Published by Global Banking and Finance Review
Posted on June 24, 2025
VENICE, Italy (Reuters) -Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and journalist Lauren Sanchez invited scores of VIPs from film, finance and showbusiness to Venice this week for three days of wedding celebrations.
Here are some facts and figures about what has been dubbed the "Wedding of the Century".
COST OF THE WEDDING
The wedding celebrations for around 200-250 guests are expected to cost 40 million to 48 million euros ($47 million to $56 million), Luca Zaia, president of the Veneto region, which includes Venice, told reporters on Tuesday.
Italy's tourism ministry said on Friday it carried out a study estimating the overall economic impact of the wedding at 957 million euros ($1.12 billion), including an 896 million euro benefit from "media visibility".
The rest would come from direct or indirect spending related to the event, such as 28.4 million euros ($33.33 million) for hotel and location expenses and 17.6 million euros ($20.66 million) for transportation and other service expenses.
VENICE WEDDING VENUES
Celebrations began on Thursday evening in the cloisters of Madonna dell'Orto, a medieval church in the central district of Cannaregio that hosts masterpieces by 16th century painter Tintoretto.
On Friday, the couple were due to exchange rings on the small island of San Giorgio, opposite St Mark's Square, accompanied by singing from Matteo Bocelli, son of the Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli.
The main party is due on Saturday at the Arsenale, a former shipyard where vessels were built for the Venetian Republic's maritime empire. Several media outlets are reporting there will be performances by Lady Gaga and Elton John.
WHICH CELEBRITIES ARE ATTENDING THE BEZOS WEDDING?
U.S. President Donald Trump's daughter Ivanka and son-in-law Jared Kushner were among the first guests to arrive in Venice on Tuesday. They were joined by dozens of other A-listers including Bill Gates, Orlando Bloom, Tom Brady, the queen of Jordan, Oprah Winfrey, Kris Jenner and Kim and Khloe Kardashian as well as Domenico Dolce from Dolce & Gabbana.
Bezos and Sanchez landed in Venice on Wednesday, arriving by helicopter.
WHERE ARE THE WEDDING GUESTS STAYING IN VENICE?
Five of the city's most luxurious hotels have been booked, including Cipriani on the island of Giudecca, and the St Regis near St Mark's Square. Bezos and Sanchez took up residence at the Aman, where rooms with a view of the Grand Canal go for at least 4,000 euros per night. The same hotel hosted U.S. actor George Clooney for his 2014 wedding with human rights lawyer Amal Alamuddin.
BEZOS AND SANCHEZ CHARITY DONATIONS
Bezos and Sanchez donated 3 million euros to three Venetian institutions, with 1 million euros each going to CORILA, an academic consortium that studies the lagoon ecosystem, UNESCO's local office, and the Venice International University.
($1 = 0.8535 euros)
(Reporting by Giselda Vagnoni, Sara Rossi and Yara Nardi; Editing by Alexandra Hudson and Alison Williams)
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