As Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez gear up for their wedding festivities in Venice, Italy, more and more Venetian citizens continue to voice their frustrations over the event that could possibly pose a threat to a city that is already impacted by mass tourism.
However, despite the ongoing backlash, the couple’s wedding planners told Fox News Digital that Bezos and Sanchez specifically instructed them to minimize the disruptions to the best of their ability out of respect to the locals.
“As event organizers who have been working in Venice for over 24 years, we feel obliged to set the record straight given the misinformation, untruths and misunderstandings circulating about the Bezos wedding,” the team at Lanza & Baucina Limited said in a statement. “From the outset, instructions from our client and our own guiding principles were abundantly clear: the minimizing of any disruption to the city, the respect for its residents and institutions and the overwhelming employment of locals in the crafting of the events.”
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“Rumors of ‘taking over’ the city are entirely false and diametrically opposed to our goals and to reality,” the statement continued. “No exaggerated quantity of water taxis or gondolas have ever been booked, the number of taxis reserved being proportionate for the number of guests. Before the recent news of protests arose, we had worked for there to be minimal negative impact or disruption to the lives of Venetians and the city’s visitors.”
“We have always acknowledged the wider debate and critical issues surrounding the city’s future, and from the outset our client has been honored to support the city and its all-important lagoon through non-profit organizations and associated projects,” the statement concluded.
Though most of the details surrounding the wedding are unknown, one Venice citizen said, “we have our moles,” per The New York Times.
Federica Toninello, a protest organizer, said that one of the venues could be The Misericordia, a famed event hall.
“Bezos will never get to the Misericordia,” she said during a protest. “We will line the streets with our bodies, block the canals with lifesavers, dinghies and our boats.”
“We have to block Bezos, we have to block this idea of this city as a tourist haven that has driven up housing costs so that most ordinary Venetians can no longer afford to live here,” she said, according to the NYT.
Despite the backlash, Mayor Luigi Brugnaro told The Associated Press that the city is “very proud.”
“We are very proud,” Brugnaro said. “I don’t know if I will have time [to meet Bezos and Sánchez], or if he will, to meet and shake hands, but it’s an honor that they chose Venice. Venice once again reveals itself to be a global stage.”
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According to NBC, Venice – home to about 50,000 people – receives around 20 million visitors yearly, mostly day-trippers from cruise ships or other cities.
Officials told NBC that about 30 of the 280 water taxis have been reserved for the wedding festivities, and only three or four hotels will be used for the event.
“The city is fully accustomed to hosting high-profile events of this nature and scale, including other celebrity weddings, international summits such as the G7 and G20, as well as traditional events like the Festa del Redentore and the Venice Biennale,” city hall officials said in a statement to NBC.
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“The celebrations, attended by 250 guests, will blend into the daily rhythm of a city that, with dignity and respect, welcomes thousands of visitors from around the world while safeguarding the quality of life for its residents, workers, and students.”
The Bezos-Sánchez wedding is reportedly being held this weekend. There is expected to be a star-studded guest list, with friends of the couple making appearances. Leonardo DiCaprio, Orlando Bloom, Ivanka Trump and Oprah Winfrey are said to be attending, per Page Six.
Fox News Digital’s Emily Trainham contributed to this post.
