Overview

• Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez exchanged vows on June 27 in a nonbinding ceremony on San Giorgio Island that local officials say holds no legal status under Italian law and attracted around 200 attendees.
• A wedding reception is scheduled for June 28 at the Arsenale, a secured 14th-century shipyard and armory repurposed for Venice’s cultural festivals.
• London-based planners Lanza & Baucina organized the multiday events, which Reuters estimates have cost between $46 million and $56 million.
• Guests were asked to forgo traditional gifts and instead make donations to organizations supporting Venice’s cultural heritage and lagoon restoration.
• Activists under the “No Space for Bezos” banner joined environmental groups in staging protests in St. Mark’s Square and along city canals to denounce the wedding’s impact on overtourism.