Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez party before wedding despite controversy

Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez are ready to tie the knot in Venice, Italy, but are facing backlash from the city’s residents.

And despite the criticism from locals, the pair continues to party it up during extravagant pre-wedding bashes as well.

Greenpeace recently joined the protests on Monday, part of the “No Space for Bezos” movement in the city.

Activists argue that the wedding, with a rumored price tag for the Venice based nuptials is around $14 million, according to Yahoo! Entertainment, is part of a larger issue of overtourism in the city, impacting the environment and the government focusing on tourists rather than residents.

The mayor of Venice, Luigi Brugnaro, said that only 200 guests were expected at the ceremony and stressed that the city was prepared to handle the lavish event.

“We are mutually working and supporting the organizers, to ensure that the event will be absolutely respectful of the fragility and uniqueness of the city,” he said in a statement to People Magazine.

The outlet also reported there were rumors the wedding would be held on Bezos’ $500 million yacht. Brugnaro denied this but would not name the venue in Venice where the wedding will be held.

Bezos’ yacht, Koru, has played an important role in his relationship with Sanchez over the years.

The 250-foot-long yacht is where Bezos proposed to Sanchez in 2023 with a 30 carat diamond ring worth a reported three to five million, per W Magazine. It’s also where they held their engagement party, with a star-studded guest list including Katy Perry, Orlando Bloom, and Usher.

They’ve also hosted other celebrity friends on the yacht, including Oprah Winfrey and Gayle King.

In the lead up to this week’s wedding, Bezos and Sanchez also celebrated with a foam party aboard Koru.

Bezos and Sanchez’s relationship was first made public in January 2019, just after he had announced his divorce from his wife of 25 years, Mackenzie Scott. Sanchez was also divorcing her husband of 13 years, Patrick Whitesell, around the same time.

The official timeline leading to their meeting and decision to become a couple isn’t exact, but People Magazine reported that they had a working relationship over several projects and “gradually” fell for each other.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.