Donald Trump Won’t Attend Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez’s Lavish Wedding – Here’s Why

Billionaire Jeff Bezos and his fiancée, Lauren Sánchez, are preparing to tie the knot in the Italian city of Venice. The wedding of the Amazon founder and the former news anchor is set to span three days, with events taking place across various locations in the historic city.

As the couple begins their wedding weekend, plans remain mostly under wraps. Though Bezos’ team has not confirmed any locations, Italian outlets and locals in Venice have shared possible details about the ongoing celebrations.

Festivities reportedly began on Thursday June 26, 2025, with a reception at the Cloister of the Madonna dell’Orto — a 14th-century brick cloister beside a church of the same name. This sacred site, one of Venice’s most treasured, also holds the tomb of Renaissance artist Tintoretto.

On Friday, the wedding is expected to be held on San Giorgio island, known for its Palladian architecture, scenic gardens, and the Giorgio Cini Foundation. Saturday’s reception will likely be at the Arsenale, a historic naval site now used for cultural events and still guarded by the Italian Navy.

Organizing a large event in Venice comes with logistical challenges due to the city’s canal-based layout. Jack Ezon, CEO of the travel firm Embark Beyond, noted that transporting items like flowers and guests by boat makes Venice one of the more complex cities for such occasions. He further explained:

“It’s a very tight-knit community; everyone there knows everyone, and you need to work with the right people. There’s very tight control, especially on movement there with boats.”

Aside from the planning difficulties, hosting an event in Venice also comes with a much higher price. According to Ezon, costs can be three times more than holding the same event in cities like Rome or Florence.

Veneto Governor Luca Zaia shared an estimate, saying the most recent figure he saw for the Bezos and Sánchez celebration ranged from 40 million to 48 million euros — around $56 million.

While the event carries a high cost, concerns over its impact on Venice have also come up. Reports suggested Bezos and Sánchez might use busy tourist spots for their wedding.

In response, event planner Lanza & Baucina released a rare statement saying these claims were not true. Venice Mayor Luigi Brugnaro also addressed the matter, saying the couple would be respectful during their stay.

“The many speculations and fake news circulating about Jeff Bezos’ wedding are completely unfounded,” he said, noting that only 200 guests were expected and the city would not be disturbed.

“We are mutually working and supporting the organizers, to ensure that the event will be absolutely respectful of the fragility and uniqueness of the city,” Brugnaro added.

As plans remained under careful watch, the first day of the celebration drew plenty of attention on the water. On Thursday, a line of water taxis carried Bezos, Sánchez, and their guests across the lagoon to the Madonna dell’Orto cloister.

Onlookers waved as paparazzi trailed behind in boats, aiming their cameras at celebrities including Oprah Winfrey, Kim Kardashian, Tom Brady, Orlando Bloom, and Ivanka Trump.

Soon after arriving, one guest gave a glimpse into the day’s mood. Ivanka posted photos on Instagram showing herself and her husband in Venice. Her caption read, “Ready to celebrate the love story of our friends, @laurenwsanchez and @jeffbezos 🎻🌸.”

She was not the only member of her family included on the guest list for the highly awaited celebration. Her father, Donald Trump, also received an invitation to the occasion, according to White House officials.

However, the president, who is said to have had two conversations with Bezos earlier this month, is not expected to be at the ceremony because of scheduling conflicts, according to those familiar with the matter.

While the politician is not expected to attend, Bezos and Sánchez showed their support by attending his inauguration at the U.S. Capitol’s Rotunda on January 20, 2025, in Washington, D.C.

Bezos and Sánchez’s wedding in Venice drew attention for its grand setting, high-profile guests, and careful planning. Despite the secrecy, reports offered glimpses into the event, which aimed to honor the city’s unique character while hosting a global celebration. As previously reported, there is one rule that guests need to follow while attending the high-profile ceremony.

Wedding preparations for Bezos and Sanchez are well underway in Venice, Italy, and the couple has implemented one strict rule for their high-profile guests: no phones allowed.

According to TMZ, guests must surrender their devices before being transported to the ultra-secret island location where the celebration is set to continue. The exact destination remains a mystery.

Attendees were only informed to arrive at a specific dock by 7:30 p.m. local time, where ferry boats would take them to the party venue. Beyond that, only Bezos and Sanchez know the full details.

The emphasis on privacy underscores the event’s exclusivity and the couple’s desire to keep the proceedings out of public view. Before the journey to the undisclosed island, the festivities began with a formal rehearsal dinner.

Many of the guests, some of whom were seen relaxing at Venice’s luxury Hotel Cipriani, also spent Thursday enjoying the city’s upscale restaurants and lounging poolside. These pre-wedding activities were all part of the lead-up to the main event.

The guest list is estimated at around 200 people, with the couple reportedly spending no less than $50,000 per guest. That brings the wedding’s estimated cost to at least $10 million. In addition to the dinner and island celebration, themed events are also on the itinerary, including a pajama party and a “Great Gatsby”-inspired gathering.

Confirmed celebrity attendees already seen in Venice include Kim and Khloe Kardashian, Kris Jenner, Orlando Bloom, Scooter Braun, Tom Brady, Oprah, and Gayle King.

The events surrounding the long-awaited wedding have been capturing attention for months, from leaked invitations to viral moments caught on camera. Days before the latest round of festivities began, one such moment sparked commentary about the couple.

A few days ago, Bezos and Sanchez were spotted stepping out of their luxury hotel in Venice. They were filmed walking toward a water taxi, reportedly en route to one of several events leading up to their wedding celebration, which cost more than $50 million.

In the clip, Bezos is seen exiting the hotel swiftly and taking a moment to wave to reporters. Sanchez follows shortly after in a striped dress, also waving as she steps toward the boat.

After getting on the water taxi, Bezos turns around and extends a hand to help his fiancée in before they both disappear into the cabin. Though the occasion was grand, the dynamic between them seemed to spark more chatter than their surroundings.

“The way he ditched her and walked away,” one person observed bluntly. Another viewer remarked, “He didn’t even help her down,” while others pointed out that Sanchez appeared to struggle with the steps unaided. “He couldn’t help her down the steps? She seems to be struggling,” one comment read.

The critique didn’t stop there. Some commenters suggested the Amazon founder’s body language lacked warmth or attentiveness. One person noted, “Something is off in his behavior around her,” while another wrote, “He acts like he doesn’t even like her.”

Even minor gestures — or the absence of them — did not go unnoticed. “Wow he doesn’t hold his arm out for his fiancée ugh not a gentleman,” read one reaction. A different viewer echoed a similar thought: “He almost forgot to help her get in the boat, first fight on wedding night…“

A few commenters tried to interpret his demeanor. “He waves to people like he’s some kinda KING!!” someone quipped, while another sarcastically pointed out, “All that money and the little things still bug me.”

While the footage drew its own reactions, it followed closely on the heels of their wedding invite that was revealed recently on June 24.

Their pastel-themed digital wedding invitation, obtained exclusively by ABC News, asks guests not to bring gifts and instead honors three Venetian organizations with donations made on behalf of attendees.

The note reads in part: “We are making contributions in your honor and with gratitude to you for making the journey to celebrate with us in Venice.” The organizations named include the UNESCO Venice Office, the lagoon restoration group CORILA, and Venice International University.

Despite the philanthropic gesture, the design of the invite drew intense scrutiny across platforms. Some users were surprised by the casual, cartoonish style given the high-profile nature of the event.

“This is the UGLIEST invitation i’ve ever seen 😂” one Instagram user wrote, earning over 1,200 likes. A second person added, “That’s the invite??? It looks so cheap. How much did they pay for that???“

Some netizens questioned whether the card was authentic at all. One commented, “You’re telling me this is the wedding invite of one of the world’s richest men?? There is no way 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣“

Another remarked, “This can’t be the real invite.” One user on Facebook mocked its appearance, saying it resembled a last-minute community college brochure project.

The couple, who began dating publicly in 2019 and got engaged in 2023, are hosting a three-day affair in Venice, with celebrations taking place from June 26 to June 28, according to MailOnline.

Sources told the outlet that the pair will officially say “I do” on June 27 on the private island of San Giorgio, home to the 16th-century Basilica of San Giorgio Maggiore. The island is not open to the public and is currently hosting Bezos’ $500 million superyacht.

A welcome gala is expected on June 26, and a closing celebration is believed to be planned for June 28. Several measures have been taken to ensure that the 200 to 250 wedding guests who are likely to attend the events are well cared for.

The Globe and Mail reports that the organizers have booked at least 30 water taxis, 90 private jets, and multiple hotel buyouts across Venice, including the high-end Aman and Cipriani properties.

Roughly 80 percent of the wedding’s vendors are Venetian, according to the Associated Press, including pastry makers Rosa Salva and Murano glassware firm Laguna B.

Regional president Luca Zaia confirmed to reporters that the total cost of the affair is estimated between €40 to 48 million (approximately $63 to 76 million USD), as reported by The Globe and Mail.

With that figure, some netizens have questioned how such a large budget could produce a wedding invite they found so visually underwhelming. One user commented, “Lol so tacky,” while another quipped that the design looked like it had been made by a child.

Bezos and Sanchez have both been previously married. Bezos split from MacKenzie Scott in 2019 after 25 years of marriage. Sanchez, a former news anchor and helicopter pilot, finalized her divorce from talent agent Patrick Whitesell that same year.

Their union has been dubbed the “Wedding of the Century” by some media outlets, not only for its scale but for its confluence of celebrity, wealth, and exclusivity. Guests reportedly include Oprah Winfrey, Leonardo DiCaprio, Kim Kardashian, and possibly members of the Trump family.

The couple had been in the news a few months earlier due to Bezos’ Blue Origin’s space mission. Sanchez had traveled to space in April with five other women — Aisha Bowe, Amanda Nguyễn, Gayle King, Katy Perry, and Kerianne Flynn.