Inside Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez's wedding - 'shameless gifts' to guests leaving early

Amazon founder Jeff Bezos married his partner of eight years Lauren Sanchez yesterday, with the pair saying their 'I dos' in a £48million star-studded ceremony. Despite threats and protests by anti-capitalists and locals, the day went ahead - although some famous faces didn't hang about, opting for an early dart.

The 25-minute wedding ceremony saw the pair exchange vows in front of around 200 guests, including a number of high-profile celebrities. In attendance were the Kardashian-Jenners, Orlando Bloom and Oprah Winfrey, as well as Ivanka Trump and her family.

Rania Al Abdullah, the Queen of Jordan also watched on, as did supermodels, actors and business-people. Guests were welcomed by a gospel choir, with the singers performing a rendition of Whitney Houston's Higher Love as the bride and groom entered.

Most guests partied well into the early hours of Saturday, but some celebs slipped away early. Kim and Khloe Kardashian left the do early and had already left the country by the time some of the other guests woke up, having being spotted at Venice airport early on Saturday morning.

The remaining guests will be celebrating once again on Saturday, when another party is expected to mark what is being described as the 'wedding of the century'. Some of the freebies handed out to guests raised eyebrows though, with Lauren's gift to her party branded "shameless".

Jeff kept his favours fancy, giving his male guests ViBi Venezia blue velvet slippers. But Sanchez partook in some shameless marketing, handing out black open-toe slippers from Amazon, promoting the business empire that made her now-husband a billionaire.

But while she may have scrimped slightly on the guest's slippers, she made sure no expense was spared for her own attire - donning no less than three dresses for the day. Her wedding gown for the main event was a Dolce & Gabbana number, which reportedly took more the 900 hours to make.

The long-sleeved gown had a corseted waist and turtle-neck design, with a mermaid-style skirt. The sophisticated gown boasted 180 hand-finished buttons, covered in silk chiffon, which trailed all the way down the train of the gown.

To welcome guests to the wedding reception, legendary singer Andrea Bocelli's son Matteo performed. He belted out a version of Elvis Presley's song I Can’t Help Falling in Love With You.

Despite their wedding taking place in Venice with their celebrity pals and family, their legal wedding actually took place weeks ago. According to a well-placed insider involved in the event planning, they said: “They have been married for at least a month, more than a month. The marriage is fully legal and took place in America under American law.”

Although this week's events have been billed as the wedding, the source added it’s for show. They said: “When they were planning the wedding, they were clear about the fact that they were already secretly married."

Because the legal marriage has already occurred, there was no need for a license in Italy. “There is no application for a wedding licence from the couple because it was not required. Whatever happens at the wedding on Friday, it will not be a wedding.

"Under Italian law, it will not be a wedding celebration, any vows said or rings exchanged will have no legal meaning," they told Mail Online.

The same source added that Bezos himself confirmed the legal union and noted the pair had arranged a prenuptial agreement to safeguard his $244 billion fortune. Bezos and Sánchez reportedly married privately in the U.S., well before the high-profile Venetian celebration began.

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