Jeff Bezos: Giga sailing yacht "Koru" as wedding shuttle in Venice
Jeff Bezos currently owns 133.7 billion dollars less than Elon Musk (as of 31 March) according to the real-time ranking of the richest people, which is constantly updated by the media creators at Forbes. This makes the 61-year-old Amazon founder the second wealthiest person in the world, just ahead of meta-boss Mark Zuckerberg with €199.5 billion. So it's no wonder that the announced wedding of Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez is causing quite a stir in the media.
61-year-old Jeff Bezos and 55-year-old journalist and children's book author Lauren Sánchez have apparently spared no expense or effort for their celebrations from 24 to 26 June. The Italian lagoon city is facing a state of emergency, as the couple have reserved almost the entire infrastructure for their guests.
Arrival with superyacht "Koru" planned
However, this news would not be relevant for water sports fans if yachts did not play a major role in the wedding ceremony. Gossip on the scene suggests that both the 125-metre Oceanco three-master "Koru" and owner Bezos' 75-metre supply vessel "Abeona", which travels as a shadow, will be integrated into the celebrations.
Jeff Bezos proposed to his girlfriend Lauren Sanchéz two years ago on board "Koru". In Maori, the language of the indigenous people of New Zealand, the name means "new beginning". This is what Bezos and Sanchéz now want to do: according to the US television station CNN, the Amazon founder got down on one knee in front of his partner on board off the coast of southern France. Paparazzi shots showed the happy fiancée on the teak railing and in the tender of "Abeona" with the engagement ring on her hand. Now the vows are to be exchanged on the impressive Dykstra design. Receptions are also to be held on the two floating giants and they are to act as guest shuttles.
Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez book water taxi fleet
According to reports in the Italian newspaper "La Repubblica", the Bezos/Sanchéz couple have reserved Venice's entire fleet of water taxis and the five leading five-star hotels in the lagoon city for the period from 26 to 29 June, which speaks against the shuttle theory. The Gritti Palace, Hotel Danieli, Aman Venice, Belmond Hotel Cipriani and The St. Regis Venice have been booked for the 250 or so invited guests.
250 guests expected
Although the official guest list is not yet known, the couple's engagement party in Beverly Hills two years ago gives an idea of which celebrities could be expected in Venice. Possible guests have included Bill Gates, Leonardo DiCaprio, Kris Jenner, Kim Kardashian and Tobey Maguire. The participation of US President Donald Trump is also not ruled out, as Bezos and Sánchez were present at his swearing-in ceremony at the White House.
In any case, the city can expect an exceptional weekend with an extremely high density of private jets and a large security presence. It can be assumed that some VIPs on the guest list will also be travelling with their own gigayacht. The wedding of Bezos and Sánchez is also likely to provide a significant economic boost for Venice. Mayor Luigi Brugnaro is expecting revenue of several million euros.
