Lauren Sánchez and Jeff Bezos Tie the Knot in Venice: A Star-Studded Celebration of Love and Family
Surrounded by family and global icons, Lauren Sánchez and Jeff Bezos celebrate their Venetian vows in a heartfelt ceremony where love, legacy, and luxury took center stage.
With her daughter Ella as maid of honor and her sons walking her down the aisle, Sánchez’s romantic Italian wedding to the Amazon founder was both intimate and dazzling.
Venice, Italy – June 27, 2025 — In a celebration that seamlessly blended elegance, intimacy, and celebrity sparkle, Emmy-winning journalist Lauren Sánchez married Amazon founder Jeff Bezos in a lavish black-tie wedding on the island of San Giorgio Maggiore.
The high-profile couple, who got engaged in May 2023, exchanged vows on Friday evening surrounded by friends, family, and a constellation of stars from the worlds of entertainment, fashion, business, and royalty.
A Family Affair at the Heart of It All
While the weekend was filled with A-list glamour, the emotional centerpiece of the ceremony was deeply personal. Sánchez was escorted down the aisle by her two sons — Nikko Gonzalez, 24, and Evan Whitesell, 19 — as her 17-year-old daughter Ella Whitesell took on the cherished role of maid of honor.
Ella, dressed in a custom Dolce & Gabbana suit, also delivered a touching reading during the ceremony. “Ella’s original; she beats to her own drum,” Sánchez told Vogue. “She had never had a fitting before, and she loved it. She’s going to look amazing. It has been the most fun dressing all the kids.”
Sánchez herself wore a breathtaking mermaid-style corseted gown custom-designed by Dolce & Gabbana, completed with sparkling earrings by the same fashion house.
A Guest List Fit for Royalty
The guest list for the multi-day festivities read like a who’s who of global influence. Among those in attendance were Oprah Winfrey, Gayle King, Leonardo DiCaprio, Orlando Bloom, Usher, Kim and Khloé Kardashian, Kris and Kylie Jenner, Karlie Kloss, Queen Rania of Jordan, Bill Gates and Paula Hurd, François-Henri Pinault, Diane von Fürstenberg, Domenico Dolce, and Tommy Hilfiger.
As the ceremony began, Matteo Bocelli serenaded the couple with a rendition of Elvis Presley’s “Can’t Help Falling in Love,” drawing cheers from the emotionally moved audience.
The Love Story Behind the Headlines
Sánchez, 55, and Bezos, 61, first made headlines as a couple in 2019. Their engagement was confirmed in May 2023, following a whirlwind romance that saw them become one of the world’s most talked-about power couples.
Sánchez shares her three children with two previous partners. She welcomed her first son, Nikko, in 2001 with former NFL star Tony Gonzalez. After their split, she married businessman Patrick Whitesell, with whom she had Evan in 2006 and Ella in 2008.
Sharing the Moment
Shortly after the ceremony, Sánchez took to Instagram to post a photo from their wedding day — a joyful, sun-drenched image of the couple hand-in-hand in a lush garden, beaming as their guests looked on.
Their Italian wedding was not just a celebration of love, but a testament to the merging of two families and the beauty of a second chance at happiness — wrapped in designer elegance and celebrated on one of the world’s most romantic stages.
From a daughter’s heartfelt reading to a serenade under the Venetian sky, Lauren Sánchez and Jeff Bezos’ wedding proved that love, at any age, deserves a grand and meaningful celebration.
