The Luxury of Love: Inside the Planning of Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchezs Venice Wedding

The upcoming wedding of Jeff Bezos, the third-richest person in the world, and Lauren Sánchez, a newscaster turned helicopter pilot, is expected to be an extravagant and highly-publicized event in Venice this week. While the couple has not shared many details about the wedding, it is anticipated that the celebrations will last several days and will be a show of opulence.

Business Insider spoke with luxury wedding planners who have not been involved in the Bezos and Sánchez nuptials to gain insight into what goes into planning a high-profile wedding of this magnitude. The planners emphasized that no detail would be overlooked in the planning process, with a specific vision for the event and a commitment to making it seamless for the bride, groom, their families, the bridal party, and the guests.

The cost of the wedding is expected to be in the eight-figure range, with a luxury wedding planner estimating that a multi-day, high-end celebration in Venice could cost up to 10 million euros (approximately $11.5 million). While unconfirmed reports suggest the wedding could cost 30 million euros, which seems high even by luxury standards, it is "not impossible—especially if the couple is sparing no expense across accommodations, logistics, entertainment, and design," according to Roberta Camille Lione, a luxury wedding planner and founder of Italian Knot.

Venice poses unique challenges for such a high-profile wedding. The floating city's lack of cars means all transportation will be via private boats, water taxis, and gondolas. For ultra-VIP events, fleets of luxury boats are arranged to handle guest transfers with discretion and style. The narrow streets and crowded canals also require "discreet but robust security details" to be essential, according to Lione. Coordination with local authorities is often necessary to control access to public areas and manage fan-driven overcrowding.

The wedding planners also noted that the headlining entertainment could add significant expenses. For example, if a global star like Beyoncé were to perform at the wedding, it could cost several million euros just for the performance, not to mention staging, production, and logistics. Additionally, covering the stay for guests at top-tier hotels could run into the millions of euros.

Despite the challenges, Venice is a popular location for luxury weddings due to its romantic atmosphere and European glamour. Several luxury hotels in Venice are largely booked for the week of the wedding, including the Gritti Palace, Hotel Cipriani, and Aman, where George and Amal Clooney got married in 2014. While the reported size of the wedding is around 200 guests, the planners expect it to be very discreet and take place in private venues to minimize disruptions to residents.

The security for such a high-profile event is also a concern. There will likely be security watching the perimeter of the space, keeping an eye on the guest list, and even watching out for people flying drones to try to catch a glimpse. Coordination with a couple's PR teams on social media posts and publicity may also be necessary.

Whatever Bezos and Sánchez have in store for their nuptials, it is expected to set an example for future weddings. If you have any tips or stories to share about their wedding, please contact [email protected] or [email protected].