Jeff Bezos is officially off the market. The Amazon founder married his fiancée, former TV anchor Lauren Sánchez, in a lavish ceremony on Friday, June 27, on the private island of San Giorgio Maggiore in Venice, Italy, capping a multi-day spectacle of wealth, power, and controversy.

Sánchez shared a radiant Instagram post of herself in a flowing white dress alongside Bezos, suited up in a tuxedo. The wedding marked the culmination of a multi-day spectacle that drew 200 celebrity guests, dozens of private jets, luxury yachts, and plenty of social media attention.

Among the A-list attendees: Oprah Winfrey, Kris Jenner, Kim and Khloé Kardashian, Barbra Streisand, George and Amal Clooney, and Leonardo DiCaprio, who, notably, once became the subject of an internet meme after an awkward red-carpet encounter with Sánchez.

But on the streets of the historic city, a different story was unfolding.

The “No Space For Bezos” Backlash

As Gizmodo previously reported, the announcement of the wedding’s location sparked immediate and organized protests from locals. Under the banner of “No Space For Bezos,” a dozen Venetian organizations, from housing advocates to anti-cruise ship campaigners, denounced what they see as the exploitation of their city.

Protesters argue that the wedding, with an estimated price tag north of $50 million, exemplifies the forces that are making Venice uninhabitable for its own residents: rampant overtourism, soaring housing costs, and the constant threat of climate-induced flooding. They staged small-scale demonstrations throughout the week, unfurling anti-Bezos banners at iconic sites. The pressure ultimately forced the couple to move their main reception party to the Arsenale, a medieval complex deemed more secure and less susceptible to protest flotillas.

The city’s governor, Luca Zaia, defended the wedding as an economic boon, but critics on the ground pointed to Amazon’s controversial labor practices and ongoing tax disputes as reasons for their concern.

Why This Isn’t Just a Wedding

Bezos’ wedding is a raw display of power. In the 21st century, tech billionaires are the new royalty, and their weddings have become de facto coronations. They are meticulously crafted PR events designed to project an image of benevolent, cultured, and almost feudal power.

The pre-wedding invitation, as previously discussed, was a perfect example of this. It kindly requested “no gifts” and instead highlighted the couple’s  donations to three local environmental research groups. It’s a classic move: wrap an event of staggering carbon-footprint excess in the soft packaging of eco-philanthropy. The message is clear: we can afford to buy an entire city for a weekend, and we can also afford to save it.

Ultimately, the Bezos-Sánchez wedding serves as a powerful symbol of our era, where the logistical power of a tech empire can requisition a historic city, where the line between celebrity and tech titan has completely blurred, and where even the most extravagant displays of wealth come with a carefully worded press release about giving back.