Featured Image Credit: MARCO BERTORELLO / Contributor via Getty
The wedding of Amazon boss Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez lived up to its promises of being a star-studded event, and as the world's fourth-richest man took over Venice with his entourage, everyone from Kris Jenner to Sydney Sweeney, Orlando Bloom to Leonardo DiCaprio was in attendance.
There was already backlash toward the wedding of the year, but away from jokes that the invite looked like it had been made on MS Word, Bezos was forced to change the venue at the last minute due to complaints about it disrupting Venice.
That didn't seem to matter too much on the big day, and with a reported $20 million budget, the A-listers were there in their droves. Even fellow billionaire Bill Gates was there to celebrate the Amazon boss tying the knot.
Fresh from her trip to space, Lauren Sánchez Bezos stepped down the aisle in her custom Dolce & Gabbana gown. Kim Kardashian gushed on Instagram and said, "We all cried watching you walk down the aisle in pure bliss!"
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The food was said to be equally impressive, serving up three-Michelin-starred pasta dishes created by Fabrizio Mellini, as well as pizzas from Neapolitan pizzaiolo Ciro Oliva.
Entertainment included renditions from Ellie Goulding and Usher, while a second day saw even more big names stop by in the form of Jessica Alba, Mick Jagger, and more.
Unfortunately, not everything lived up to the hype. Maybe there wasn't much left from the $20 million budget for goody bags.
Speaking to Vogue ahead of the big day, Sánchez Bezos promised a luxe affair. The outlet noted: "Sánchez has paid special attention to the goody bags awaiting guests in their hotel rooms, too, only telling me that each will include a sampling of Venetian fare.
"At the reception men will be given Vibi Venezia blue velvet Venetian slippers, while ladies will receive plush, black open-toe slippers from Amazon: 'So you have a little of both!'
According to entertainment journalist Rob Shuter, the Amazon slides that were given to the women went down like a lead balloon. 'Sources' apparently said: "I thought it was a gag. Like an inside joke between billionaires."
Another said: "It was like getting merch from a corporate retreat. We flew to Venice for a clearance-bin moment."
One unnamed society gal told Shuter: "It felt like a product placement. Like she’s launching Lauren by Amazon next week."
A Vogue staffer then mocked: "You don’t wrap up a $20 million weekend with cheap sandals. It’s giving QVC in couture."
Still, others found the lighter side of it as one guest concluded: "Of course, Lauren turned a wedding into a soft launch."
Considering Bezos is currently worth $234.9 billion and Amazon is said to be worth $2.35 trillion, the Hollywood guests might expect something a little fancier than slides from his online marketplace.
Then again, it's not every day you get invited to a $20 million wedding, and with the guest list being a more than exclusive affair, we wouldn't mind trading places with the likes of Oprah Winfrey for a day.
