A cold Venice reception for Bezos and Sanchez wedding

The Amazon tycoon has relocated his venue in the city after thousands protest against the opulent three-day festival

- ALEX CROFT

The so-called wedding of the century will be one to remember, but not for the reason Jeff Bezos hopes.

Locals in Venice have promised to swarm the streets and canals as the billionaire business tycoon ties the knot with the former TV reporter Lauren Sanchez. Residents say the 61-year-old Amazon CEO will not receive a warm reception in the city.

Instead, Bezos, his super-rich friends and his $500m superyacht, reportedly set to sail into Venetian waters, will be told to go away.

In fact, so successful have been the protests that Bezos moved the reception venue to an isolated, less accessible part of the lagoon city. Bezos had earmarked a location in Cannaregio, a popular and central nightlife area, to celebrate after their marriage.

Now, after the wedding ceremony, some 200-250 VIP guests will head to a hall of the Arsenale, a vast 14th-century complex in the eastern Castello district.

The three-day wedding is set to be a lavish affair with highprofile guests on their way to the city, including scores of film, fashion and business stars who have been graced with an exclusive invite to witness the world's third-richest man marry for the second time. Paparazzi will replace palazzi as Venice's striking feature for three days, as the city hosts what could be its largest ever celebrity wedding - with Oprah Winfrey and Ivanka Trump among the rumoured invitees.

This, however, is assuming the guests are able to surpass a blockade on the canals led by furious Venetians, who feel authorities are prioritising the needs of rich tourists over desperately needed funding for local services.