Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez have taken an unconventional stance on wedding gifts ahead of their Venice nuptials, telling guests that they’ll be making donations as thanks for “making the journey.”

Jeff Bezos and his fiancée Lauren Sánchez are doing away with one major wedding tradition.

As the couple gear up to exchange vows in Venice, Italy, they’ve given their guests specific instructions for the extravagant affair, according to a copy of their wedding invitation obtained by E! News.

“We are excited for you to join us,” the invitation read. “We have one early request: please, no gifts.”

In lieu of accepting presents, the pair—who got engaged in 2023 after making their relationship public in 2019—said they would be contributing to local causes in their loved ones’ honor to thank them “for making the journey” to the destination wedding.

“Donations on your behalf are being made to the UNESCO Venice Office to safeguard this city's irreplaceable cultural heritage,” the invite continued, “to CORILA to restore the vital lagoon habitats that protect Venice's future, and to Venice International University to support research and education for sustainable solutions.”

The goal of their request, they wrote, was to ensure the city “will continue to inspire wonder for generations to come.”

In the days leading up to their nuptials, Jeff, 61, and Lauren, 55, have certainly been enjoying all that Europe has to offer. They hosted a foam party on the Amazon founder’s $500 million yacht off the coast of Croatia June 22, which doubled as a 19th birthday celebration for the bride-to-be’s son Evan.

And last month, Lauren—who shares Evan and daughter Ella, 17, with ex Patrick Whitesell, as well as Nikko Gonzalez, 24, with ex Tony Gonzalez—celebrated her impending walk down the aisle with a bachelorette party attended by Kim Kardashian, Katy Perry, Kris Jenner and Eva Longoria.

“Forever starts with friendship,” she wrote on Instagram alongside photos of the festivities, “surrounded by the women who’ve lifted me up, illuminated my path in dark times, and shaped my heart along the way.”

Source:
courtesy of E!ONLINE

by Will Reid

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