The wedding ceremony of Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez concluded shortly before 9:00 PM on the island of San Giorgio Maggiore in Venice, which was filled with glamorous guests.

Cameras captured Bezos and Sánchez as they departed from the five-star Aman Venice hotel.

Having already tied the knot in a civil ceremony in the U.S., 61-year-old Bezos and 55-year-old Sánchez exchanged wedding vows on the island, with the ceremony accompanied by the voice of Matteo Bocelli, son of renowned tenor Andrea Bocelli. A spectacular reception is set to follow on Saturday, featuring performances by Lady Gaga and Elton John.

Today’s ceremony marks the highlight of a three-day celebration filled with yachts and VIP guests, taking place in a Venice divided over the impact such an event may have on the city’s image.

As Sánchez headed to the island, she made a stylish appearance wearing a 1960s-inspired headscarf and black sunglasses, channeling old Hollywood glamour. Her jewelry also caught everyone’s attention. Before departing, the 55-year-old American blew a kiss to the photographers waiting for her.

About an hour earlier, Jeff Bezos left the hotel, accompanied by a fleet of ten boats carrying paparazzi. Dressed in a black tuxedo, he smiled and waved to the crowd as he made his way to San Giorgio Maggiore.

Wedding Celebrations Cost €28.4 Million

In a report released today, the Ministry of Tourism estimated that Jeff Bezos and his fiancée are directly spending €28.4 million on the wedding festivities that have captivated the Italian media.

The ministry also stated it expects indirect profits of around €17.6 million, especially through transportation services. However, the most significant anticipated impact is from future tourism revenue, with projections of at least €895 million, thanks to the media exposure generated by the event—although it cautioned that this figure “requires empirical verification.”

Although tonight’s event is considered the highlight of the three-day celebration, it remains unclear whether — or when — the couple has legally wed. A spokesperson for the Venice City Hall told CNN on Thursday, June 26, that no official request has been filed by Bezos and Sánchez.

Among the celebrities who arrived earlier in Italy to attend the wedding were Kim Kardashian, Oprah Winfrey, and Orlando Bloom. The couple got engaged two years ago aboard Bezos’s $500 million luxury yacht.

Backlash in Venice Over the Wedding

The wedding has sparked criticism in Venice. Around 100,000 tourists are staying in the city during peak season, not including tens of thousands of day visitors, while the number of permanent residents continues to decline.

A residents’ collective called “No Space for Bezos” is escalating symbolic protests to express their opposition to the celebrations, rallying under the slogan “Venice is not for sale” and voicing concerns that the wedding is further complicating residents’ mobility.

“This wedding is causing problems in the city, with canal closures and increasingly strict security checks,” denounced Alicia Bazzoli, 24, an activist with No Space for Bezos, in a statement to Agence France-Presse.

The group argues that such high-profile, ultra-wealthy events contribute to the ongoing commercialization of Venice and worsen the already difficult living conditions for locals.