The excitement in Venice is palpable as the wedding of the world’s second wealthiest man to his glamorous second wife is set to unfold in June. According to a local source, the entire city is abuzz with anticipation, from the water taxis to the hotel staff.

Danielle Nay, a renowned producer of extravagant celebrity and royal weddings, many of which have been hosted in Venice, echoes this sentiment. She believes that Venice is currently a hot topic, now that the news of the upcoming wedding has been revealed.

Choosing Venice as the backdrop for their nuptials is considered a savvy decision by Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez. By opting for the iconic and romantic city, the couple is immersing themselves in a rich tapestry of history and elegance, aligning with a tradition of opulent celebrity weddings that have graced the likes of George Clooney in 2014 and Alexandre Arnault with Geraldine Guyot in 2021.

She adds: ‘This is PR gold, attracting attention and investment at a time when the city is going through a new cultural renaissance.’ Three of the city’s best hotels are booked out for the festivities: The Aman Palace, The St Regis and the Gritti Palace.

These will take the 200 or so guests, thought to include celebrities such as Oprah Winfrey, Kim Kardashian, Barbra Streisand and Leonardo DiCaprio, plus Vogue chief Anna Wintour and tycoons Barry Diller and Bill Gates.

Another 200 support staff will also need to be accommodated between June 26 and 29, with sources talking about multiple events over three days.

But the highlight will be the ceremony and many in Venice believe the private island of San Giorgio Maggiore is the place the couple have chosen for the event. The beautiful, secluded spot is home to the former San Giorgio monastery which now houses the Cini Foundation, a cultural charity.

It has incomparable views across the lagoon to St Mark’s Square and the Doge’s Palace.

The buildings are filled with artworks and a valuable archive and its cloisters would make the perfect setting.

A spokesman for the foundation says that they are ‘not able to confirm, comment on or deny’ anything to do with the nuptials, which falls short of a denial.

A city hall source in Venice says the Cini is certainly in the running to host Amazon chief Mr Bezos, who arrived this week to look at potential venues and meet Venice’s mayor Luigi Brugnaro.

Mr Bezos, I am told, was ‘extremely concerned about privacy’ and the Cini would shield the event from prying eyes.

City hall sources added no public spaces will be cordoned off and tourists will still be able to enjoy the city while the wedding takes place, which also points to the private island monastery being at the centre of the festivities.

‘Everyone is making a big deal about the wedding causing chaos but the planning is under way to keep the city open throughout,’ says a source. 

‘Taxis will still be available, people will still be able to get around and see the sights. This will be a very private event, and very well-planned.’ 

As for security concerns, the Cini Foundation has twice hosted the G7 summit, with world leaders including Francois Mitterrand and Margaret Thatcher attending.

If Donald Trump turns up, as expected, he will follow in Presidents Ronald Reagan and Jimmy Carter’s footsteps. A source says: ‘The island isn’t just private, its practically sovereign territory.’

Ms Nay, who has worked with royalty and A-list stars via her company Blu Fire, says the Cini would be the perfect choice.

‘Venice’s historic sites are in a constant state of competitive fundraising and this wedding will be supporting the preservation of the incredible Cini art collection and architectural restoration at the site, including the gorgeous amphitheatre at the back,’ she says.

‘I hope that the weekend’s itinerary will include cultural visits to some of the city’s off-market palazzi and other secret treasures – that’s always my favourite part of Venetian itinerary planning.’

She adds: ‘For Mr Bezos and his bride, this isn’t just a wedding. It’s a major event, a statement of class and a sort of cultural takeover, done tastefully one hopes.

‘He comes from a philanthropic family and will be giving back to the city by fundraising restoration of key parts of the Fondazione Cini, such as the wonderful amphitheatre in the gardens. It’s all very considered. Luxe, but with legacy.’

And the cost? Wild reports circulated last year that the wedding would cost $500million, which Bezos scoffed at as ‘fake news’.

A wedding planner, who preferred to remain anonymous, said: ‘You can do a perfectly nice wedding in Venice for half a million but I would say $30million is the floor, not the ceiling.

 ‘When you factor in A-list and other performers, private jets, luxury accommodation and gold standard discretion, the total could easily soar.’

That source adds: ‘If you think spending tens of millions on a wedding is vulgar, consider that Mr Bezos, like many billionaires, will see this an act of cultural charity and value, as well as job creation.

‘When you’re Jeff Bezos, there’s no such thing as OTT. As my San Francisco clients say, “There’s always another level”.’

Others say there is no way the wedding will cost as much as $30million and that it is likely to be a small fraction of that. If so, good for Jeff for driving a bargain.

He’s certainly got the best of the best in his corner. The wedding weekend is understood to be orchestrated by the uber-discreet company Lanza and Baucina, which is run by one Italian Prince (Prince Antonio Licata di Baucina) and two Italian counts (his cousins Count Riccardo and Aleramo Lanza). Their website is blank save for the words: ‘Leaders in global event creation, design and management with experience ranging from Royal and A-list celebrity weddings to groundbreaking productions in extraordinary and unchartered locations.

‘Established in 2000, we have worked on every continent and are responsible for masterminding the world’s most exclusive, private and spectacular parties.

‘Discretion is paramount to us. We have no social media presence and no examples of previous work are published.’

It’s widely known, though, that the luxe company masterminded George Clooney’s romantic 2014 Venice wedding to Amal, which was largely at the Aman Palace Hotel, a 16th century palazzo.

Lanza and Baucina also arranged actress Salma Hayek’s Venetian wedding to fashion billionaire François-Henri Pinault in 2009, which was held at La Fenice opera house (it is understood La Fenice is booked out for other events at the time of the Bezos nuptials so has been ruled out as a venue).

Other events put on by the company include the Google summit in Sicily in 2018, where a group of billionaires were addressed on eco issues by a barefoot Prince Harry.

In a rare interview a decade ago, Prince Antonio said: ‘With our family connections, we always know someone who can open secret doors in Italy.’

They have put on dinner parties at the Colosseum in Rome and specialise in negotiating access to ‘off-limits’ settings for their rich clients.

When Meghan Markle’s close friend Misha Nonoo married her first husband, art gallerist Alexander Gilkes, Lanza and Baucina arranged for them to hold the wedding at Forte di Sant’Andrea, a 16th century island fort that once guarded Venice and had never been used for a private event.

The mayor of Venice gave permission, with Princess Beatrice and James Middleton among the guests. He is involved again with the Bezos wedding, the organisers hand-in-hand with him.

They will need his help. As Ms Nay says: ‘People love the fun stuff – design ideas, venue and menu selection – but logistics in Venice are challenging. You can’t drive. Everyone arrives by commercial boat. It’s like producing a West End show on water, with a budget in the tens of millions.’

The mayor Sr Brugnaro has already stepped in to quash reports in the local media that the wedding is set to consume the city.

‘The many speculations and fake news circulating about Jeff Bezos’s wedding are completely unfounded,’ he stressed at the weekend, adding the city is working with wedding organisers.

He clarified that about 200 guests will be attending the ceremony, noting that Venice in the past has hosted international events ‘with much greater impact than this one’, citing, among others, the Venice Film Festival.

Mr Bezos, 61, and Ms Sanchez, 55, were spotted in Venice on Tuesday and also in Milan later in the week, with Ms Sanchez carrying several bags from Dolce & Gabbana. She will – like Amal Clooney – have a number of looks planned for the wedding but sources suggest she has chosen American house Oscar de la Renta for her wedding dress, at the suggestion of Vogue supremo Anna Wintour.

Rumours that the wedding will take place on Mr Bezos’s $500million superyacht Koru have been rebuffed but there will likely be at least one party aboard the boat, which will be anchored in the Venetian Lagoon.

At 127 metres long, the Koru, meaning ‘loop’ in Maori, is the largest masted yacht ever built – and the place where Mr Bezos proposed to Ms Sanchez.

A source said: ‘The wedding is based on a buy-out of at least three top hotels for guests and VIPs – take your pick between the Aman, Belmond Cipriani and St Regis. Then the supporting cast of hundreds would more likely be at the Gritti – the performers, producers, art department, florists, guest wranglers, logistics crew and so on.

‘The size of a high calibre wedding guest list in Venice is usually dictated by the number of hotels that are available to buy out at the time of booking.

‘Rumours abound that the island of San Giorgio Maggiore will be privatised for the ceremony, which, like the Arnault wedding, is said to be taking place at art destination Fondazione Cini.

‘Mr Bezos is in safe hands with his agency who work only with ultra-high net-worth individuals and luxury brands, though they will bolster their core team massively. Venice is one of the most logistically challenging places on Earth to deliver a wedding.

‘You need deep experience, immaculate logistics planning and the best address book to move all of the people and equipment around the city from one venue to the next on time, especially during June, which is so busy.’

The source adds Venice is infamously expensive, which will inflate costs: ‘A coordinated fleet of water taxis could cost upwards of $250,000, depending on how many days guests are staying.

‘Similarly, large jets can’t land at the tiny private terminal, so if Jeff Bezos doesn’t want his guests dragging their own baggage off the carousel, they’ll need to arrive in small private planes and be whisked straight into water taxis at the nearby dock.

‘I imagine the reality will be a combination of the two.’

But then Mr Bezos has built his Amazon fortune by constantly, and reliably, fulfilling logistical challenges of delivering any product to any consumer. The team putting on his wedding will surely understand that there can be no falling short.

Additional reporting from Silvia Marchetti in Italy.