Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and his former television journalist fiancée Lauren Sanchez have reportedly married in the United States after signing a multimillion-dollar prenuptial agreement.
The ecstatic couple has not registered to get married in Venice, despite planning a three-day, $10 million wedding. Prior to their lavish ceremony that started on Friday on the island of San Giorgio Maggiore, they were reportedly legally married, multiple sources told Page Six.
“Often a marriage in a foreign country is not valid in the USA, or creates other issues, so yes it is likely they are already married,” a renowned Florida-based attorney said.
City officials said that the Bezos and Sanchez did not formally request to get married in the Floating City of Venice, as required by Italian law, The Times reported. According to Italian legislation, “I can totally rule out that they will have a civil ceremony in Venice,” an official stated.
Representatives did not confirm whether Sánchez, 55, and Bezos, 61, who is the third richest man in the world, had previously had a civil ceremony.
Before their extravagant celebrations, George Clooney and Amal Alamuddin’s 2014 wedding ceremony was officiated at Venice town hall.
Three well-known divorce lawyers told that they were aware that Bezos and Sánchez, who primarily reside in Miami, Florida, where he purchased three residences on the upscale island of Indian Creek, had inked a sizable prenuptial agreement.
“They can get married anywhere as their prenup would generally be drafted to include its enforceability everywhere,” one lawyer said.
“Divorce can only happen in the state of the primary residence. So, if they live in Florida, no matter where they marry or what the prenup says, they would have to divorce in Florida,” the lawyer added.
“Likewise, if they left Florida and moved to New York as a primary residence they would have to divorce in NY. A prenup cannot confer jurisdiction on a state to grant a divorce without residency in that state.”
As US citizens, Bezos and Sánchez would need to sign an affidavit, or “Dichiarazione Giurata,” before a US consular official accredited in Italy, certifying that their marriage is lawfully permitted by their US state’s laws to get married in Venice.
To obtain the “Dichiarazione Giurata,” they would then need to make an appointment for a notary service with the US Embassy in Rome or one of the US Consulates General in Italy. An “Atto Notorio,” another proclamation, would need to be signed by them.
In Italy, a religious ceremony is deemed legitimate if it is conducted by a Roman Catholic priest, whereas a civil ceremony is conducted by the mayor or one of his deputies and requires two witnesses.
The Culture Commissioner, a member of Mayor Brugnaro’s council, informed them that no municipal authority would participate in the wedding and that no city-owned places would be used for any part of the ceremony, according to another Italian source.
“By law, civil weddings in Italy must typically be officiated at the town hall,” said the source, “However, the city can designate another venue as legally valid for the ceremony. According to the councilor, there were no signs that this had occurred, nor that the necessary documents for non-residents to marry in Italy had been submitted.”
It appears that the Bezos and Sanchez has not agreed to any of this.
Along with a number of A-list guests, including Kim Kardashian, Kris Jenner, and Khloe Kardashian, Oprah Winfrey, Gayle King, billionaire Barry Diller and his designer wife Diane Von Furstenberg, NFL legend Tom Brady, music executive Scooter Braun and recently single Orlando Bloom, Bezos and Sanchez were last spotted on their way to a welcome dinner in Venice on Thursday night.
Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner, who live in Miami and are neighbours of Bezos and Sanchez have already been enjoying Venice with their three children.