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With just hours to go before Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez make a lifelong commitment in a nuptial that hasn't spared a penny in its planning, many will be left wondering how the glitzy but controversial ceremony will impact the couple's reputation.
A union like no other, the couple have exceeded all expectation in planning one of the most extravagant ceremonies of all time - but many have raised eyebrows over some of the gaudier displays included in their Venice celebrations.
According to branding and PR expert Chad Teixeira, rather than opting for 'timeless elegance', the festivities have 'veered into spectacle that's more Vegas than Versailles.'
With inflatable crocodiles, foam and pyjama parties, and a plethora of 'gimmicks' without 'grace', Bezos and Sanchez's multi-million dollar wedding plans 'risk undermining the couple's aspirational brand', the expert warned.
Amazon chief Bezos, 61, and former journalist Lauren, 55, are the latest in a string of celebrity couples to stage a multi-day extravaganza in Europe. Among the rumoured 200 guests are Kim Kardashian, Ivanka Trump and Orlando Bloom.
Their six-day celebration is reminiscent of Amal and George Clooney's Venetian wedding and to Kim Kardashian and Kanye West's bash - but has found itself the source of much controversy.
Dubbed 'the wedding of the century', the union has continued to make headlines in the runup to the official ceremony, with locals in Venice, where is it due to take place, vehemently protesting the lavish, all-American nuptial.
'As one of the richest men in the world, you'd expect Jeff Bezos' wedding to be the epitome of refinement,' said Chad, who believed the wedding was more of a 'billionaire stag weekend in disguise.'
Guests are due to attend various different themed parties as part of the festivities, including a pyjama themed bash and a Great Gatsby party.
Bezos is worth around $224.6 billion and is thought to be spending tens of millions on his wedding.
Ahead of the wedding, the couple were even forced to change the location of their venue after protesters, calling themselves the 'No Space for Bezos' group, threatened to fill the canals of Venice with inflatable crocodiles - despite planners denying that the nuptial would 'take over Venice'.
'Shutting down a city like Venice might seem like a power move, but in reality, it plays as tone-deaf. In the current climate of wealth scrutiny and rising anti-billionaire sentiment, this kind of performative excess can alienate rather than impress. The optics are less about love and more about domination.'
It's not the only detail to have altered the tone of the otherwise exorbitant wedding celebrations.
Kicking things off earlier this week, the two enjoyed a foam party on Bezos' $500 million Koru yacht off the coast of Italy. Both were pictured frolicking around on the vessel as bubbles were jetted towards them and a group of close friends.
'The foam party and inflatable crocodiles feel more Ibiza club night than ultra-luxe wedding weekend,' Chad said.
It's not the only celebration that Chad said blurred 'the lines between fashion-forward and costume party'.
Guests are due to attend various different themed parties as part of the festivities, including a pyjama themed bash and a Great Gatsby party, according to sources.
Kicking things off earlier this week, the two enjoyed a foam party on Bezos' $500 million Koru yacht off the coast of Italy. Both were pictured frolicking around on the vessel as bubbles were jetted towards them and a group of close friends.
'These elements might appeal to their inner circle, but publicly, they risk undermining the couple's aspirational brand. When you've got the world watching, frivolity can read as frivolousness,' Chad said.
'When you start mixing foam parties with inflatable crocodiles and corset dress codes, it raises eyebrows.
'This isn't a power couple protecting their brand; it's a billionaire stag weekend in disguise.'
According to the expert, rather than reflecting the pair's high values, their tastes for extravagance shows 'a lack of restraint'.
'From a branding perspective, every element of a high-profile wedding, from the invite to the itinerary - should reflect the couple's identity and values.
'In this case, the invite and themed parties suggest not luxury, but a lack of restraint. It's branding by chaos: too many gimmicks, not enough grace.
'Luxury isn't loud. The 'tacky-chic' styling of the hen do and the sleepover-style celebrations blur the lines between fashion-forward and costume party. For someone like Lauren Sánchez, who's tried to position herself as both glamorous and grounded, it dilutes the message. Style should enhance your brand, not make it a meme.
'This isn't just about personal taste; it's about legacy. Bezos is at a point in his life where every move—every photo—feeds into how history will view him. Right now, the wedding doesn't say 'iconic love story.'
According to the expert, rather than reflecting the pair's high values, their tastes for extravagance shows 'a lack of restraint'.
Billionaire Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez are all smiles as they arrive in Venice ahead their much anticipated wedding
The wedding has stirred strong reactions from locals and well as environmental groups around the word
Billionaire Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez arrive in Venice ahead their anticipated wedding
The wedding has stirred strong reactions from locals and well as environmental groups around the word.
Greenpeace and the UK-based collective Everyone Hates Elon have joined protests in Venice attempting to disrupt, or even prevent, the planned wedding celebrations of Amazon founder Bezos this week.
'Jeff Bezos is the second-richest man in the world yet is reported to pay a 1.1 percent true tax rate,' the two groups said in a joint statement. 'The multi-million-dollar wedding is reportedly happening over three days, with the wedding ring alone worth as much as $5million.'
Venice mayor Luigi Brugnaro and regional governor Luca Zaia have spoken out in favor of the nuptials, which have been dubbed, 'the wedding of the century,' pointing out that the celebrations are expected to bring $23-34million to local businesses.
'This is a city that handles 150,000 people a day,' Zaia told Italian daily Corriere della Sera. 'George Clooney, François-Henri Pinault and Salma Hayek, Alexandre Arnault, Elton John and many others got married here.'
The celebrations are expected to kick off on Thursday and end on Saturday.
But the historic venue that Bezos and Sanchez chose for part of their $20 million bash is covered in scaffolding, MailOnline can reveal.
The lavish three-day event will feature a party held within the fabulous 15th-century Madonna dell'Orto church in Venice's quaint Cannareggio district tomorrow night.
Venice City Hall issued a directive on Wednesday cordoning off the area, isolating guests from activists who have been protesting for weeks that the celebrations will turn the city of gondolas and palazzi into a private amusement park for the rich.
Bezos, who remains the executive chair of e-commerce giant Amazon and sits at number 4 on Forbes' billionaires list, got engaged to Sanchez in 2023, four years after the collapse of his 25-year marriage to Mackenzie Scott.
In preparation, security guards have now blocked off entrances to the closure where the party will be held, but what guests will first see when they arrive is the iconic bell tower covered in scaffolding.