VENICE, Italy (AP) 鈥� Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez have invited celebrity friends like , Oprah Winfrey, Mick Jagger and Ivanka Trump for their later this month, but the couple hopes to put a spotlight on Venice鈥檚 traditions during the celebrations.
They are sourcing some 80% of their wedding provisions from Venetian vendors, according to people close to the couple, as a way to share their appreciation for the romantic lagoon city. The wedding will take place over three days in late June, with events for the some 200 invited guests kept private.
Two historic Venetian companies will add artisanal touches to the celebration: Rosa Salva, the city鈥檚 oldest pastry maker that has been crafting donut-shaped fishermen鈥檚 biscuits since 1876, and Laguna B, a design studio known for its distinctive handblown Murano glass prized by fashion and design clients.
Treats good for fishermen and VIPs alike
Antonio Rosa Salva, the 6th generation in his family to run the business, said the wedding order of a selection of surprises for goody bags was important recognition of his family鈥檚 long tradition of baking Venetian specialties dating back nearly 150 years.
They include the bussola buttery biscuit that was long a fisherman鈥檚 staple, and small zaletti cookies, made from the Veneto region鈥檚 corn meal, flavored with raisins and lemon zest.
鈥淲e try to maintain the old recipes,鈥欌�� said Rosa Salva, whose family business includes a catering service and four locations in Venice鈥檚 historic center and one on the mainland. 鈥淲e do everything with love. It鈥檚 a pleasure and a privilege.鈥欌��
Rosa Salva, whose business regularly caters large events for 1,000 or more people in Venice, is perplexed by posters that have gone up around the historic center protesting the use of the city as a venue for the Bezos-Sanchez wedding.
鈥淓vents like this bring quality tourism to Venice,鈥欌�� he said. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 see how an event with 200 people can create disruptions. It鈥檚 responsible tourism. It鈥檚 prestigious that a couple like this, who can go anywhere in the world, are getting married in the city.鈥�
Collectible glassware with social responsibility
Laguna B was founded by Marie Brandolini, who became known as the glass countess, in 1994, and the company is now being guided by her son, Marcantonio Brandolini, from the family鈥檚 palazzo overlooking the Grand Canal.
The younger Brandolini said his vision is to restore the Venetian tradition of running creative enterprises out of Venice鈥檚 grand palazzi, which historically dedicated the ground floor to work spaces for the merchant nobility. His is a good example. The company employs 14 people under 30 out of offices in the courtyard and a boutique in an adjacent alleyway, in a sector, he underlined, 鈥渘ot related to tourism.鈥欌��
His upstairs neighbors are Diane von Furstenberg and Barry Diller 鈥� close friends of Bezos and Sanchez, but he doesn鈥檛 think that is why the wedding planner picked his company, which is well known among a small network of collectors.
Laguna B won鈥檛 disclose what its master glassblowers on Murano have created for the wedding, but the company is known for distinctive glassware that at times feature an undulating lip 鈥� no two alike.
鈥淚 hope they like what we did for them,鈥欌�� Brandolini said. 鈥淔or us, it鈥檚 a great opportunity, it gives extra support for our growth.鈥欌��
While the business thrives on such important orders, Brandolini said he is equally gratified by young, discerning customers who seek out the shop because they admire Laguna B's commitment to community building, reviving Venice鈥檚 artisanal heritage and projects to help protect the fragile lagoon. They might buy just a single drinking glass.
His is a message of inclusivity, which he also applies to the Bezos-Sanchez choice of wedding venue. 鈥淭he world is for everybody. Whoever wants to do something, should be able to do it, following the law,鈥� he said.
Venice protests
Unsurprisingly in a city whose future is fiercely debated at every turn, the wedding has attracted the attention of protesters, who on Thursday hung a banner on St. Mark鈥檚 bell tower with Bezos' name crossed out. They cite the risk of disruptions in a city so overrun with mass tourism that officials are to pay a tax to enter on key summer days.
City officials have pledged that services will function normally during the wedding, and issued to reports that the wedding organizers had booked half the city鈥檚 water taxis and blocked out rooms at luxury hotels.
鈥淲e are very proud,鈥欌�� Mayor Luigi Brugnaro told The Associated Press this week in St. Mark鈥檚 Square, saying he hoped he would get the chance to meet Bezos. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 know if I will have time, or if he will, to meet and shake hands, but it鈥檚 an honor that they chose Venice. Venice once again reveals itself to be a global stage.鈥欌��
Colleen Barry, The Associated Press
