You are cordially invited to critique Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez’s wedding invitation

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There is much to unpack with the portion of Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez’s wedding invitation that was leaked to the world.

The explicit request for no gifts — the only option, really, for the one of the world’s richest individuals; along with the donation pledge to UNESCO’s Venice office, the Corila research program into the Venice lagoon, and Venice International University — a declaration of care for a city whose inhabitants are protesting the couple’s very presence.

But perhaps the most surprising element of all is the invitation’s design.

Printed in a wistful italic font and decorated haphazardly with doves, shooting stars, butterflies and the Rialto Bridge, the invitation appears homemade, but not in an artisanal sense. (The illustrations, which include two gondolas, have been compared with those available in Microsoft Word’s generic image library).

Instead, Bezos and Sanchez’s invitation looks like a bit of an afterthought — which, considering the number of guests, the ongoing threat of protesters, which has already resulted in a last-minute venue change, and increasing media attention, may well be the case.

Many took to social media to express their disappointment, criticizing the invitation for falling flat — expectations that have been largely set by assumptions of a billionaire’s wedding budget.

The decision makes more sense, however, when you consider the dressed-down approach typically associated with tech bros in this class bracket. Bezos himself is often found in jeans, polo shirts and sneakers — though for this occasion he is sure to shape up — and, according to a Wired profile from 1999, he once wore shirts with “hidden snaps under the collar for easy tie removal.”

Speed over style and efficiency over glamour. Old habits die hard.

But invitations are more than just carriers of logistical details. For major events, they are the first glimpse of what attendees can expect from the day.

For King Charles and Queen Camila’s coronation in 2023, British artist Andrew Jamieson hand-painted an intricate, garden-themed border in watercolor and gouache complete with folklore motifs and coats of arms of the Monarch.

The design was then reproduced and printed over 2,000 times on recycled card with gold foil detailing. Similarly, Harry and Meghan, Duke and Duchess of Sussex, had each of their wedding invitations in 2018 printed using a machine from the 1930s. The pair even went as far as using American ink on English card to symbolize their transatlantic unity.

Fashion designers, too, have long harnessed the power of a memorable invite as important extensions of their world-building efforts. On Friday, while high-profile guests step out to celebrate the Bezos wedding (scheduled to run June 26-28), a fashionable set of attendees will gather in Paris for another hotly-anticipated event: The debut of a new chief designer at Dior.

Jonathan Anderson — a certified hype-generator and master of storytelling on the runway — also distributed his official invitations this week. Guests received porcelain plates with a trio of baby pink eggs glued to the surface and “Dior” printed on the underside. Like all good teasers, the invitation poses more questions than it answers, but it also sets the tone for what’s to come on the catwalk. Expect subversion, something a little weird, traditional craft turned cerebral.

Anderson, of course, is not the first designer to capitalize on an operational necessity in this way. In 2023, Alaïa sent attendees a collapsible stool, which they were instructed to carry to the show location.

The year before, Balenciaga posted out “genuine artifacts from the year 2022”: iPhone 6Ss, each engraved with the guest’s name and show details — often cracked or smashed. More recently, Gucci produced a special edition of the classic “Timor” calendar from Italian designer Enzo Mari and sent it to guests for its Milan Fashion Week show.

Some designers, however, still prefer the ephemeral. Jacquemus, for example, hand-wrote its invites in 2018, and wrapped them in a cotton towel along with a loaf of freshly baked bread.

For sentimental souls, any invitation is a memento of the day — but great invites, such as those designed by luxury fashion houses, can become prized possessions. (Or be sold on eBay for thousands).

With Anderson’s Dior debut and the Amazon founder’s nuptials overlapping, anyone who found themselves double booked (Kim Kardashian, Anna Wintor, perhaps?) faced a tough decision. Perhaps, the invitation was the clincher.