It was the “people” event of the week. While the festivities are the subject of strong criticisms from all sides, Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez said “yes!” »Friday evening in Venice after a week of luxurious festivities between yachts, starry dinners and ultra-vip guests.
The founder of Amazon, 61, and the 55-year-old journalist exchanged their wishes on the island of San Giorgio Maggiore, facing Saint-Marc, far from looks but not debates.
A symbolic marriage
Marriage is symbolic because the lovebirds have in fact already said “yes” civilly in the United States. The ceremony took place in a grandiose setting: tunes sung by Matteo Bocelli (son of the famous opera singer Andrea Bocelli), a dinner signed by star chef Fabrizio Mellino, and a cake made by the pastry chef Cédric Grolet … Tomorrow, Lady Gaga must occur during a fence.
The guest list has panicked tabloids: Leonardo DiCaprio, Kim Kardashian, Sisters Jenner, Ivanka Trump, Oprah Winfrey, Tom Brady or Bill Gates were seen on the channels. Just that! A photo in wedding clothes, posted by Lauren Sanchez on her brand new Instagram account “Laurensanchezbezos”, formalizes this moment.
A city flowing “under the weight of the climate crisis”
Venice, which fights against surcourism, did not host the unacceptable event. A local collective, “No Space for Bezos” (literally, no room for Bezos), denounced traffic restrictions, a privatization of the city, as well as the ecological paradox of a marriage to which private jets from around the world follow one another. The Environmental Organization Greenpeace is constantly denouncing the ecological impact of marriage while the fragile balance of Venice “flows under the weight of the climate crisis”.
Some 100,000 tourists stay in the city during the high season, a figure to which are added the tens of thousands of visitors who venture there for the day. The number of residents of Venice is in free fall.
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An operation at almost a billion
The Italian government has defended the event with enthusiasm from the start. And for good reason … He hopes 895 million euros in media benefits while the couple’s direct expenses were estimated by the Ministry of Tourism at almost 30 million. Jeff Bezos must also donate 3 million euros to a local environmental NGO protection of the lagoon, to a Venetian university and UNESCO.
The prefect of Venice ensures that no police reinforcement was necessary. The fact remains that, eleven years after the wedding of George Clooney in the same place, that of Jeff Bezos divides much more.
