Pakistan, June 26 -- Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and his fiance, journalist Lauren Sanchez, arrived in Venice on Wednesday to begin three days of extravagant wedding parties. The event is expected to draw around 250 VIP guests from entertainment, politics, and finance, arriving on nearly 90 private jets. The celebrations are said to cost between 40 to 48 million euros ($46-$56 million).

The festivities start Thursday night with an open-air gathering at Madonna dell'Orto, a medieval church in Venice's Cannaregio district. To keep protesters away, Venice City Hall has cordoned off the area amid growing complaints from locals. Residents have voiced frustration over the city becoming a playground for the wealthy, with some forced to leave or a...