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Jeff Bezos and fiancée Lauren Sánchez have decided to change one of their wedding venues in Venice because of security concerns and possible protests, according to reports.
The couple had planned to hold a wedding party at the historic Scuola Grande della Misericordia in the Cannaregio section of the city, but are now moving it to the harder-to-reach Arsenale, a former shipyard, which is completely surrounded by water and only reachable by boat when connecting bridges are raised, BBC News and Reuters reported.
The city in recent days has seen increasing protests by people concerned celebrity guests will overrun Venice with private jets and yachts. Other protesters also disagree with the Amazon founder’s politics.
A number of celebrities are invited to the wedding festivities, which remain a secret but are expected to kick off on Thursday and end Saturday in the picturesque Italian city.
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Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner arrived in Italy on Tuesday ahead of the festivities.
The couple traveled by boat from the Marco Polo airport in Venice to the St. Regis hotel. Trump wore an off-white cropped top with a matching long skirt. The outfit featured red-orange detailing.
Kushner kept it casual with a linen button down and khaki pants. The former government advisor to father-in-law Donald Trump accessorized with sunglasses and a New York Yankees ball cap.
Philanthropist and fashion designer Diane von Fürstenberg also arrived in Italy on Tuesday.
The Belgian fashion designer wore a colorful striped suit with a black top underneath as she arrived at Venice’s Marco Polo Airport.
Bezos and Sánchez debuted their relationship in 2019 after Sánchez separated from Hollywood agent Patrick Whitesell and Bezos divorced his ex-wife Mackenzie Scott.
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The couple’s engagement was announced in May 2023. Bezos proposed using a 30-carat pink diamond ring estimated to be worth between $3 million and $5 million.
Between 200 and 250 guests, including many rumored celebrities like Kim Kardashian, Katy Perry and Leonardo DiCaprio, are expected to attend.
“No Space for Bezos,” the group leading the protests, has more demonstrations planned for Saturday in the city.
The group also took credit for forcing the wedding venue to move.
“The news that Bezos has run away from the Misericordia is a great victory for us,” Tommaso Cacciari, a leader of the “No Space for Bezos” campaign, told Reuters.
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The protests were criticized by the president of the Veneto region, which includes Venice, Luca Zaia, who said the wedding festivities could bring tens of millions of dollars in much-needed revenue to the city.
The couple, on their wedding invitation, asked guests to make donations to three Venetian charities in lieu of gifts, according to Good Morning America. The charities include the UNESCO Venice office, to “safeguard this city’s irreplaceable cultural heritage,” CORILA “to restore the vital lagoon habitats that protect Venice’s future” and Venice International University “to support research and education for sustainable solutions.”
The couple have also pushed back on the idea that their nuptials will overrun the city, which is already crowded with tourism.
The couple’s wedding planners told Fox News Digital that Bezos and Sánchez specifically instructed them to minimize the disruptions to the best of their ability out of respect to the locals.
“As event organizers who have been working in Venice for over 24 years, we feel obliged to set the record straight given the misinformation, untruths and misunderstandings circulating about the Bezos wedding,” the team at Lanza & Baucina Limited said in a statement. “From the outset, instructions from our client and our own guiding principles were abundantly clear: the minimizing of any disruption to the city, the respect for its residents and institutions and the overwhelming employment of locals in the crafting of the events.
“Rumors of ‘taking over’ the city are entirely false and diametrically opposed to our goals and to reality,” the statement continued. “No exaggerated quantity of water taxis or gondolas have ever been booked, the number of taxis reserved being proportionate for the number of guests. Before the recent news of protests arose, we had worked for there to be minimal negative impact or disruption to the lives of Venetians and the city’s visitors.
“We have always acknowledged the wider debate and critical issues surrounding the city’s future, and from the outset our client has been honored to support the city and its all-important lagoon through non-profit organizations and associated projects,” the statement concluded.
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