracted barely a whiff of dissent among Venetians.
The Age
13 hours ago
- Entertainment
- The Age
Inside Jeff Bezos' ‘wedding of the century' in Venice
And there will be another seven vessels of various kinds to provide transport for guests, who are expected to include the British actor Orlando Bloom and his long-time fiancee Katy Perry, Mick Jagger, Kim Kardashian, Kris Jenner, Oprah Winfrey, Eva Longoria and Leonardo DiCaprio. Bezos' fellow tech titans Bill Gates, Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg are also expected at the multimillion-dollar shindig. As befits a man worth $US230 billion ($355 billion), Bezos has booked the most luxurious suites in Venice's finest hotels for his guests. They include the Aman, a five-star hotel on the banks of the Grand Canal that boasts private gardens and Rococo works of art, as well as the equally swanky Gritti Palace, the Danieli, the Marriott and the St Regis – where Ivanka Trump and her husband Jared Kushner will reportedly stay. Her father, Donald Trump, may even reportedly make an appearance at the wedding. A short distance away from the Grand Canal is the Belmond Cipriani on the island of Giudecca, which is expected to host Lady Gaga, who is rumoured to perform for the newlyweds. Loading Wedding celebrations and cocktail receptions will reportedly be held in Palazzo Pisani Moretta, a historic building in the heart of Venice, as well as the Scuola Grande della Misericordia, a Renaissance building, and the Hotel Excelsior on the Lido, the slender island that separates the Venetian lagoon from the Adriatic. The wedding is likely to cost around $25 million, according to one detailed breakdown. The sum includes up to $1.5 million for flowers and the decoration of the various venues, up to $4.5 million for wedding planners, $3 million for the hire of the venues, $1.5 million for the catering and $2.3 million for the bride's dresses. There will also be mooring fees for Bezos' superyachts and the cost of providing lavish gifts for the guests. Luxury hotel suites will make up around $3 million of the overall cost, according to Manuela Pivato, the founder of an online publication called MyFairVenice. She told D Donna, an Italian women's magazine: 'A suite at the Hotel Cipriani costs about €14,000 [$24,768] a night and the hotel recently restored 13 of its top suites.' Hair and make-up, not just for the bride but for her guests, will also cost a bomb. Loading Pivato added: 'For George Clooney's wedding, 50 hairdressers came from Rome. We can estimate a cost of around €500,000 [$890,000].' The two possible wedding venues – the Fondazione Cini on the island of San Giorgio and the Scuola Grande della Misericordia in Venice itself – are both large, meaning that they will need a wealth of flower arrangements and other decorations. Pivato said the overall bill for three different locations could easily reach $1.5 million. Between 35 and 50 sleek wooden water taxis have been hired out for the event. Mario Gasparini, a water taxi operator, told La Repubblica newspaper: 'The exact routes are being kept a secret. We will only discover who our passengers are and where we are taking them the day before the wedding service.' The lavish affair is expected to bring revenue to the city, with water taxi operators earning about $26,000 each over five days. Gasparini says the event should be embraced, adding: 'Most Venetians are not protesting – it is just the usual 150 communist extremists who are opposed to everything.' The wedding ceremony itself may be held in a complex of historic buildings known as the Fondazione Cini on the island of San Giorgio, opposite St Mark's Square. Fireworks will light up the sky as the couple say their vows and exchange rings. Last week, activists climbed to the top of the bell tower on the island, let off coloured smoke bombs and unfurled a giant banner with a large red cross scrawled across the word 'Bezos'. They hung a similar banner from the Rialto Bridge. The protesters were from an umbrella group called No Space for Bezos, a slogan that plays on the billionaire's ownership of Blue Origin, the space rocket venture. In a statement, campaigners said: 'Venice is not for sale, it is not for rent, it should not be the backdrop for the wedding of one of the world's richest men. 'As Venetians, we are ready to defend the dignity of our city. Those who expect Venice to be docile and subservient, happy to gather the crumbs that fall from the king's table, will be disappointed. What we did today is just a taste of what is to come.' The protesters have threatened to hurl themselves into canals to impede the arrival of Mr Bezos and his bride-to-be at their wedding ceremony. Tommaso Cacciari, an activist from No Space for Bezos, said: 'To block their arrival peacefully, we will jump into the canals that surround the venue, and we will also block the alleyways that lead to it. 'Bezos is not just any VIP – he is a multibillionaire who supports the world view of Trump.' Loading He added that by choosing the World Heritage city as his wedding venue, the Amazon founder was 'confusing Venice with Las Vegas'. While the activists have commanded plenty of attention, they have been sharply criticised by other Venetians, who say the city should be honoured to host such a high-profile wedding. Simone Venturini, Venice's councillor in charge of tourism, said: 'I struggle to understand how a private event like this, which won't cause any kind of stress to the city, can be considered detrimental. 'Each year Venice hosts hundreds of events, of every type. Is it Venice's fault that it is the most beautiful city in the world? We should all be proud that the wedding of Jeff Bezos will be held in our lagoon.' He said the protests and banners had been organised by 'the usual' Left-wing activists who have campaigned in the past against giant cruise ships, mass tourism and the entrance fee for day trippers which was imposed last year. He also asked whether the spray canisters that the activists had used to create their banners 'were bought on Amazon'. The governor of Veneto, the region that includes Venice, also criticised the protests. Luca Zaia said that the banners strung from the bell tower on San Giorgio island and the Rialto Bridge sent an 'unacceptable' message to the world. Zaia told Corriere della Sera newspaper: 'The history of La Serenissima is cosmopolitan, a story of openness. We have warehouses that were built by Germans, by Turks, we have the oldest Jewish ghetto in the world. Our cuisine is influenced by spices that came from other parts of the world. Our history has never been about forbidding entry to anyone.' Loading The governor, a heavyweight in the conservative League party, said only around 200 guests have been invited to the wedding – a number that Venice can easily handle given that, during the busiest periods of the year, 150,000 tourists descend on the place each day. He added: 'What message are we sending? That Venice is not a welcoming city? That we are going to start squirting tourists with water pistols? Tourism is Venice's main business, it's worth €18 billion a year and we all benefit from it, even people who don't work in the sector.' The Bezos wedding will pump between $35 million and $50 million into Venice's economy, Zaia said. He conceded that there was a need for tourist numbers to be better managed as tourist hordes overwhelm an ever-dwindling population of residents. The city's population has dropped from 175,000 in 1950 to around 48,000. The governor said Venice had managed to host celebrity weddings in the past without much disruption, including that of George Clooney and British-Lebanese human rights lawyer Amal Alamuddin in 2014. Unlike the impending Bezos wedding, the Clooney nuptials attracted barely a whiff of dissent among Venetians.
Hindustan Times
2 days ago
- Business
- Hindustan Times
Jeff Bezos-Lauren Sanchez wedding: Here's why Venice locals have threatened to block canals
As Amazon founder Jeff Bezos gears up to tie the knot with journalist Lauren Sanchez in Venice later this month, not many in Italy's canal city are happy with the high-profile wedding. Few locals have even threatened to block Venice's popular canals. Last week, a group of young people, who described themselves as 'precarious' or under-employed, gathered in a square near the foot of the city's iconic Rialto bridge, CNN reported. In their call to action against the impending nuptials, the protesters put up a massive 'No Space for Bezos' banner, which also featured the Blue Origin rocket in the center. Nearly 300 residents took part in the protest and were cheered by a handful of speakers. The former school armory has been turned into an events venue. There are rumors that the main ceremony could take place here on June 28. On June 12, the protesters somehow managed to hang a 'No Bezos' sign on the bell tower on Thursday. Speaking at the protest, organizer Federica Toninello said that they will ensure that Bezos "never gets to the Misericordia'. "We will block the canals, line the streets with our bodies, block the canals with inflatables, dinghies, boats," CNN quoted Toninello as saying. Another speaker at the event, Na Haby Stella Faye, asked people to make sure the wedding is remembered for their opposition and not Sanchez's outfit changes. Faye said Venice should be remembered as "the city that did not bend to oligarchs'. Questions have been raised over the arrival of Bezos' $500 million superyacht Koru. Venice, one of the most favored tourist destinations worldwide, is said to be combating problems with over-tourism. The city is already charging a 10-euro day-tripper entrance fee during the weekends and peak periods. This comes as residents are leaving the city due to lack of services, such as schools and hospitals. Also Read: Venice locals protest against Jeff Bezos, Lauren Sanchez's lavish wedding: 'No space for Bezos' The city has witnessed several protests before, which have been quite successful. The 'No Grandi Navi' or 'no big ships' campaign, which lasted for years, during the pre-Covid era had banned entry of giant cruise ships from anywhere near the city center. These restrictions led to widespread changes in cruise itineraries. Last week, Luigi Brugnaro hoped that the protest wouldn't dissuade Bezos and Sanchez from going ahead with their plans. He even stated that he was "ashamed of those who behave like this." The couple is expected to tie the knot by the end of June. As per reports, ceremonies take place at the island of San Giorgio Maggiore as well as the 14th century Misericordia, former school armory turned exclusive events venue in central Venice.
Time of India
2 days ago
- Business
- Time of India
Jeff Bezos Venice wedding to Lauren Sanchez: Locals threaten to block city's iconic canals
Jeff Bezos, the billionaire founder of Amazon, is planning to marry journalist Lauren Sanchez in Venice later this month. Many young people in Venice are angry and say they will block the city's famous canals to stop the wedding. About 300 Venetians gathered near the Rialto Bridge to protest against the wedding. The protesters put up a big banner saying 'No Space for Bezos' with a drawing of Bezos' Blue Origin rocket. The wedding's details are secret but it is said to cost around $10 million. The island of San Giorgio Maggiore and a 14th-century building called Misericordia in Venice are likely to be wedding venues, as per the CNN report. Why are locals protesting? Protesters want to stop Bezos from reaching Misericordia and plan to block canals with boats and their own bodies. Protesters want the wedding to be remembered for their fight, not for Lauren Sanchez's many outfit changes. Some locals are upset about Bezos' $500 million superyacht named Koru coming to Venice. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like 3.5, 4.5 BHK Homes starting at ₹4.89 Cr.* Hero Homes Learn More Undo They also complain that big events like this only bring temporary jobs, not long-term work. Venice has big problems with too many tourists. The city now charges a 10-euro fee to day visitors on busy days. More locals are leaving Venice because of fewer schools, hospitals, and affordable homes. Some tourists, like Jake Springer from New Orleans, say the protest is peaceful and Americans could learn from it, as mentioned in the report by CNN. Protests in Venice have been successful before. The 'No Grandi Navi' campaign stopped giant cruise ships from going near the city center. Because of that campaign, many cruise lines stopped using Venice as a port or starting point. Protests also caused rules to limit Airbnb rentals in Venice. Live Events Some people say it's too mean to protest a rich person's wedding in a city famous for love. When George and Amal Clooney married in Venice in 2014, the local people were happy about it. This year, three other expensive weddings happened in Venice without protests. Luca Zaia, the head of the Veneto region around Venice, said protests are a disgrace and wants to welcome Bezos warmly, as stated by CNN. Venice's mayor, Luigi Brugnaro, said he is ashamed of the protesters and hopes Bezos still comes. Some visitors at the Venice Biennale of Architecture said the wedding will help local workers like waiters and water taxi drivers by bringing money. American travel writer Gillian Longworth McGuire said rich weddings and yachts have been part of Venice for a long time. She said Venice doesn't always know what it wants to be: a magical old city or a place for big parties and weddings. People will come to Venice no matter who gets married there or who protests, according to the report by CNN. FAQs Q1. Why are people in Venice protesting Jeff Bezos' wedding? They are angry because they think the wedding will cause problems like blocking canals and only giving temporary jobs. Q2. Where will Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez get married in Venice? They are likely to marry at the Misericordia, a 14th-century events venue, and possibly on the island of San Giorgio Maggiore.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
‘We will block the canals': Venice divided as young protesters target Bezos wedding
Editor's note: Sign up for Unlocking the World, CNN Travel's weekly newsletter. Get news about destinations, plus the latest in aviation, food and drink, and where to stay. On a sweltering Friday afternoon in June, a group of angry and self-described 'precarious' or underemployed Venetian young people gathered in a square near the foot of Venice's Rialto bridge. It was a call to action against the impending nuptials of billionaire Jeff Bezos and journalist Lauren Sanchez, who will be tying the knot — and tying up the city — later in the month. After struggling at first to hang a massive 'No Space for Bezos' banner, complete with a drawing of his inarguably phallic Blue Origin rocket in the center, a handful of speakers roused the crowd of around 300 Venetians, many of whom were sipping spritzes in takeaway tumblers and smoking hand-rolled cigarettes. Though the details of the Bezos wedding are highly guarded beyond the rumored $10-million budget, several venues, including the island of San Giorgio Maggiore, where the same group managed to hang a No Bezos sign on the bell tower on Thursday, seem to be a given. Also said to be a dead-cert location in central Venice is the 14th century Misericordia, a former school armory that is now an exclusive events venue. It's widely rumored that the main ceremony will take place here on June 28. But not if the protesters get their way. 'Bezos will never get to the Misericordia,' organizer Federica Toninello told the crowd to raucous applause. 'We will block the canals, line the streets with our bodies, block the canals with inflatables, dinghies, boats.' Another speaker, Na Haby Stella Faye, urged those gathered to make sure the wedding would be remembered for their opposition, not Sanchez's reported 27 outfit changes. 'Let's make sure that Venice is not remembered as a postcard venue where Bezos had his wedding but as the city that did not bend to oligarchs,' she said. 'We can't miss a chance to disrupt a $10-million wedding.' Others lamented the arrival of Bezos' $500 million superyacht Koru, and the other luxury leisure boats expected to be docked in the city's ports. There were also complaints about the temporary work big events like this provide, rather than full-time jobs. Bezos' wedding is clearly symbolic of Venice's current problems. Efforts to combat overtourism have resulted in a 10-euro daytripper entrance fee on weekends and peak periods while more residents are pushed out every year due to a dwindling lack of services like schools, hospitals and affordable housing. 'You're telling me none of these people shop on Amazon?' said New Orleans native Jake Springer, who, along with his wife, was spending a weekend in Venice on a wine tour through Italy. 'At least they are protesting peacefully. Americans could learn a thing or two from this.' Protests in Venice may seem like a national pastime, but it's worth noting that they have been incredibly successful in the past. The years-long 'No Grandi Navi' or 'no big ships' campaign of the pre-Covid era was successful in banning giant cruise ships from anywhere near the city center. The restrictions led to widespread changes in cruise itineraries, with many of the major lines switching from Venice as a port of call or embarking point to nearby Ravenna and Trieste. Some, including Norwegian Cruise Line, removed Venice entirely from their itineraries. Protests against Airbnb-style short-term rentals also led to changes in the number of properties an individual can own to rent out. But protesting a millionaire's wedding in a city synonymous with love? To some, 'no grandi matrimoni' or no big weddings, seems cold. Bezos' is hardly the only high-dollar wedding to be held in the city — not least George and Amal Clooney's nuptials in 2014, which were cheered on by locals. So far this year, city officials say three multi-million-dollar weddings have been held without any opposition. Luca Zaia, the head of the surrounding Veneto region, calls the protests a disgrace. 'I want Jeff Bezos to be welcomed with open arms in Venice. Protesting against those who bring visibility and wealth to our territory is, in my opinion, a disgrace,' he said Friday. Venice's mayor, Luigi Brugnaro, said he hoped the protest won't dissuade Bezos and Sanchez from keeping their plans. 'We will have to apologize to Bezos,' Brugnaro told reporters in Venice on Friday. 'I am ashamed of those who behave like this. I hope that Bezos comes anyway. Not all Venetians think like these protesters.' Across town at the Biennale of Architecture, a regular event on the Venice calendar, the sentiment was much more in line with city officials than the protesters. 'It seems ridiculous that a city that lives off tourism like Venice wouldn't want an event like this, which will employ hundreds of people from waiters to water taxi drivers,' Görge Meyer, who was visiting from Berlin, said. 'All the guests and journalists will be staying at hotels, eating at restaurants and spending money. And they want to stop the cash influx?' Gillian Longworth McGuire, an American travel writer and tour planner who moved from Rome to Venice 10 years ago, points out that famous people have been coming to Venice to get married for centuries and wealthy people have been parking their yachts in Venice for decades. 'Venice just doesn't have a clear idea of what it is supposed to be sometimes,' she said. 'Is it a magical place carved out of a lagoon, built by merchants and fishermen, or a bachelorette party and mega wedding venue? 'The ethos of this city was always that it was the crossroads of culture and the world. Venice doesn't need an event like this to prove itself. People will always come no matter who gets married here and who is against it.'
