Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez face growing backlash over wedding extravaganza

With a $20million budget, the most high-profile of A-list guests and the backdrop of Venice, one of the most beautiful cities in the world, the wedding of Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez was the most highly-anticipated events of the year.

But now that the sun has finally set on the three-day extravaganza – dubbed the ‘wedding of the century’ – it appears the nuptials have left a sour taste.

Even before they arrived, protests by Venetian locals accusing the Amazon founder, 61, and his journalist bride, 55, of ‘taking over the city’ had suggested the wedding would not be as smooth sailing as they had been hoped for.

When actress Charlize Theron gave an eviscerating takedown of the nuptials, referencing the politics and the ‘backwards’ handling, she appeared to sum up the growing backlash towards the couple.

While A-listers had flocked to the Italian city – including the likes of the Kardashian and Jenner sisters and their mother, and actors Sydney Sweeney and Orlando Bloom – there were some notable no-shows, such as Sanchez’s long-time best friend, Desperate Housewives’ Eva Longoria, who had been at her hen do in Paris in May.

And one of the most famous faces present – climate change warrior Leonardo DiCaprio – seemed to want to hide completely under a low sitting baseball cap following backlash at his attendance.

Some questioned the apparent contradiction between his climate activism and his presence at a lavish event possibly involving private jet travel, a point raised by several media outlets.

Even the supposedly non-controversial details, from Sanchez’s dress to the choice of carpet at the ceremony, are now being scrutinised, with the couple mocked for walking along an ‘industrial grey hellscape’ after exchanging vows.

Dress was like ‘Shein Kate Middleton’

It was the wedding of the year, complete with yachts, billionaires, and a bride who wanted to feel, in her own words, ‘like a princess’.

But has Sánchez gone one step further to feel more like royalty? Has she borrowed, or even copied, the style of Britain’s very own royal sisters, Kate and Pippa Middleton?

Sánchez walked down the aisle in Venice dressed in an opulent Dolce & Gabbana lace gown featuring a high-necked silhouette adorned with 180 silk chiffon-covered priest buttons and a tulle-and-lace veil.

The Italian couture gown ticked all the right boxes of a fairytale princess fantasy, delicate lace, a modest yet alluring high neckline, long sleeves and a cinched waist.

More than just classic elegance, Sánchez’s bridal look was very familiar, because over a decade ago, all eyes were on another woman in lace, Kate Middleton.

When the Princess of Wales married Prince William in 2011, her gown, designed by Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueen, featured a regal high-neck, hand-sewn lace overlay and timeless silhouette.

Fast forward to 2025, and Sanchez’s gown displayed more than a passing resemblance. Her choice of Dolce & Gabbana might have been different in name, but in spirit? It’s a royal twin.

Sánchez’s gown similarly featured a high, scalloped lace neckline that swept elegantly across the collarbone, almost identical to Kate’s wedding dress.

The long lace sleeves also mirrored Kate’s, a shift away from the modern, strapless silhouette Sanchez tends to favour for red carpet events, towards a demure, refined and timeless creation which was unmistakably reminiscent of Westminster Abbey on that April morning in 2011.

Both gowns were crafted from rich, intricate, floral lace that covered the bodice and sleeves with delicate precision.

Kate’s lace was handmade by the Royal School of Needlework, and while Sanchez’s version may hail from Milan, the effect was strikingly similar – feminine, sophisticated, and steeped in traditional bridal grandeur.

Highlighting the waist in dramatic fashion, Kate’s McQueen gown featured a structured corset bodice that nipped in tightly, enhancing her already slender frame.

Sanchez, not to be outdone, had her Dolce & Gabbana dress tailored to give her the same regal hourglass figure. It’s the kind of tailoring that whispers couture and shouts ‘look at me’.

Royal watchers have also noticed a striking resemblance to the dress worn by Lady Kitty Spencer, Princess Diana’s niece, at her Italian nuptials in 2021 – also made by D&G.

When it comes to the skirt, this is where things take a twist. Because while the upper half of Sanchez’s gown is pure Kate, the lower half veers cheekily into Pippa territory.

Who could forget the moment Pippa Middleton walked into Westminster Abbey behind her sister in that now-iconic ivory satin Alexander McQueen bridesmaid gown. The dress hugged her curves so perfectly it even sparked fan pages dedicated to her derriere.

Well, it seems Sanchez didn’t forget either. Her bridal gown featured a similarly figure-hugging lower half, a tailored silhouette that hugged her hips and bottom, before flaring out gently into a soft train.

Not just flattering, it’s a nod to the woman who stole the show at a royal wedding without even trying.

Sanchez’s dress is an homage to the Middleton wedding aesthetic, borrowing heavily from Kate’s iconic look but updated with the figure flattering silhouette of Pippa’s famous bridesmaid frock.

It also echoed Pippa Middleton’s own 2017 wedding gown, designed by British couturier Giles Deacon, which was crafted from bespoke lace, featuring a high neckline and an elegant, fitted bodice, blending the same romantic lacework as Lauren.

It doesn’t stop at the dress, even Sanchez’s soft bridal waves and natural make-up echoed Kate’s fresh-faced wedding day beauty look. And just like the British royal, Lauren kept jewellery to a minimum, letting the gown shine.

In an interview with Vogue, Sanchez shared: ‘I want something that evokes a moment,’ a statement that now seems laced with a double meaning. She also revealed that the dress was tailored meticulously to fit her ‘perfectly,’ a detail that created Pippa-inspired curves.

Despite the 200-plus guest list, Sanchez insisted in the interview that the wedding was ‘very intimate’.

In addition, she says that her 11-minute trip to space with Blue Origin earlier this year changed her thinking about the dress.

She said: ‘It went from “I want a simple, sexy modern dress” to “I want something that evokes a moment,” and where I am right now. I am a different person than I was five years ago.’

Royal wedding gowns have long set trends that ripple across bridal fashion for years. Kate’s dress itself was a nod to Grace Kelly, and Sanchez looked to Sophia Loren for her bridal inspiration.

Both 1950s screen goddesses with an effortless elegance, Grace was the epitome of cool sophistication, while Sophia brought Mediterranean sensuality to Hollywood with her hourglass figure.

Grace and Sophia shared a taste for Old Hollywood glamour, favouring silhouettes that celebrated the female form, without ever revealing too much. Modesty, it seems, was part of their magnetism, summing up the Middleton sisters and something Lauren Sánchez borrowed for her big day.

Eva Longoria’s no-show