I suppose I have to admit that I am partly responsible for one of the most tacky and excessive weddings ever.
As a regular client of Amazon, I have unwittingly contributed to the sickening cost of Jeff Bezos's nuptials.
I have nothing against Bezos or his new fragrant wife, his success has been well earned; but to flaunt his wealth in this sickening fashion is in extremely poor taste. I think there were as many photographers there as there were Z List celebs.
How much better it would have been to have held the ceremony in London's Chelsea Town Hall (very chic) for less than £1,000, then donate all the left-over money to build and equip a new Hospital Wing somewhere, and fund its upkeep for a decade or two.
Had he done that, or something similar, he would have gained huge respect around the world instead of which he is now seen as just another exhibitionist billionaire with far too much money to waste. He and his guests have also managed to infuriate the good people of Venice.
However, I wish them well; but I do recommend that they stay out of the limelight for a while so that we can all try to forget that offensive estimated waste of $46 Millions.
This (below) is my own parent's wedding photo. Let's face it; when the big day is all over, all you have left is a photo on the mantlepiece. One is as good as another, regardless of cost.
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I wish they’d held the wedding at the Amazon warehouse in the valley below our Italian house. Out of town so most staff drive there, a massive flat roof building with not a solar panel in sight, little in the way of landscaping.
ReplyDeleteMaybe none of the half-dressed celebs would have been able to find it. No big airport, no luxury transport or hotels, no show!
DeleteObscene wasn't it.
ReplyDeleteNot my cup of Tea, and from what I've heard, not many other people's either!
DeleteI wonder if he thought of doing anything to thank the people of Venice for all of the disruption.
ReplyDeleteI doubt it, other than leaving a lot of litter behind them.
DeleteLocal Alien, please do see my comment further down. Fair is fair.
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I wonder what the carbon footprint of that wedding was? Quite disgusting really and besides, the marriage probably will not last. Is that Harold McMillan in the middle of your parents' wedding photo?
ReplyDeleteWhatever the outcome, she'll become VERY VERY rich. And, no, it's Thomas Hardy.
DeleteThomas Hardy died in 1928 so if the wedding had taken place in the year of his death your mother would have been fourteen! No - you can't fool me Crozier!
DeleteMaybe it was W C Grace then?
DeleteIt's not as simple as that. Whilst, on the surface, yes, the amount spent seems obscene, it's all relative. We cut our cloth to our means. And some like to make a spectacle of their means. So be it.
ReplyDeleteFrom my scant reading of the financial pages it appears that Venice raked in about one billion Dollars due to the visitors the wedding attracted and, of course, the wedding guests' own spending. Bezo also pledged a multi million donation to support Venice's fragile lagoon ecosystem.
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He can afford to splash out a bit on 'good causes'. It's just the whole 'look at me', paparazzi, celebs, clothes, who hates who, and glamour parade, etc. I find it all very distasteful, and pompous (like most people).
DeleteI agree with you. All the pomp and ceremony and money - who does he think he is the royal family?
DeleteJust because he has lots of money doesn't mean he has to spend it in such an ostentatious way. He could have had a simple wedding with a big party for all his chums later at his home. It might have cost just $1Million; saving him $45Million.
DeleteI hope that someday they find happiness, worth more than he will ever have.
ReplyDeleteYes, exactly. As the Beatles sang '(money) Can't buy me Love'.
DeleteIf you've got it, flaunt it! That's the message here. Some wealthy individuals like the attention and a splashy party. In some ways, it was a royal wedding without royalty.
ReplyDeleteCould they have spent the money to make the world a better place? Absolutely. Their money, their choice.
I wish them a life filled with love and happiness.
I'm afraid that on this side of the pond we see things rather differently. There is nothing more offensive than displaying wealth. We like things to happen 'discretely', not shoved in our faces.
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