New Delhi, Jun 27: The world's third-richest man, tech billionaire and Amazon founder Jeff Bezos is all set to marry former journalist Lauren Sanchez on Friday in what is being described as a star-studded wedding.

The extravagant celebration, hosted in Venice, Italy, is expected to cost approximately Rs 430 crore, according to Luca Zaia, President of the Veneto region, which includes the iconic city of canals.

The three-day affair, which began on June 26 and will end on June 28 with a celebrity-studded reception after the wedding on Friday, has turned Venice into a temporary fortress, with heightened security and restricted access to ensure privacy for the high-profile couple and their VIP guests.

Despite the organisers’ assurances that the event is being conducted with full respect for the local population and infrastructure, environmental activists and residents have voiced concerns.

Many protestors argue that such an event, featuring 200 to 250 VIPs, only adds pressure to a city already burdened by over-tourism, with more than 30 million visitors annually.

Star power has lit up the Venetian canals, with celebrities, politicians, royalty and other dignitaries arriving steadily throughout the week.

Recent sightings include Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, actor Orlando Bloom, and Queen Rania of Jordan.

They join an already glittering list of attendees that reportedly includes Oprah Winfrey, Kim Kardashian, Khloe Kardashian, Kris Jenner, and Hollywood power couple Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner, who were spotted enjoying pre-wedding festivities in the city.

While the high-profile guest list has drawn admiration, the wedding invitation itself has attracted widespread ridicule online.

A leaked image of the invite, accessed by ABC News, was slammed on social media for its design, with users calling it “tacky,” “ugly,” and a “graphic design disaster.”

Bezos, one of the world’s richest individuals with a net worth of $231 billion according to Bloomberg’s Billionaires Index, began dating Sanchez — a former news anchor. The couple got engaged in 2023.

Though Venice has played host to numerous celebrity weddings — including George Clooney and Amal Alamuddin in 2014 and Indian billionaires Vinita Agarwal and Muqit Teja in 2011 — none have stirred the kind of global attention or controversy that Bezos and Sanchez's nuptials have garnered.

As the celebrations reach their peak, Venice remains under the spotlight, balancing glamour, criticism, and the gaze of the world.

(IANS)

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