A lot of the paparazzi seen here in the boats chasing George Clooney and his bride Amal Alamuddin (top center) were heavily fined by the Venice Police. | AP Photo/Luigi Costantini
George Clooney and his bride, Amal Alamuddin, plus their celebrity guests and family members, weren’t the only ones smiling at the big wedding festivities in Venice. The local police police and additional security guards hired to protect the Clooney party made some serious cash.
For the police, a big increase in revenue was the combination of both the money Clooney paid for added services, plus the huge fines the Venice cops slapped on the paparazzi — something E! News reports ran anywhere from $10,000 to $20,000 per infraction of boating rules governing the paps boats on the Grand Canal. The problem: A number of photographers pretended to be water taxi drivers — a big no-no, considering they didn’t have the proper licenses.
All-in-all, the Clooney nuptials added many thousands of euros to the Venetian police and security teams’ coffers.
No wonder everyone is smiling in the background in all those photos we’ve seen!
