Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez have officially arrived in Venice as they prepare for their much-anticipated wedding, set to take place later this week.
The Amazon founder and his fiancée were photographed stepping off a boat and checking into the luxurious Aman Hotel on Wednesday, June 25. Earlier in the day, it was confirmed that the couple had touched down in the Floating City as festivities begin to unfold.
A helicopter was seen leaving Venice around midday local time and landing on Abeona—the support ship to Bezos’ superyacht Koru—which is currently anchored off the coast of Croatia. Shortly after, the helicopter returned to Venice with the couple on board. Their arrival point was the Venice Lido, best known as the venue for the city’s annual film festival.
Celebrity guests began arriving on Tuesday, June 24, adding to the pre-wedding buzz. Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner were seen in Venice, and fashion designer Diane von Fürstenberg was spotted at Marco Polo Airport on the same day.
According to a source close to the couple, the multi-day celebration will begin with a casual welcome event on Thursday, June 26. The gathering will take place at a secluded cloister next to the Madonna dell’Orto church.
The formal black-tie wedding ceremony is scheduled for Friday, June 27, and will be held on the Island of San Giorgio Maggiore, which has been converted into a lavish venue by the Giorgio Cini Foundation.
Following the nuptials, guests will enjoy a relaxed dinner on Saturday, June 28. The dinner was originally planned at Scuola Vecchia della Misericordia but has since been moved to the Arsenal of Venice, a historic compound once home to Venice’s naval shipyards and armories.
Earlier in the week, on Sunday, June 22, Bezos, 61, and Sánchez, 55, were seen enjoying a foam party aboard Bezos’ $500 million yacht. Dressed in swimsuits, the couple joined friends in playing with colorful beach balls and diving into the sea amid clouds of frothy foam on the deck.
Though many details about the wedding remain private, those close to the couple anticipate an extravagant affair. “I think it’s gonna be like a Princess Di thing,” Sánchez’s brother Paul told in March. “It’s gonna be an amazing event. It’s gonna be star-studded and fun.”
Both Bezos and MGA Entertainment—the company behind Bratz, which is involved in another of Sánchez’s projects—are represented by WME, possibly explaining the synergy behind recent media collaborations.
The glamorous celebration is already drawing international attention, with more celebrity arrivals expected in Venice over the coming days.