Lauren Sanchez‘s ex-boyfriend NFL star Tony Gonzalez their his son Nikko have been spotted in Venice ahead of her wedding to Amazon owner Jeff Bezos.
The multi-billionaire businessman, 61, has hired much of the city of Venice, including multiple 5-star hotels, for what could prove to be the wedding of the century to long-time girlfriend Lauren, 55.
The lavish three-day event featured a party held within the fabulous 15th-century Madonna dell’Orto church in Venice’s quaint Cannareggio district last night.
Dozens of the world’s most exclusive celebrities have been pictured arriving in Venice over the last few days.
A-listers Kim Kardashian, Oprah Winfrey and Orlando Bloom jetted in to Italy earlier this week for the nuptials, which come two years after Bezos asked Sanchez to marry him on his $500 million superyacht.
Lauren’s ex-boyfriend, NFL star Tony Gonzalez, was also among them, along with son Nikko who he shares with the bride.
Nikko was pictured waiting to catch a riverboat alongside Sydney Sweeney after departing the Madonna dell’Orto, where a reception was held.
The couple dated in the early 2000s and welcomed their son in 2002 before splitting.
Lauren’s ex-boyfriend, NFL star Tony Gonzalez (back right in floral shirt) is among the A-listers attending the wedding – the former couple had a son in 2002
Lauren and Tony’s son Nikko (pictured centre) was spotted in Venice before his mother’s wedding last night
Despite undergoing a rocky separation initially, during which Lauren and Tony threw cheating allegations at each other, the pair seems to have gotten over their tumultuous past.
The NFL star and Lauren have since been spotted on numerous outings together, along with their new partners.
Tony’s new wife October Gonzalez is a close friend of Lauren’s and even attended her bachelorette party in Paris last month.
The group has also spent a considerable amount of time on Jeff’s luxurious yacht.
Lauren previously referred to Tony as one of her ‘best friends’ and gushed about their co-parenting style.
‘It wasn’t always that way. There was friction [at the beginning]. But Tony and [his wife October] were at Thanksgiving with us [this year], and we’re really good friends,’ she explained to the Wall Street Journal.
‘That took about five years, but we always communicated. I’m not saying that being best friends with your ex is the end-all be-all – but you do need to be able to communicate.
‘I’m so proud of it. My son looks at me, and he’s like, “I’m the luckiest boy in the world because I can have Thanksgiving with both my parents, and they don’t have to be married.”‘
Lauren Sanchez is pictured with her former boyfriend, footballer Tony Gonzalez (seen together in 2002)
They welcomed a son, named Nikko Gonzalez, together in 2002 before splitting. She’s seen with Nikko in 2003
The NFL star and Lauren have since been spotted on numerous outings together , along with their new partners. They’re pictured with their son Nikko recently
Tony’s new wife October Gonzalez is a close friend of Lauren’s and even attended her bachelorette party in Paris last month
She reaffirmed her commitment at a dinner with the Kardashians on Thursday night, sources say.
Lauren Sanchez reportedly told the Kardashians she was ‘living a fairytale’ the night before her wedding to Jeff Bezos.
According to La Repubblica, Sanchez was in a conversation with Kim Kardashian, Khloé Kardashian, Kendall Jenner and Kylie Jenner at the Madonna dell’Orto last night.
Whilst holding a glass of champagne, she was overheard telling the family: ‘Girls, I’m living a fairytale. I’m on cloud nine in a wonderful city, with the man I love. I couldn’t be happier.’
The celebrations are well and truly underway with pre-wedding parties and events – although a slight dampener was put on proceedings last night after a severe thunderstorm left guests running for cover.
There will be no such problem today, though, with forecasters expecting the city to reach 40C heat over the next two days.
Around 90 private jets are set to land in local airports this week, bringing A-listers from show business, politics and finance.
Venice City Hall issued a directive on Wednesday cordoning off the area, isolating guests from activists who have been protesting for weeks that the celebrations will turn the city of gondolas and palazzi into a private amusement park for the rich.
Lauren Sanchez and Jeff Bezos’ A-list guests like Kim Kardashian and Kylie Jenner were forced to take cover on Thursday as the couple’s pre-wedding party was hit by a huge freak thunderstorm
Thursday night’s star-studded soiree was brought to an early end due to the intense downpour; Sanchez and Bezos pictured leaving the party
Torrential downpours and a strong wind left guests like Kim and Khloe Kardashian (pictured) soaked as they then dashed for water taxis which had been scrambled a good 45 minutes ahead of the midnight finish time
Bride-to-be Lauren was surrounded by tuxedo-clad gentleman carrying blue umbrellas over her
Bezos, 61, was seen following closely behind Lauren with an umbrella over his head
Bezos, who remains the executive chair of e-commerce giant Amazon and sits at number 4 on Forbes’ billionaires list, got engaged to Sanchez in 2023, four years after the collapse of his 25-year marriage to Mackenzie Scott.
In preparation, security guards have now blocked off entrances to the closure where the party will be held, but what guests will first see when they arrive is the iconic bell tower covered in scaffolding.
This has left locals speculating that Bezos may have booked the venue based on seeing pictures on Google without realising it is being repaired.
The revelation comes just a day after MailOnline revealed how a careless wedding organiser had unwittingly leaked sensitive details of the VIP event to the media by being photographed carrying a printed guest list.
Meanwhile, the fact that the huge wedding is taking place in one of the world’s most vulnerable heritage sites has become so controversial that it is being angrily discussed in Italian parliament.
This controversy intensified overnight as council chiefs ordered the blocking off of the canal running in front of the church for around 200 metres, with a landing point for boats closed off with red and white tape.
The celebrations are kicked off on Thursday and are set to end on Saturday.
