Ahead Of His Wedding, Billionaire Jeff Bezos' Big Yacht Problem In Venice

Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and his fiancée, Lauren Sanchez, are set to marry in Italy's Venice this year, multiple reports have said.

While the city's romantic canals and historic charm make it a dream wedding destination, even one of the world's richest people may not get a chance to experience the best views directly from their yacht.

According to Venice's rules and regulations, big ships are not allowed to come too close to historical places such as St. Mark's Square, the Grand Canal, the Giudecca Canal, the Bridge of Sighs, and the Rialto Bridge.

Venice has strict maritime rules after UNESCO warned that the city could be placed on the "Endangered" list due to the damage caused by the large ships.

Mr Bezos's yacht weighs 3,493 gross tons, much less than the set limit of 25,000 for ships to enter Venice's lagoon. Although his yacht meets the general weight limit, it is still too large to enter the Grand Canal.

The couple has nearly fully reserved five major luxury hotels, including the Grand Aman Hotel, where American actor George Clooney and Amal Alamuddin celebrated their wedding in 2014, along the Grand Canal for the last weekend of June, CNN reported.

They have also reportedly booked the Gritti Palace, the Belmond Hotel Cipriani, the St. Regis Venice, and the Hotel Danieli.

Mr Bezos and Ms Sanchez have also booked an exclusive fleet of private water taxis, including the renowned "Amore" that Mr Clooney and Ms Alamuddin used to leave the wedding location.

The couple will reportedly tie the knot on June 26 on a $500 million superyacht, Koru, in the presence of Hollywood celebrities and top politicians. 

US President Donald Trump, his daughter Ivanka Trump and her husband Jared Kushner, Kim Kardashian, Gayle King, Katy Perry, Eva Longoria, Kris Jenner, Karlie Kloss and her husband Joshua Kushner, Leonardo DiCaprio and Bill Gates are reportedly among those likely to attend the wedding.

Jeff Bezos married MacKenzie Scott in 1993 and got divorced in 2019 after 25 years of marriage. The couple has four kids together.