7 Things That Make No Sense About Jeff Bezos & Lauren Sanchez's Wedding When You Think About It
The giant celebration was full of contradictions and choices that felt strange coming from such a wealthy couple.
Fred Duval | Shutterstock Amazon founder Jeff Bezos is officially married to his second wife, Lauren Sánchez. What could quite possibly be the biggest celebrity wedding of the decade practically shut down the city of Venice, between its star-studded guests jetting in and protestors taking to the streets to make their voices heard. The wedding seems to be the only thing on any pop culture aficionado’s mind, but probably not for the reasons Bezos and Sánchez would hope.
Fans and haters alike have tried to guess just how much the extravagant affair cost. While some approximations have topped $50 million, Forbes estimated that the nuptials cost around $20 to $25 million. Of course, it was this outlandish cost that protestors had such a hard time stomaching. But one would think that with that kind of money, the couple could pull off something really special. Instead, the internet has been left scratching its head over the strange choices Bezos and Sánchez made. It wasn’t exactly the classy affair you would expect from one of the world’s wealthiest men. Instead, much of it made little to no sense.
Here are 7 things that make no sense about Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez’s wedding when you think about it:
1. They didn’t invite any real friends
When you’re spending that much money, it feels like it would only make sense that you could put on a really special party for your closest friends and family, making them feel like the center of your universe, if not the entire Universe itself. Instead, Bezos and Sánchez opted for a guest list that included celebrities whom they probably don’t even know that well.
CNN confirmed that there were 200 guests at the wedding ceremony. On Reddit, where the wedding stirred up quite the conversation, one user said, “I read there [were] like 200 people there and 75 were relatives. I know people invite friends, but it seems like a lot of the guest list was celebrities they wish were their friends.”
While the claim that only 75 guests were related to the couple has not been substantiated, all eyes were on the A-list guests in attendance, which included everyone from Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner to Oprah Winfrey and Gayle King, as well as the Kardashian and Jenner families. Of course, Bezos is one of the richest and most influential people in the world, so he’s bound to have interacted with these people before. Nevertheless, it did feel a bit like the couple chose to forgo an intimate wedding with loved ones in favor of getting as many people there who would be photographed as possible.
2. Despite the fanfare, the actual ceremony was kept under wraps
With such a roster of A-list celebrities lined up, it would be natural to assume that the entire wedding would be plastered across magazine pages and social media gossip accounts, but Bezos and Sánchez decided to keep the ceremony relatively low-key.
CNN called the ceremony “private” and speculated that there was some sort of “social media blackout” guests had to adhere to. While the average couple would likely appreciate this level of privacy with which to enjoy their special day, Bezos and Sánchez’s entire plan seemed to be to take in all of the decadence and luxury possible.
For a wedding that was so high-profile, it would have been more logical for the ceremony to be open to viewing from curious onlookers. (Then again, maybe the widespread protests ruined that idea.) It just seems bizarre that a wedding that was meant to be in the middle of the public eye was kept from prying eyes to such an extent that very few photos have been circulated.
3. The wedding didn’t even take place in Venice
HelgaQ | Shutterstock
For a couple that had such a big to-do in Italy, one would assume that the wedding actually happened there. But, according to CNN, that’s not possible. “During the ceremony, the pair likely exchanged rings symbolically,” the outlet reported. “It remains unclear when the couple legally wed (or if they already have, prior to this week, in the U.S.).”
They continued, “A spokesperson for the mayor’s office in Venice had told CNN on Thursday that the city did not receive an official request from the couple, meaning the events this week are ceremonial and will not be legally binding.” In other words, one of the most highly publicized weddings in recent memory wasn’t even a real wedding. It was simply symbolic. This likely only fueled the ire of locals who were already protesting the event.
Most couples who have destination weddings do actually get married at said destination. It’s kind of the point. Even those who choose to elope in exotic locations usually marry wherever they go. Meanwhile, Bezos and Sánchez went through this big spectacle and are possibly still not even married yet.
4. Parts of the enormous celebration actually appeared quite cheap
The wedding may have cost tens of millions of dollars, but it didn’t all look it. In one Reddit post, a user pointed out all of the things they thought were the most tacky about the wedding. The post, and apparently the festivities as well, all kicked off with a foam party held on a yacht owned by Bezos. The yacht, called Koru, cost around $500 million per the Daily Mail. Technically, the foam party did not take place in Venice, and was actually located in Croatia as the couple made their way to Italy.
Another thing internet sleuths took issue with was the invitations. An image of what was supposedly the actual wedding invitations made the rounds online, with many pointing out that the butterfly and gondola decorated border looked like cheap clip art, and something better could have been made on Canva or Shutterfly.
But, perhaps the biggest pitfall of the nuptials was the outdoor carpet that the couple opted for. It appears from the few photos that have emerged that the ceremony took place outdoors, but instead of sticking to the undoubtedly gorgeous elements, Bezos and Sánchez chose to have an actual gray carpet installed over the ground. One Reddit commenter compared the carpet to something that could be purchased from Amazon Basics.
5. The designer wedding dress was universally disliked
With what seems like an endless amount of money to throw around, you’d think the entire wedding would be aesthetically pleasing, with the wedding dress being the crown jewel. Unfortunately for Sánchez, that’s not exactly how people saw it. CNN reported that the gown was a custom Dolce & Gabbana creation. Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana were listed as being in attendance at the nuptials, according to one Reddit user.
“The visible seams and the straps under the lace top? The buttons all the way down?” a Redditor asked. “If you have all the money in the world you should have come up with something better.” It seemed that no one really had any love for the dress, which must have surely cost an arm and a leg, but that didn’t stop Sánchez from scoring an exclusive cover of Vogue in the gown.
Of the dress, Sánchez told Vogue, “It’s a departure from what people expect, from what I expect — but it’s very much me.” When she posed in the dress for the magazine, Sánchez proudly exclaimed, “I feel like a princess.” Everyone in attendance, from her “glam team” to the Vogue crew, was quick to assure her that she most certainly did.
6. Paparazzi were seemingly invited along for the ride
Bezos and Sánchez’s wedding felt like it was full of contradictions. They wanted as many famous people there as possible, but they also wanted it to feel private, but they also invited paparazzi to tag along. Perhaps it was just par for the course, but paparazzi were absolutely everywhere during the wedding (except for the private ceremony).
Bezos and Sánchez regularly traveled around Venice on a boat, as is custom for the city. CNN reporter Melissa Bell actually rode alongside the couple in a boat of her own while covering the events. She recalled that the couple waved to paparazzi and other onlookers.
It would have been impossible to completely keep paparazzi and reporters away from the event, but it did seem a bit strange that the couple went to such great lengths to keep parts of the wedding private while allowing others to be seen openly. One could argue that such is the nature of celebrity, though.
7. The couple thought their charitable donations would erase the anger over the money they spent
Perhaps the most tone-deaf aspect of Bezos and Sánchez’s wedding was the amount of money they spent, especially when so many across the world are struggling to afford basic necessities. This is why protestors made their way onto Venetian streets and expressed their displeasure with the couple taking over the city.
In a conciliatory move, Bezos donated the equivalent of three million euros to different charitable organizations in Venice. Forbes reported that he gave $1.2 million each to Corila, UNESCO’s Venice office, and Venice International University. Similarly, the couple requested that guests not bring gifts. On the now-infamous wedding invitations that have circulated across the internet, the couple touted their charitable donations and stated that “we’re making contributions in your honor and with gratitude to you for making the journey to celebrate with us in Venice.”
Despite the locals’ distaste for the couple and their giant wedding, big stars bring their big wallets with them. According to Italy’s Tourism Ministry, the city was expected to gain $1.1 billion in revenue thanks to the celebration. While this may lessen the blow for some, it does not change the fact that a billionaire did what he does best by spending an egregious amount of money on a party that lasted a few days.
One can’t really argue that Bezos and Sánchez did not have a lovely wedding. Even with the elements that were deemed a bit more “tacky,” the celebration appeared elegant and seemed to be enjoyed by all. Still, there were some glaring missteps that point to just how out of touch the upper class is with the rest of society.
Mary-Faith Martinez is a writer with a bachelor’s degree in English and Journalism who covers news, psychology, lifestyle, and human interest topics.
