If you’ve ever wondered what an invite to a billionaire wedding looks like, today is your lucky day.
As you may have heard, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and his Blue Origin astronaut partner, Lauren Sánchez, are about to tie the knot after more than six years together. The official date of the wedding has been kept under wraps; however, the days-long festivities are expected to kick off in Venice this week.
A ton of celebs are expected to be in attendance, and so, as the A-listers are hopping on their jets and flying over to Italy, we’re getting more and more details on what to expect from the lavish nuptials — including a first look at a portion of the couple’s wedding invitation.
Obtained by ABC on Tuesday, the alleged invite — which was apparently sent out in May to their 200 guests — has given people plenty to discuss. For starters, it answers the age-old question: What do you buy for the person who has everything?
“We have one early request,” the cursive text on the quirky-looking card begins, “please, no gifts.” Instead, Jeff and Lauren list three Venetian charities that they will donate to on behalf of their guests. “This magical place has gifted us unforgettable memories,” the invitation reads. “Our hope is that through these efforts and by you joining us, Venice will continue to inspire wonder for generations to come.”
If the prospect of the third-richest person in the world forgoing gifts at his wedding wasn’t interesting enough, then I’d like to direct your attention to the graphic design choices on the card.
Now, I’m no artist, nor am I a billionaire, but I have to say, the imagery is giving more third-grade journal doodles than Forbes list wedding. And fortunately, it looks like I’m not alone. Since Pop Crave shared the invitation on X, people have wasted absolutely no time airing their design criticisms, with one user bluntly crowning it “the ugliest fucking invite ever.”
It’s worth noting that there has been some skepticism surrounding the timing of the invite surfacing online. For context, the upcoming wedding has sparked protests among some Venetian residents and environmental organizations like Greenpeace, who’ve spoken out about the risks of over-tourism and disruption. In light of this, some have speculated that the release of the invite, which highlights the couple’s plans to donate to Venetian charities, may have been an attempt to lessen the backlash ahead of their big day.
Of course, that’s all just speculation. But, with the wedding still to come, I highly doubt the conversation will be dying down anytime soon.