Rhiannon Ingle
Over the weekend, Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos officially tied the knot with Lauren Sánchez in a three-day wedding affair which cost dozens of millions of dollars - and it's not fallen short of controversy.
Now, the guest list for the Venice-based wedding consisted of approximately 200 people including politicians, international royalty and Hollywood A-listers such Kim and Khloé Kardashian, as well as Kris, Kendall and Kylie Jenner and Oprah Winfrey.
Much to the protest of locals, who have put up 'NO SPACE FOR BEZOS' posters across the city, the billionaire couple arrived in the floating city last Tuesday (24 June) for the celebration which kicked off a few days later on Thursday (26 June) before coming to an end on Saturday (28 June).
And it wasn't just locals who took issue with the extravagant antics as people across the globe took to social media calling out the obscene expenditure, likening it to scenes from The Hunger Games, as Bezos and Sánchez's controversial wedding has since sparked a major theory about the star-studded guest list.
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One Reddit user questioned: "Do you think Jeff Bezos paid all of these celebrities to attend his wedding?"
They continued to theorise: "I really don’t give a damn about their wedding but I keep seeing it all over the internet and it seems so manufactured.
"He’s the wealthiest man in the world he could literally have the most lavish PRIVATE wedding. But with him inviting all of these random celebrities makes it seem like it’s a money thing.
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"Like he’s trying to make it a spectacle on purpose. Like why would Kylie Jenner and Ellie Goulding give a damn about their wedding unless it was a paid gig or something financially beneficial?"
People clearly couldn't wait to rush to the comments section and share their speculation on the matter with some reckoning any RSVPs were simply down to some very 'spectacular' party favours and wedding guest perks.
"Not outright payment. But the favours alone must be spectacular," penned one Reddit user.
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A second chimed in: "Plus I’m sure all the food, booze, entertainment, etc was first class."
"This sounds correct. I’m guessing their travel and lodging may have been covered too?" wondered a third while a fourth echoed: "They basically got a freebie holiday."
Others, however, were convinced any celeb's attendance was merely a matter of hopping on an ace 'networking' opportunity.
"Some people got paid, and some just had the hotel/jet covered," declared one Redditer before putting forward the theory: "But also with Amazon Studios being like, one of the only good steady gigs, the actors are def there to get funding for their projects/cast in projects."
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"This makes the most sense to me (as far as the actors, and possibly musicians, who attend)," agreed a second. "They want their projects greenlit/continued, or if they are a newer star, they want they want the industry connections they’ll get by going.
"Others might be planning licensing deals, such as for a beauty/fragrance/clothing line and want to meet wealthy business people who will facilitate those deals. So I think you’re right that most of the celebrities are going for networking reasons not as friends of Jeff Bezos."
A third quipped: "This. I doubt he actually paid any of them."
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"Yeah, it’s all networking," chirped another.
And a final Reddit user added: "It's the greatest networking opportunity in the world. They are all over the moon to be invited.
"It's not just the Amazon connect either. It's other guests as well, a lot of those people in that room are going be decision makers for a variety of industries, and even getting on first name basis over a drink at dinner with someone like that can help open doors. (Even for celebrities who seem like they're already well connected.)"