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Jeff Bezos – Lauren Sanchez: From Space to… Venice, the Most Expensive Wedding of the Century

The space trip aboard Blue Origin’s spacecraft was something he had promised her. It was delayed for about a year, but ultimately her wish came true.

A wish and a promise, likely in light of their upcoming wedding, after five years of relationship; something like a “prerequisite” for the couple to reach the wedding ceremony.

Whether it takes place on the $500 million super yacht “Koru,” the most expensive and with the tallest mast in the world, or in one of the luxury hotels in Venice that have been booked for two consecutive long weekends, June 24-26 and 27-29.

“The wedding of the century.” As it has already been promoted by many. Like Sanchez’s older brother, Paul, who hinted at “a spectacle rivaling Princess Diana’s wedding in 1981 to Prince Charles.”

The Space Flight

All of this for Jeff Bezos, the planet’s second billionaire, with a net worth of $192.2 billion, and his fiancée Lauren Sanchez, who “led” the recent 11-minute space flight of six notable women aboard the “New Shepard,” which brought the couple into the global spotlight, although many believe it happened at the wrong time.

Some questioned the cost: “So much money to go to space when there are many people who can’t even afford eggs?” as actress Olivia Munn wondered. Others attributed it to the craze for likes.

“Billions of dollars secured a few good memes, I suppose,” commented fellow actress Olivia Wilde, while model Emily Ratajkowski called the flight “disgusting.”

Sanchez responded that the mockery gives her strength. She invited her critics to go to Blue Origin and see the employees who pour their heart and passion into what they do. And together with pop star Katy Perry, a member of the six, they agreed that the space trip made them appreciate earthly existence more.

In essence, last Monday, they, along with CBS journalist Gayle King, NASA rocket scientist Ayesha Bow, activist Amanda Nguyen, and film producer Keriann Flynn, were launched from Texas into space aboard the “New Shepard.”

It was the first space flight with an all-female crew since 1963, when Soviet Valentina Tereshkova became the first woman to travel to space.

Many accused the Sanchez-Bezos couple of the flight being a ploy to promote Blue Origin’s expensive tickets for space flights. How expensive? The ticket for the company’s first trip sold at auction for $28 million! However, no one further addressed the… grand stumble of the mogul as he rushed to greet Sanchez after landing.

Jeff Bezos – Lauren Sanchez: From Space to… Venice, the Most Expensive Wedding of the Century

Sanchez’s recent 11-minute trip, along with five other showbiz ladies aboard a Blue Origin craft, was the center of intense criticism, with her responding that mockery gives her strength.

Mr. Facebook’s Dizziness

In any case, what holds true is that Sanchez generously offers her future husband something he has been missing for 25 years, despite his flourishing business endeavors during the same period.

Beyond emotional balance and security, she finally pulled him out of the social isolation he was experiencing. She made him known to the world. Worldwide. As she understands the secrets of publicity and knows how to conquer it under any circumstances.

If Sanchez’s flight to space was impressive, her presence at Trump’s inauguration ceremony in January resembled… the landing of a frigate. Who remembers today the terrifying and spectacular things Donald Trump said during that ceremony, foreshadowing the storm that followed? Certainly many.

However, we presume that everyone remembers two moments. The incredible – far from discreet but how could one resist? – “dazed” look of Mark Zuckerberg as he … gazed at Sanchez’s ample neckline, who was sitting right next to him, accompanying Bezos at the ceremony.

The camera caught the dazed Zuckerberg, and the moment quickly went viral online. It managed to overshadow another characteristic moment of the ceremony, when Trump tried to kiss his wife after his speech. But he failed… miserably, as he was obstructed by her wide… hat.

In other words, Lauren Sanchez – Melania Trump 1-0. Lauren has the talent to capture publicity one way or another. And to leverage it. Even though numerous comments on Zuckerberg’s gaze were along the lines of “Sanchez went to the ceremony forgetting to dress,” “she’s wearing only a bra,” “show a little dignity,” and other similar remarks…

From Aspen… to Venice

It seems that the couple’s wedding, delayed by a few months – initially expected in the atmospheric winter setting in Aspen, Colorado, on December 28 – will be one of the most lavish of the 21st century.

If not the most expensive one, at least in the West, as it will be hard to compare it with last year’s wedding of Anand Ambani, the third son of the richest Indian in the world, Mukesh Ambani, to Ritika Merchant, which cost nearly $600 million.

The couple could perhaps have chosen Greece, as last summer they were spotted on his yacht in Mykonos and Psérimos.

However, they chose Venice. According to the “Daily Mail,” the wedding cost is expected to be in the six-figure range, as the bride is preparing a grand production. Five hotels, including two of the finest in the ideal city for lovers, the “Gritti Palace” and the seven-star “Aman Venice,” are fully reserved from June 24 to 29 for wedding guests.

At the latter, the luxurious 16th-century boutique palace, George Clooney and Amal Alamuddin exchanged vows in a private symbolic ceremony before signing the necessary documents at the Ca’ Farsetti town hall the next day.

We are talking about suites and rooms with views of the Grand Canal, renting from 3,200 euros per night, which can cost up to ten times more depending on the season. And of course, the occasion they will “serve.”

At the same time, for Bezos’s “Koru,” a dock has been booked at Arsenale since only there can a vessel of such size dock. Due to the area lacking in beauty, rumors that the wedding would take place on the yacht have subsided.

Rumors fueled by the fact that Bezos made the official marriage proposal to Sanchez aboard it. By the way, Koru means loop or curl in the Māori language and symbolizes new beginnings.

The wedding will likely take place at the “Aman” or town hall, though some are giving chances to the Doge’s Palace as well. Additionally, the entire fleet of Venice’s water taxis has been booked by the couple for transporting guests.

Sanchez has also revealed that she has already chosen her dress, a creation by Oscar de la Renta, with the assistance of Vogue’s Anna Wintour. The latter has taken Sanchez under her wing since last year’s Met Gala reception, where she also wore a de la Renta dress, slightly more discreet than her usual style.

Among the guests, of course, the first and foremost is Donald Trump with Melania and presidential daughter Ivanka Trump with her husband Jared Kushner. How understood? Times have changed. Bezos, having gone from… Bozo, as Trump labeled him during his first term, has become a regular interlocutor of the president, as he serves his business interests. They have found common ground. Simple as that.

Also present will be the “usual suspects,” presumably friends of the couple, Bill Gates, Leonardo DiCaprio, Oprah Winfrey, Eva Longoria, Kim Kardashian, Katy Perry, Barbra Streisand, Queen Rania of Jordan, and of course Wintour. According to Venice’s mayor Luigi Brugnaro, the number of selected guests will reach 250.

With a clear trolling spirit, however, Venetians, who are concerned about the growth of wedding tourism for the rich and famous, have requested the imposition of… tariffs on Americans wanting to marry in their enchanting city.

Amazon

Amazon is the world’s largest online retailer. 61-year-old Jeff Bezos started it from his garage in Seattle in 1994, as a fledgling online bookstore, and has transformed it into a giant. It now sells almost everything, in the U.S. and in 40 other countries. At the same time, it has its own clothing lines, an airline, Amazon Air, with a fleet of 11 owned and 100 leased aircraft that helps deliver packages worldwide.

Amazon’s Web Services (AWS) are the backbone for major sites like Airbnb, ESPN, Expedia, McDonald’s, Ticketmaster, BMW, and thousands of smaller ones. In 2013, he personally purchased the “Washington Post” for $250 million. In 2022, he acquired MGM’s entertainment catalog for $8.5 billion.

But former television journalist Lauren Sanchez also has her own business. Black Ops Aviation, a helicopter company for aerial video. Her clients include ABC, Discovery Canada, Sony, Netflix, and of course Blue Origin.

After her divorce from Patrick Whitesell, 55-year-old Sanchez acquired a massive house on Mercer Island, which they bought for $6.2 million in 2017.

In 2021, Bezos and Sanchez jointly purchased a beachfront property of 14 acres in Hawaii for $78 million. A real sanctuary in La Perouse Bay.

Bezos’s super yacht, “Koru,” measures 127.2 meters and features two swimming pools, a cinema, meeting spaces, lounges, and more. However, since it lacks… a helipad, the mogul acquired an 85-meter support vessel, the “Abeona,” valued at $75 million. Bezos also owns two Gulfstream G650ER jets.