Online Reporter
VENICE. — It has been described as the ‘‘Wedding Of The Century’’, with Michelin star food, foam parties and more stars than the Oscars.
But as 200 VIP guests descended on the church at Giorgio Maggiore, the one kilometre square island would host a total wealth worth more than the entire GDP of South Africa, Bangladesh or Denmark.
Bride and groom Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez alone are worth a staggering US$263.8billion, more than the total value of all goods and services produced in New Zealand.
And as the world’s wealthiest men and women gathered in the 16th-century basilica to celebrate the Amazon mogul’s nuptials, they brought together a total wealth of more than US$461billion.
The GDP of South Africa is a lowly US$380billion by comparison — while Denmark is US$407billion and Bangladesh is US$437billion.
Greece, at US$243billion, is only just more than half as much.
They included tech billionaires, reality TV dynasties and legends of film and TV — who danced away among the glittering Venetian canals until the early hours of this morning.
Reportedly costing US$20million and stirring fury among the local residents, stars were treated to a US$1,000-a-head meal while there was a strict no-phone policy at the ‘‘extremely intimate’’ affair.
Here MailOnline looks at some of the top big-hitters, and how the world’s wealthiest man managed to attract more than ten times the wealth needed to end world hunger to the pews of an Italian church:
THE CELEBS
With glamour and gliz the key factors of the Venice spectacular, hoards of celebrities descended on the historic centre for the big day.
Oprah Winfrey, 71, showed off her slimmed-down figure as she travelled across with her pal Gayle King.
The TV personality, worth US$3.1billion, flaunted her toned curves after dropping the pounds using weight-loss drug Ozempic.
Gayle, 70, is herself worth US$80million and seems to have been brought as the media mogul’s plus one.
Orlando Bloom, worth US$40million, set pulses racing as he travelled to Venice as one of the world’s most eligible bachelors, having recently split from fiancée Katy Perry.
The star, whose former partner is putting on a brave face while touring Australia with their daughter Daisy, four, was spotted smiling with a series of glamorous women as he made the most of the celebrations.
Jerry Seinfeld, worth US$1.1bn, looked smart in black tie as he was seen leaving The Gritti Palace and joining fellow A-list guests on a water taxi alongside his glamorous wife Jessica.
The cookbook author beamed in a sparkling gown as they patiently waited outside the 15th century palazzo.
Tom Brady, who has a net worth of US$530million, risked an awkward-run in with his former flame Brooks Nader as they were both among the flocks of A-listers arriving in Venice.
But the NFL star — who is also currently single — was seen enjoying a swim, cocktails and lunch during a lads’ day out at the Hotel Cipriani — alongside Bloom, Leonardo DiCaprio, Scooter Braun and Edward Enninful.
The group ordered tequila, did laps of the pool and stayed under the radar as they seemed in good spirits at one of Venice’s most luxury hotels.
DiCaprio, worth US$300million, covered his face with a black cap throughout the weekend as he attended the wedding with his stunning girlfriend Vittoria Ceretti.
The model, 27, who has been dating the 50-year-old Hollywood actor for two years, was all smiles as she left the Gritti Palace Hotel before being helped into a water taxi in an elegant black dress.
And American sweetheart Sydney Sweeney, 27, is said to have stolen the show as a source claimed she was the ‘‘most sought after person’’ during the festivities.
Worth US$40million, she confirmed her split from fiancé Jonathan Davino earlier this year.
Brady was reportedly seen chatting her up at the hotel bar over the course of the multi-day lavish wedding extravaganza while she wowed guests with her ‘‘down to Earth’’ and ‘‘fun’’ personality, in addition to her stunning looks.
Wearing a strapless pink dress that featured a ruched bodice, she styled her signature blonde locks with beachy waves on the big day.
Pregnant Karlie Kloss, worth US$40million, exuded summery glamour as the 32-year-old supermodel also alighted on the Italian city, while expecting her third child by her husband Joshua Kushner.
And Ellie Goulding, 38, made an unexpected arrival at the first day of the highly-anticipated three-day nuptials, surprising fans as no connection between her and the bride and groom has been made publicly known.
The hitmaker, who is worth US$30million, looked nothing short of sensational in a plunging nude gown covered in royal blue sequins in an intricate floral pattern.
THE REALITY DYNASTY
The stunning wedding was a prime location for the Kardashians — who united to celebrate their billionaire friends with suitable eccentricity.
Late last night as the party wrapped, photographers captured Kim and Khloe Kardashian making a speedy getaway in a waiting water taxi.
The bleary-eyed sisters, true to form, posed for the cameras as the boat set sail — throwing up peace signs and making duck faces at the awaiting lenses.
A little while later, their supermodel sister Kendall Jenner made her own escape, weaving through the city’s canals and posing against the breathtaking backdrop of Italy’s finest architecture.
Kim and Khloe were spotted wearing casual ensembles as they made a low-key exit from the Italian city, presumably to board a private flight back to Los Angeles.
Their mother Kris, 69, and sisters Kendall, 29, and Kylie, 27, were nowhere in sight as the duo headed out of Venice, as they appeared to be staying in the city for longer.
The reality star family hit the shops as they celebrated Khloe Kardashian’s 41st birthday in Venice.
And Kim was mocked as she couldn’t seem to stay off her phone, snapping selfies nonstop throughout the day. She even slipped in a sizzling SKIMS promo, flaunting an animal print bikini on social media.
Kim Kardashian is worth US$1.7billion, with Kylie Jenner close behind at US$670million. Kris Jenner has a reported US$200million while Kendall and Khloe are worth US$60million.
THE TECH BILLIONAIRES
Among the wealthiest guests at the Gates-Sanchez wedding were Jeff’s fellow tech billionaires, who made soaring profits from revolutionary new computers and systems.
Bill Gates — the inventor of Microsoft and the world’s third richest man — was among the masses, lending his US$117billion fortune to the total.
Before the big day the 69-year-old was spotted in a casual black polo shirt and shorts as he explored the lagoon city with his girlfriend Paula Hurd, 62.
For the wedding itself he shed the Silicon Valley-esq dress and looked smart in black tie, mingling outside the church entrance.
Third on the rich list is Miguel Bezos — Jeff’s adoptive father — who gave their son US$245,573 in the mid-1990s as he crowdfunded to start his now-famous online store.
Their fortune is now said to be worth £30billion as Amazon rocketed to success.
BEZOS’ US$461bn GUEST LIST
Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez: US$263.8bn
Bill Gates: US$117bn
Miguel Bezos: US$30bn
Francois-Henri Pinault: US$18.5bn
Barry Diller: US$4.2bn
Josh Kushner: US$3.8bn
Oprah Winfrey: US$3.1bn
Domenico Dolce: US$2.4bn
Stefano Gabbana: US$2.4bn
Lachlan Murdoch: US$2.1bn
Kim Kardashian: US$1.7bn
Sam Altman: US$1.7bn
Diane von Furstenberg: US$1.2bn
Jerry Seinfeld: US$1.1bn
Scooter Braun: US$1bn
Ari Emanuel: US$1bn
Jared Kushner: US$900m
Crown Prince of Jordan, Hussein bin Abdullah: US$750m
Kylie Jenner: US$670m
Tom Brady: US$530m
Tommy Hilfiger: US$450m
Brian Grazer: US$400m
Leonardo DiCaprio: US$300m
Kris Jenner: US$200m
Ted Sarandos: US$200m
Usher: US$180m
Wendy Ding: US$100m
Gayle King: US$80m
Barack Obama: US$70m
Khloe Kardashian: US$60m
Kendall Jenner: US$60m
Ivanka Trump: US$50m
Tony Gonzalez: US$50m
Orlando Bloom: US$40m
Karlie Kloss: US$40m
Sydney Sweeney: US$40m
Queen Rania of Jordan: US$35m
Ellie Goulding: US$30m
Corey Gamble: US$15m
Jewel Kilcher: US$14m
Edward Enninful: US$9m
Sarah Staudinger: US$3m
Sara Foster: US$3m
Sarah Jane Nader: US$2m
Guilherme Siqueira: US$1.5m. — Mailonline
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