Jeff Bezos & Lauren Sanchez Make 'Early Request' Of Their Wedding Guests

Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez put a fresh twist on wedding gifting culture.

The set-to-wed couple has implored their guests to press pause on whatever gifts they have planned to present to them as they tie the knot in a three-day wedding celebration, which kicks off on Thursday.

Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez's lavish wedding planning began in May 2023 when the billionaire popped the question, asking the journalist to be his legally wedded wife!

The power couple clearly outlined the rules in their wedding invitation, which was reportedly sent out to guests in May. The card's content requested that their guests leave their gifts at home, as three Venetian charities will be receiving handsome donations on their behalf.

Aside from the charities benefiting from this wedding, local Venetian vendors are also set to record impressive patronage. The couple are reportedly employing the services of these locals to cater to at least 80% of their wedding needs.

From pastry to glassware, Venetian vendors are taking center stage at the event. While the vendors are smiling at the bank, some local residents and organizations have taken issue with the billionaire couple, accusing them of disrupting their everyday lives with the upcoming wedding.

The protesters, according to ABC News, insisted that Bezos and Sanchez should be heavily taxed since they can obviously afford to rent Venice for their wedding.

The couple's union will undoubtedly be a who's who and the crème de la crème of Hollywood and other sectors. Like Bezos, Sanchez also holds her own as an influential figure in the entertainment industry.

A 200-person guest list is reportedly prepared for the day, with celebrities like Mick Jagger, Leo DiCaprio, Orlando Bloom, Oprah Winfrey, and Katy Perry expected to attend.

The Kardashian family, including Kim Kardashian and Kris Jenner, will also grace the occasion. The SKIMS founder and the journalist have been longtime friends and have attended high-profile events together.

"Desperate Housewives" actress Eva Longoria will also attend the wedding. The star stepped out alongside Kardashian for Sanchez's bachelorette party in Paris two months ago.

As The Blast shared, Bezos and Sanchez will reportedly open their arms wide to receive her ex and NFL star Tony Gonzalez and his wife, October Gonzalez, at their wedding.

The couple has reportedly maintained a strong friendship with the Gonzalez couple after Sanchez and Tony made a comeback from their rocky relationship following their split.

Now, the journalist views her ex and his wife as one of her closest friends and would love for them to witness her big day. Sanchez and the NFL player dated in the early 2000s, during which they welcomed their son, Nikko, in 2001.

The former couple eventually separated, with allegations of cheating causing the end of their relationship. Since then, Sanchez and the athlete have worked out their differences and co-parent their son amicably.

However, the socialite's former husband, Patrick Whitesell, was excluded from the guest list. The estranged couple reportedly ended things after reports of her and Bezos' affair were revealed.

Since protests against the wedding began, the event planners clarified that Bezos and Sanchez had left a standing order to plan the celebration with the locals' well-being in mind.

The event planning company, Lanza & Baucina Limited, owned by Prince Antonio Licata di Baucina and Count Riccardo Lanza, released a statement stressing that the couple urged them to employ the services of local vendors.

Lanza & Baucina added that the couple prioritized the city's safety during the wedding preparation and have also supported the local economy through various projects and tangible donations.

According to reports, Bezos and Sanchez had planned to come into the city on his $500 million super yacht and moor it off the island of San Giorgio Maggiore. However, the ongoing protests reportedly raised safety concerns.

The soon-to-be-married couple would presumably now take an aerial approach via helicopter to land on the helipad on Lido and then transfer to the island via a water taxi to exchange their vows.

With Bezos and Sanchez tying the knot, the couple will now become a family of nine! As reported by PEOPLE, Bezos shares four children with his estranged wife, Mackenzie Scott, while Sanchez comes in with three kids - one with her ex-boyfriend, Gonzalez, and two with her former husband, Whitesell.

All seven kids will reportedly attend the wedding in Venice. The couple has allegedly locked it down in the parenting department since they started dating in 2019, although they have kept that side out of the public glare.

However, Sanchez’s son Nikko has carved a niche for himself in the modeling world. The 24-year-old launched his career as a model when he walked for Dolce & Gabbana for their 2024-2025 menswear show in Milan last January.

He did it again at the brand’s Alta Sartoria 2024 show in Italy later that July. On both occasions, Sanchez did not forget to flaunt her son’s success via her social media handle.

Sanchez and Bezos have also gone on vacations as a blended family. Last April, the couple jetted out to Japan for a spring vacation with three of their kids.

Wishing Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez a glorious wedding celebration!