Hold the foam: Venice protesters force venue change ahead of Bezos wedding

Protesters in Venice are claiming a victory after Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez reportedly had to switch their wedding venue just days before tying the knot

Bezos and Sanchez were just kicking off their wedding week with a phone party on Bezos' $500 million yacht Sunday, according to Daily Mail

While it appeared to be a splash, what was going on behind the scenes was all but that

Last week, we reported that locals in Venice had already begun protesting the high-profile wedding, saying it would only make the city's over-tourism crisis worse

Protesters accused events like this of driving up crowds, costs, and pollution, while also damaging infrastructure

And now, an activist group says their message was heard, or at least noticed

A post from the campaign Tuesday reads, quote, We won. The protests managed to ruin Bezos' plan and the mayor's palace games

Reuters reports the ceremony has been moved to a secure historic shipyard complex in Venice, accessible only by water and where things are much more secure

Despite the controversy, Bezos and Sanchez are trying to give back. Media outlets obtained a copy of part of the couple wedding invite which asked for donations to local Venetian charities instead of gifts And speaking of gifts there have to be guests to give them right So who made the cut for the expected 250 guest list The Independent and other outlets spotted Ivanka Trump her husband Jared Kushner and their kids boarding a water taxi in Venice Tuesday with their son Joseph waving back to cameras

People Magazine reports that actor Leonardo DiCaprio and his girlfriend are also on the guest list

Another expected attendee is Sanchez's ex-boyfriend, Tony Gonzalez, along with his wife

Gonzalez is the father of Sanchez's son, born in 2001. Sanchez also celebrated her bachelorette in Paris back in May with familiar faces like Kim Kardashian, Kris Jenner, Katy Perry, and Eva Longoria

According to People, many of those same women have been involved in other pre-wedding festivities and are expected to be at the ceremony

Specific wedding details are still under wraps, but reports say the main events are happening between Thursday and Saturday, and they're expected to be lavish

The Telegraph estimates the entire affair could cost upwards of $16 million

After all, the billionaire did propose to Sanchez with a 20-carat ring on his multimillion-dollar yacht back in 2023

With Straight Arrow News, I'm Kennedy Felton. Download our app or visit san.com for more