Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez tied the knot on June 27 and had a big star studded celebration. After the wedding, couple were seen in the streets of Venice, Italy for the very first time as a newly-married couple.
The couple went for a lunch at Harry’s Bar, a well-known restaurant with friends Usher and Tommy Hilfiger. The bar was closed to the public during their visit, according to Page Six.
During the couple’s first outing after the wedding, and they kept their outfits simple yet stunning. Jeff donned in brown T-shirt and had a pair of sunglasses. Bezos’s wife Lauren wore a off-the-shoulder dress in black with a cream-colored purse and a wide-brimmed hat and sunglasses.
The couple took a water taxi to reach the bar. A source told Page Six, “Harry’s doesn’t have a water taxi drop-off, so they had to be dropped off at the hotel across the street and make their way through.”
Harry’s Bar owner, Corriere della Sera speaks out
Later that night, around 9 p.m., the restaurant was fully open for the public, but the staff didn’t say anything about the earlier visit. The owner of the bar, Arrigo Cipriani, told the newspaper Corriere della Sera, “Bezos is a private individual who has come here to get married. I can’t see any problem with that. Venice is Venice and this event won’t change anything.”
There were more police officers than usual near the bar and the hotels to keep things under control. Jeff and Lauren also booked two luxury hotels — the Aman and the Gritti Palace, just for themselves and their guests. Because of that, some people who had already reserved rooms at the Aman Hotel months ago had to leave. The hotel moved them to the St. Regis Hotel and paid for everything, according to reports.
Protest in Venice
But even with all the glamour, not everyone in Venice was celebrating. On Saturday, thousands of locals and protestors gathered across the city. They were angry about the wedding and how billionaires like Bezos use Venice for private parties while regular people deal with problems like too many tourists and rising prices.
Big celebrity weddings have happened in Venice before, but this one drew more protests. Many locals were upset not just because of the size of the wedding, but because of Bezos himself. Many banners were spotted which read slogans such as ‘Kisses yes, Bezos, no’ and ‘No Bezos, no war,’ as they filled the streets of the city.
Another banner read ‘No space for Bezos,’ referring to the billionaire’s space technology company – Blue Origin.
