Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez Seen Leaving Their Hotel in Venice Ahead of Their Wedding

Just days before exchanging vows, Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez were captured stepping out of their luxury hotel in Venice. The couple was 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 followed shortly after in a striped dress, also waving as she stepped toward the boat.

After getting on the water taxi, Bezos turned around and extended a hand to help his fiancée in before they both disappeared 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.