Overview

• The festivities kicked off June 24 with a foam party aboard Bezos’s yacht and continued with a June 26 reception at Madonna dell’Orto, ahead of Friday’s ceremony on San Giorgio Maggiore and a reception at the Arsenale on Saturday.
• Around 200–250 VIPs, including Oprah Winfrey, Kim Kardashian and Ivanka Trump, arrived by private jets and water taxis under tight security measures that banned pedestrian and boat traffic near celebration venues.
• The No Space for Bezos movement staged stunts such as floating mannequins and banner displays, and threatened canal disruptions to protest overtourism and local displacement.
• Organizers say 80 percent of wedding supplies are sourced from Venetian vendors and that Bezos will donate to UNESCO’s Venice Office, the Corila lagoon research group and local sustainable development funds.
• Regional governor Luca Zaia and business associations praised the event’s economic boost for hotels and vendors, while opponents warn it underscores Venice’s overtourism and housing pressures.