Planning a Wedding in Venice? What You Can Learn from Jeff Bezos’s Controversial Celebration

As a photographer, I love a good aesthetic and nothing is quite as aesthetically curated as a wedding. With a wedding in Italy, you can’t go wrong, it’s bound to be beautiful, but when news broke that billionaire Jeff Bezos was hosting his wedding celebration in Venice, it wasn’t long before that familiar feeling of dread started creeping in. Next thing we knew, there were lavish boats, private security, and entire areas of the city closed off to the public, as if the Floating City were some banquet hall for rent. It’s so easy for us mere mortals to cast Bezos in a negative light, to make him the villain set out to destroy anything he touches, but it’s also true that a billionaire wedding weekend simply tracks for a city like Venice. What is the takeaway from Bezos’s big day and what can we learn from his triumphs and mistakes?

I talk a lot on here about the importance of visiting Italy authentically and ethically. With over 70% of visitors to this country traveling to the SAME 1%, it’s safe to say that tourism hotspots aren’t just popular with tourists, they’re infested by them. And of all the areas contained within that one percent, the most fragile city is Venice.

Venice is many things: a masterpiece of art and architecture, a living museum, a beloved UNESCO World Heritage Site. The city is literally sinking, both physically and metaphorically. It’s a fragile ecosystem battling not only the mass tourism, but also rising sea levels and a dwindling population. Every year, Venetians leave in droves, priced out and disillusioned. Every year, the city loses a little more of its soul.

So when public areas were closed to ordinary citizens and visitors in order to make way for Bezos' celebration, many locals weren’t impressed. They were angry. I’ve since seen footage of locals, sometimes elderly, unsuccessfully trying to get home, turned away by the police. It’s not uncommon for VIPs to visit Venice, but there’s a difference between visiting a city and shutting it down. During Bezos' wedding festivities, parts of Venice were inaccessible-security zones were extended, streets rerouted, and the city’s usual rhythm was interrupted.

For many, it felt like a slap in the face: an emblem of how money can quite literally buy access, silence dissent, and override public use of shared space. Locals made their feelings known, protesting, some getting creative and making carnival style mascots of the groom clinging to cash and an amazon box to float down the grand canal. I can imagine, though, that the most frustrating part for the locals is that their own city’s administrators approved all of this.

Venice’s local government is not blind to its financial constraints. Tourism is one of the only sources of income left in a city where traditional industries have long disappeared. So when a high-profile guest promises global media coverage, attention, and presumably financial benefit, saying yes is a no brainer. But are city officials preserving Venice, or selling it off one piece at a time to the highest bidder? Bezos's wedding may have lasted a weekend, but the symbolic message lasts far longer: that Venice, once the proud center of commerce, innovation, and culture, is now something to be rented, fenced off, an amusement park for the ultra-wealthy.

And yet… Venice has always been a sort of playground built to dazzle the rich. Throughout the Middle Ages and Renaissance, as a maritime republic, it controlled trade routes between East and West and brought home silks, spices, gold, and art. The result? A city dripping in opulence, with marble palazzos, gilded basilicas, and frescoed halls meant to impress foreign dignitaries and rivals alike.

But this wasn’t just vanity — it was strategy. Venice’s grandeur was part of a long game of diplomacy and display. If you were a foreign ambassador or a visiting merchant, Venice wanted to awe you. Wealth was used as a tool of influence, not so different from today. As it turns out, after all of the protesting, all of the calls for the protection of Venice and her traditions, Bezos is respecting the history of the city simply by chosing her to display his financial successes and wow his guests.

Fortunately, it would seem that about 80% of his vendors were, in fact, Venetian. For example, he used Rosa Salva, a pastry shop operating in Venice since 1876, to provide guests with goodie bags containing traditional local cookies, such as bussolai and zaletti. Owner Antonio Rosa Salva was honored and delighted to be included, even calling it, “responsible tourism.” Bespoke glassware from Laguna B, a Murano glass-blowing atelier, was ordered for the event. Venice produces some of the best handmade crafts in the world and Bezos purposefully underlined their use, publicly, stating that his goal was to spotlight Venice’s artisanal heritage. Thanks to these contributions, many local vendors even downplayed the restricted use of public space. To some, the local sourcing outweighs any disruption the city might have had to endure.

Still, if Venice continues to cater to billionaires instead of its own citizens, what will be left? A theme park with no Venetians? A set for influencer photo ops? At the very least, a beautiful shell of what once was. This isn’t just about Jeff Bezos. It’s about a growing trend of using iconic cities as props for private wealth. It's about remembering what actually makes a city, what keeps it healthy, and the answer is: community. Cities are living, breathing biospheres that are given character by the characters within them. People will go where the work goes, where the affordable housing goes, where they can actually get to their homes regardless of whose wedding is taking place. Venice doesn't need more billionaires. It needs bold policy, community-first planning, and above all, respect for its history and its people.

I’ve seen a fair share of fawning and “wow, someone so important used my church to change his clothes” and “you should be so lucky to be considered” remarks floating out on the internet. I just can’t help but think that the real luck is to remain a hidden gem, safe from predatory tourism, where local businesses and traditions can flourish for years to come, for future generations to visit. A wedding is one day, one business deal, and Bezos has come and gone. How long will the money last? The consequences of having treated a fragile city like a private stage last forever.

Thinking of getting married in Venice? Here are some quick dos and don’ts to help you celebrate responsibly and ethically. Do use local vendors—Venice is home to world-class artisans, chefs, and florists whose work adds authenticity and beauty to your big day. Do educate yourself on the city’s fragility, seasonal tides, and infrastructure challenges so you can plan with respect. Do love Venice not just for the photos, but for its deep history and culture. On the flip side, don’t make your wedding all about you—closing off public spaces, creating logistical chaos, or treating Venice like a backdrop instead of a living city is a sure way to draw frustration. Don’t act like everyone is out to scam you; locals have important advice that you should take into consideration when planning an event in a city and country you don’t live in day to day and it should be heard and considered. Don’t ignore the locals or their routines; remember, people live here, and your dream wedding shouldn’t come at the expense of their daily life. Don’t ship everything in from abroad—supporting the Venetian economy by working with the community shows you value more than just the aesthetics.