VENICE, Italy (AP) — Oprah Winfrey landed in Venice on Thursday, joining a long list of celebrities who are flocking to the lagoon city for the wedding of Lauren Sanchez and Jeff Bezos, the founders of Amazon.
Winfrey’s private jet touched down at the Marco Polo airport in Venice. Soon after, Tom Brady, a former American football player, arrived.
On Wednesday, the bride and groom arrived at the Aman Hotel dock on the Grand Canal in a water taxi accompanied by security boats. A few hours later, they snuck out of the hotel, Snchez in a stylish one-shoulder gown with stripes of black and white.
Though the locations and guest list seem to have solidified, the specifics of the wedding have remained a well guarded secret.
On Wednesday, Ivanka Trump, her husband Jared Kushner, and their three kids arrived.
According to two persons close to the wedding who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not permitted to speak in public, other celebrities on the guest list include:
Kim Kardashian
Mick Jagger
DiCaprio Leonardo
Orlando Bloom
Bill Gates, the creator of Microsoft
Diane von Furstenberg and Barry Diller, her spouse
Although Katy Perry was initially anticipated, the most recent information indicated that she would not be attending.
The wedding has caused division in Venice, as some environmentalists have protested that the millionaire Bezos is exploiting the city while regular citizens face overtourism, exorbitant housing expenses, and the ongoing threat of flooding brought on by climate change.
On Thursday, a group known as Extinction Rebellion held a modest demonstration in St. Mark’s Square that included a bride and groom wearing masks and individuals holding placards criticizing wealth inequality and climate change.
As a reference to the bride’s purported wedding weekend attire, here is a list of Lauren Sanchez’s 27 outfits. Don’t worry, even though the globe is burning.
According to protesters, organizers had to relocate the wedding to the more secure Arsenale neighborhood outside of Venice’s crowded center because they intended to interfere with guests’ arrivals at one of the wedding locations.
The city government has vehemently defended the wedding, arguing that it is in keeping with Venice’s centuries-old tradition as an open city that has welcomed popes, emperors, and common tourists.
In Thursday’s issue of the Italian newspaper Il Foglio Quotidiano, Mayor Luigi Brugnaro stated, “We will always respect the right to speak out, but we reject every form of intolerance and prejudice.” Nobody in Venice has the authority to decide who is allowed to celebrate, who is allowed to love, or who can enter.
