Lauren Sánchez Stuns in Final Dress Fitting:

At her last fitting, the bride radiates: See Lauren Sanchez‘s Fairy-Tale Dolce & Gabbana Wedding Dress in PreviewSet against the somber charm of an 18th-century brick villa in Milan, the bride appears elegantly at ease in her high-neck mermaid wedding gown fashioned from hand-appliquéd lace in Italy. “I’m going to cry!”says shares Lauren Sánchez Bezos, as she looks ahead to beginning her journey into motherhood.. “On that day, I will feel emotional, but in the best way possible.”
The photo shoot for Vogue is today. Only yesterday, Sánchez and Bezos visited Dolce & Gabbana’s atelier in Milan to complete the finishing details of her bridal dress. They will marry in front of 200 family members and friends in Venice, 170 miles away, in a few weeks. She admits, “The fitting yesterday was more powerful than I anticipated.” Bezos pleaded for the bridal gown to be seen. “I nearly said yes!” she chuckles. However, I want it to be unexpected. he older you get, the rarer true surprises become. I’m excited to see his face.

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Standing with her hands on her hips and slanting forward in her delicately Fellini-inspired mermaid dress, she is surrounded by a line of cypress trees. She grins, “I feel like a princess.” “You truly look like a princess!” Chime in the stylists, tailors, and entire behind-the-scenes crew with excitement. Her tulle and lace veil is delicately unfolded by a group of Dolce & Gabbana artists wearing immaculate white jackets. A silence descends across the workplace as a flying ant becomes tangled, and it is painstakingly extracted.
Excitement is growing for the Bezos-Sánchez wedding. Prominent news organizations have dispatched correspondents to the location and published in-depth reports; one even went so far as to call it “Jeff in Venice.” Everything from the bride’s dress to her extravagant bachelorette party in Paris has been covered by tabloids. However, Bezos’s wealth and concerns that the event would overrun the city have also sparked demonstrations in Venice, where some demonstrators have even held posters that read, “Despite signs reading According to Stefano Gabbana, her vision for the wedding is rooted in timeless elegance, steering clear of anything overly extravagant or showy.”
This marks a second marriage for both Bezos and Sánchez, who share a blended family of seven children. In May 2023, they were engaged on board the Koru, a 417-foot, three-masted yacht. Sánchez’s engagement ring is a cushion-cut pink diamond that she received beneath her pillow, although she intends to wear other jewelry on the special day. Instead, she’ll don the Alta Gioielleria “Miracolo” earrings by Dolce & Gabbana, which are transported by armored van for the photo session under the watchful eye of a sentinel and include four diamonds cut from a single stone, each set in white gold.
“We’re not strictly following traditions,” Sánchez continues. Even though I adore them, something new feels natural at 55. Tradition will still exist, though, as her earrings will be her “something borrowed” and Bezos won’t see her before she walks down the aisle. With a smile, she responds, “Blue Origin—it’s from my space flight.” She describes her 11-minute voyage near the Kármán line, where the atmosphere meets space, as “the most profound experience of my life,” adding that she brought a hidden keepsake with her on her rocket ride for Bezos. I was stunned to see Earth from space. “It will alter you more than you anticipate,” Jeff stated. And it did, both spiritually and visually.

Her bridal style was inspired by that trip. film wedding to Cary Grant…“I was searching for a design that reflects who I am right now—something with deeper meaning,” she shared, moving away from her initial idea of a clean, modern gown. As she speaks, her fingers gently graze her phone,, which is adorned with charms—a rocket, lipstick, and purse—that were adhered by the 12-year-old daughter of designer Stacey Bendet Eisner. “I’m not the same person I was five years ago,” she muses. “Therapy helped me grow in many ways, but it’s Jeff who truly brought my real self to light. He didn’t change me—he revealed me. With him, I feel safe, seen, and completely free to be myself.”Dinner at Domenico Dolce’s Manhattan apartment with a view of the Hudson River eighteen months ago marked the start of the dress’s planning. The pair had previously visited Portofino on yachts and met Dolce & Gabbana. They clicked right away over gin and tonics, so it was easy to design her garment, Sánchez adds. Her choice was made when she saw Sofia Loren’s high-neck wedding gown. “That’s it,” I replied as soon as I saw her in a prayer-like position with lace covering her neck to her chin.She has never worn a formal, completely covered gown before. “Even though it deviates from my expectations, it’s still very much me.” Will Bezos be taken aback? “Yes,” she confirms, nodding. I believe he will be thrilled. It is timeless and elegant.

I went to see Domenico Dolce in New York City a month earlier in the spring. He sipped coffee on a plush leopard-print sofa and remarked, “I ask the lady, ‘Tell me your dream,’ at the beginning of every wedding dress.” “I desire it to be correct. Brimming with energy, she’s set her sights on the moon and beyond. The clothing communicates that she is having a significant day.

What about her “language” regarding her weekend attire? “Very Lauren—sexy, happy, not too serious, not too dramatic,” Sánchez added. Stylish but seductive. Just the right amount of wild and sophisticated. It conveys how I’m feeling.

Even though Capri and Taormina were considered, Dolce & Gabbana ultimately decided to hold the wedding in Venice. The balance was tipped when Diane von Fürstenberg, who lives in a palace on the Grand Canal, offered to organize the welcome meal. With nostalgia, Sánchez remembers von Fürstenberg telling her, “Venice is a she.” She now always calls it that.

According to Dolce, clothes are designed for the setting “to remain in harmony like cinema.” One gown made of burgundy velvet is a color-only representation of the medieval Doges of Venice, while another is adorned with Swarovski crystals and beads and features a print of Canaletto’s masterpiece The Return of the Bucintoro on Ascension Day

Wearing heels feels as natural as breathing—I’m pretty sure stilettos were my first steps!” she laughs.!” she laughs.

She created lace veils out of spare materials while growing up in Albuquerque. She remembers, “I always wanted to be a bride.” As a teenager, she created prom dresses under the guidance of Vogue Spain and with her mother’s assistance.

She claims that this is the first time she has ever worn something custom-made and really intimate. Dolce cut a sleeve off the bodice during the Milan fitting, reattached it immediately after adjusting it. “It had a mystical feeling!”

The gown, which was crafted in 900 hours, has 180 “priest buttons” covered in silk chiffon that run from the neck to the train. For Sánchez, it was like a dream.

Bezos tried on his one-button, peaked-lapel tuxedo in a nearby room. He’s going to look absolutely stunning—I’m beyond excited!”

Her wedding hairdo will be flowing, romantic, and delicately swept up, much like the photo session. There won’t be much makeup. “Minimum makeup, minimal glam,” she emphasizes. It’s a component of evolution. My goal is to keep everything as natural as it can be.

At a petite 5’4″, Sánchez has trimmed down by three and a half pounds in preparation for the wedding. She exercises every day with Bezos, but in recent weeks she has cut back on salt and abstained from alcohol. She admits, “I love food! Food plays a big role in life.” I’m Latina. “Some people meditate—I work out,” she continues. After chatting and sharing coffee, we go to the gym.

While certain habits change over time, others remain constant. She shares, “Embracing this new chapter brings me joy.” “I approach it with great sincerity.” Giving back is the obligation that comes with it. That is my goal. The pair requested charitable donations in lieu of wedding presents, and Sánchez is the vice-chairperson of the Bezos Earth Fund. They have previously made donations to regional groups that protect Venice’s history and culture.

Even though it is beyond 8 p.m., Sánchez is running late for dinner with Bezos, even though the sun is still shining brightly. She chuckles, “He likes to surprise me, but I don’t know where.” “This has been a beautiful day,” she says, grinning at the crew. I’m overjoyed. I’m more excited to marry my closest friend—someone who sees me, loves me, and whom I adore—than I am about the dress. I am the most fortunate woman on the planet. She grabs her Hermès Kelly bag in black crocodile. “I am eager to return and share my day with Jeff.”