As the weekend approaches, all eyes are on Amazon founder Jeff Bezos’ lavish “wedding of the century,” with his fiancee Lauren Sanchez in Venice.
While Bezos’ name is synonymous with global commerce and space ventures, Sanchez, though perhaps lesser known to the general public, brings a multifaceted background and an inspiring personal journey to this high-profile union.
The three-day celebration, that reportedly costs millions and has drawn a constellation of A-list guests including Kim Kardashian, Mick Jagger, and Leonardo DiCaprio, has been met with “No Space for Bezos” banners from activists concerned about the city’s future amidst extreme wealth.
Yet, the show is set to go on, prompting a closer look at the woman stepping into such a prominent spotlight.
Broadcast stardom
Sanchez, a third-generation Mexican-American, was born in New Mexico in 1969 and raised in California.
“We came from nothing. I used to sleep in the back of my grandmother’s car when she would go clean houses,” she revealed in a 2017 interview with The Hollywood Reporter.
A determined spirit, Sanchez initially aspired to be an air stewardess but faced a setback due to airline requirements of the time. Undeterred, she turned to academia, studying journalism at the University of Southern California before leaving in 1994 to carve out a career in broadcast journalism, the BBC reported.
Sanchez became a familiar face on American television in the late 1990s, working in various local newsrooms before landing prominent roles as a reporter and anchor at outlets like Fox Sports Net, Extra, and Good Day LA.
Her talent was recognised with an Emmy nomination for one of her shows and an Emmy Award in 1999 as an anchor for a news network. She even held the original hosting gig for the popular dancing competition So You Think You Can Dance.
From news desk to cockpit
At the age of 40, Sanchez embarked on a remarkable career pivot, inspired by her father, a flight instructor, to become a licenced helicopter pilot.
This passion led her to launch Black Ops Aviation in 2016, making history as the first woman to own an aerial film production company.
Sanchez’s adventurous spirit soared even higher earlier this year when she joined an all-female crew on Blue Origin’s New Shepard rocket for a 10-minute suborbital spaceflight.
Alongside notable figures like Gayle King and Katy Perry, she experienced the transformative “Overview Effect,” returning with a profound message: “Protect this planet we’re on, this is the only one we’ve got.”
Drawing on her own childhood struggle with undiagnosed dyslexia, she also released a children’s book in 2024, “The Fly Who Flew to Space”.
Personal life
Sanchez is a mother of three children: a son with former National Football League player Tony Gonzalez and two from her previous marriage to Hollywood agent Patrick Whitesell.
Her connection with Bezos reportedly began when her company, Black Ops Aviation, was enlisted to film for his aerospace venture, Blue Origin.
Rumours of their relationship emerged in early 2019, shortly after Bezos announced his divorce from MacKenzie Scott.
Sanchez also filed for divorce from Whitesell a few months later, with both parties having reportedly been separated for some time prior to their public announcements.
The couple made their engagement public in the summer of 2023, celebrating with a star-studded party on Bezos’ yacht off Italy’s Amalfi Coast.
Now, their highly anticipated three-day wedding in the romantic Venice solidifies a journey from diverse beginnings to a union that has captured global attention.
