Bennifer wedding: Radiant JLo in white dress hugs Ben Affleck on wedding day
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Stunning photos obtained by DailyMail.com show beaming bride Jennifer Lopez and proud groom Ben Affleck on the morning of their lavish wedding ceremony in Georgia.
The celebrity couple known as ‘Bennifer’ were seen smooching as they hold their second wedding ceremony with loved ones on Saturday at Affleck’s rural estate in Riceboro, a month after they secretly wed in a small Las Vegas service.
Photos show the happy couple on the steps of the Big House, a plantation-style mansion that is the focal point of the $8.9 million estate.
Lopez, already decked out in her stunning white gown, greets Affleck affectionately as he ascends the staircase.
Following the early kisses and hugs, the couple head into the home to prepare for the big ceremony.
On the menu will be fried pork chops, rice and vegetables, a staple of Puerto Rico, where Lopez’s family hails from, along with other barbue treats amid the sizzling 88 degree weather, The Mirror reported.
Also on the menu will be oven-roasted chicken and mac and cheese, as sources told The Mirror the couple was embracing Southern cuisine for their Georgia wedding.
Among the A-Listers expected to celebrate the couple include Matt Damon, George Clooney, Jane Fonda, Renee Zellweger and Jimmy Kimmel.
Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck (top) were caught sharing a kiss on the morning of their big wedding on Saturday
The celebrity couple, known as ‘Bennifer’ were seen preparing for their their second wedding ceremony with loved ones on Saturday at Affleck’s rural estate in Riceboro, Georgia
JLo was seen waiting for Affleck at the top of the stairs of his $8.9 million estate as they prep for the big event
Following the early smooches, the couple headed into the home, where Southern and Puerto Rican food was being prepared for their plethora of A-List guests attending the wedding ceremony
A white walkway has been set from the rear veranda of the Big House down to the water, where a marquee has been installed.
After days of torrential rain, the couple caught a lucky break with the weather on Saturday. Though skies were overcast and temperatures sweltered in the 90s, storm clouds avoided the area.
Security was tight around the sprawling 87-acre property ahead of the ceremony.
Large security gates were installed at the end of the four-mile road down to Affleck’s sprawling country estate several weeks ago.
Today a police car sits on the gates, while guards busily handed out wrist bands to all comers, their names checked and double-checked against the ‘Master Production’ list.
DailyMail.com has learned that an explosives permit for fireworks display has been quietly secured with Affleck’s plantation style home at its epicenter.
Low flying aircraft, like drones and helicopters, have been warned not to fly within a three-mile radius of the venue due to the large fireworks show that is expected to close out the evening
Meanwhile, the river onto which the property backs is being patrolled by security boats.
Security is tight at the perimeter of Affleck’s sprawling Riceboro, Georgia estate ahead of Saturday’s wedding
Today a police car sits on the gates, while guards busily handed out wrist bands to all comers, their names checked and double-checked against the ‘Master Production’ list
Last minute supplies were still arriving Saturday morning with catering trucks and musical equipment disappearing down the tree-lined road
Workers manned the perimeter to ensure that nobody on the list slipped through the ring of steel surrounding the ceremony
Lopez and Affleck were secretly wed (above) in July at the Little White Chapel in Las Vegas, an event they kept secret even from some close friends and family. On Saturday they will celebrate the union with a larger ceremony in Georgia
Last minute supplies were still arriving Saturday morning with catering trucks and musical equipment disappearing down the tree-lined road.
The wedding will be a massive affair that involved months of preparation, including installing dancefloors and shipping in glassware, linens and furniture.
It comes a month after the couple legally wed in a small Las Vegas ceremony that was kept secret from even some family and friends. Now, they will celebrate the union in a larger gathering with loved ones.
Affleck and Lopez will have their second wedding ceremony on Saturday, at Affleck’s gorgeous mansion in Georgia that he first bought for $7.1 million in 2003.
While Affleck recently put the sprawling 87-acre Georgia property up for sale for $8.9 million, he ultimately decided to keep the home and use it for a glamorous wedding ceremony with beau Lopez.
The house, built in 2000, is an ‘imitation plantation’ mansion in Riceboro, Georgia that overlooks the North Newport River on the private Hampton Island.
Workers arriving for the event were being given official wrist bands to show that they are on the master list
Security was tight ahead of Saturday’s ceremony at the rural estate
The main ‘big house’ mansion is the centerpiece of the property and boasts 6,000 square feet of space
The big house has four bedrooms and balconies that overlook the nearby North Newport River
The mansion sits on 4,000-acre pristine Hampton Island, about 35 miles south of Savannah, Georgia
An aerial shot conveys the scale of the wedding prep currently underway – and the exceptionally picturesque setting
The main ‘big house’ mansion is the jewel of the property and boasts 6,000 square feet of space, four bedrooms, five bathrooms and balconies that overlook the swampy river.
The mansion is surrounded by centuries-old live oak trees, and is outfitted with pinewood flooring, 15-foot high ceilings and romantic arched fireplaces scattered around the premises.
The compound also includes two other structures known as the Summer Cottage and the Oyster House.
The screened-in Summer Cottage is a cozy house along a path from the Big House and comes with exposed brick interiors, pitched ceilings, a fireplace and a metal roof.
The final structure on Affleck’s property is the Oyster House, a massive abode that competes with the main mansion in terms of size and amenities.
The 10,000 square foot Oyster House is likely where the wedding reception will take place and comes equipped with three primary suites along with five more bedrooms holding bunk beds that were ‘salvaged from marine vessels.’
The pair have already faced some unplanned issues with the wedding preparations, including when Affleck’s mom, Christopher Anne Boldt, fell from the dock and was rushed to hospital with an arm injury
The Oyster House is expected to hold the wedding reception
Lopez is expect to wear a Ralph Lauren dress, and a white walkway has been set from the rear veranda of the Big House down to the water, where a marquee has been installed.
When Affleck first bought the property in 2003, he was reportedly hoping to build a chapel on the grounds, but he and Lopez ended their original relationship shortly after in 2004.
The pair have already faced some unplanned issues with the wedding preparations, including when Affleck’s mom, Christopher Anne Boldt, fell from the dock and was rushed to hospital with an arm injury.
The property was originally home to a ‘thriving’ rice plantation known as Hampton Pastures and was owned by Roswell King.
The plantation was worked by slaves and Creek Indians, and the property dates back to before the Civil War.
In fact, the living quarters for the plantation’s slaves were on the very same island the house is on, and an unmarked slave graveyard is located somewhere on the property.
Campers at a nearby Boy Scouts camp have even found pottery made by Creek Indians on the grounds.
Exclusive pictures obtained by DailyMail.com show Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck at the hospital Friday afternoon as Ben’s mother received stitches after an accident at her son’s Georgia estate
Ben reportedly found his mother after her fall on the dock of his estate and called the ambulance
An overview of the wedding preparations shows the sprawling, wooded island filled with trucks and tents
Another image shows how a picturesque wooden outhouse will be deployed for part of Bennifer’s celebrations
According to one inside source, there were certain things about the property that did not come up to Lopez’s exacting standards especially the network of pot-holed roads that loop around the property from the Big House to the Farmhouse and down the four mile stretch to the specially installed security gates at the road’s end
Ben bought the compound in 2003 while he was dating Jennifer and paid close to $ 7 Million Dollars. He listed the property for sale in 2019 for $8 Million, but had no takers, so he took it off the market
The property is an 87-acre, multi-residence compound overlooking the North Newport River on the ultra-private Hampton Island Preserve
Affleck reportedly first fell in love with the area in Georgia after filming the 1999 film ‘Forces of Nature’ there.
The beautiful nature scene around the island is home to hundreds of species of wildlife including alligators, wild boars, deer and bobcats.
But, according to one inside source, there were certain things that did not come up to Lopez’s exacting standards especially the network of pot-holed roads that loop around the property from the Big House to the Farmhouse and down the four mile stretch to the specially installed security gates at the road’s end.
For the past two months trucks of Georgia clay and lime have been piling in to smooth and grade all the roads.
But torrential rains over the past few nights have undone the work of weeks with Lopez today giving workmen a deadline of 6pm Friday to shore up and refill potholes that have opened once more.
Last Saturday trailers ferried half a dozen piebald horses into the enclave known as Hampton Island Preserve. The animals are now homed in the $3million stable complex built by Affleck.
They are there for any guest who wish to take part in trail ride. Those who prefer their transportation to come with four-wheels will be treated to an ATV tour of the property – an activity that Affleck in particular thought fun as he admitted to one source that he had never actually been on an ATV.
During the big day, summer storms permitting, Affleck and Lopez’s guests can take to the golf course a short buggy ride from guest accommodation.