Tom Brady to attend Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez’s lavish Venice wedding amid local protests

Tom Brady is reportedly heading to Venice to attend the ultra-exclusive wedding of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and journalist Lauren Sánchez. According to TMZ, the 47-year-old NFL icon is expected to travel from Miami via private jet alongside celebrity defense attorney Alex Spiro. 

Set against the romantic backdrop of Venice, the three-day affair, dubbed by some as the “Wedding of the Century”, will draw a who’s who of A-listers, despite growing backlash from local activists who accuse the billionaire couple of disrupting the historic city.

© Mike Ehrmann

Brady, who lives in the ultra-exclusive Indian Creek Village in Miami, where Bezos is also a resident, will be among 250 high-profile guests celebrating the couple’s nuptials. 

Brady joining other celebrity guests

Former NFL star Tony Gonzalez, 49, is also set to attend, joining a celebrity guest list that reportedly includes Kim Kardashian, 44, Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, 69, and Ivanka Trump, 43, with husband Jared Kushner, 44, who have already arrived in the Italian city.

Originally planned for the 16th-century Scuola Grande della Misericordia, the wedding venue was reportedly changed after local residents launched a protest campaign, accusing Bezos of shutting down the city. The event has now been moved to The Arsenale, a grand, 14th-century complex surrounded by water and only accessible by boat when its bridges are raised.

© WireImage for Vanity Fair

Bezos and Lauren Sánchez wedding protests

Local resistance has grown in recent days, with protestors accusing the event of symbolizing the city’s over-tourism and cultural displacement. Some reportedly took to Venice’s canals with inflatable crocodiles in an effort to block guest arrivals.

Protest leader Tommaso Cacciari told The Times: “Bezos is on the run,  this is a crazy victory for a small group of people with no money who went up against one of the richest men on the planet.”

© Getty Images

Meanwhile, a counter-movement made up of local hoteliers and business owners is pushing to support the high-profile event and protect the city’s image. The group, dubbed Yes Venice Can, issued a statement defending the wedding’s presence. “We cannot allow a noisy minority to discredit the image of this city in the eyes of the world.”

“We will put on the very best welcome for Bezos, as we always do for those who choose Venice as a holiday destination or as a backdrop to big events. Venice is a city that welcomes people, it doesn’t turn them away.”