Ben Affleck, Jennifer Lopez wedding preparations underway: What to know about the venue, officiant and more

Ben Affleck, Jennifer Lopez wedding preparations underway: What to know about the venue, officiant and more

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Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez are set to tie the knot again this weekend during an extravagant three-day celebration at his sprawling estate in Riceboro, Georgia.

The 50-year-old actor and the 53-year-old singer first married last month during a midnight ceremony at the Little White Wedding Chapel in Las Vegas.

Now, they’re celebrating with an elaborate affair, and this weekend’s festivities will mark the culmination of the couple’s 20-year journey to the altar.

While Affleck and Lopez’s first wedding was an intimate affair attended by a handful of people, including three of their children, their upcoming nuptials will be a more elaborate f?te.

Preparations are underway for Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez’s wedding
(The Image Direct)

JENNIFER LOPEZ AND BEN AFFLECK HOSTING SECOND WEDDING AT PRIVATE 87-ACRE GEORGIA ESTATE: REPORT

A large white tent is being constructed in front of Affleck’s mansion in preparation for the wedding.

Staff members were also seen checking the drivers’ identifications upon their arrival at the property, and handing out bracelets.

The couple’s first wedding was more intimate. This time, it will be more elaborate with more guests in attendance to celebrate.
(Mom & Paparazzi for Fox News Digital)

Here’s what to know about the three-day extravaganza:

The venue

Affleck purchased the wedding venue in 2003 when he was dating Lopez the first time. He tried to sell it in 2018 and took it off the market in 2020 when it failed to sell.
(Engel & Volkers via The Grosby Group/BACKGRID)

Affleck initially purchased his sprawling Georgia estate in 2003, while he was dating Lopez. The Oscar winner listed the property for $8.9 million in 2018 but took it off the market in 2020 after it failed to sell.

The estate, located on the Hampton Island preserve, about an hour outside of Savannah, is comprised of three buildings overlooking the Newport River.

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The plantation-style primary mansion includes 6,000 square feet of living space and features four bedrooms, 25-foot-high Doric columns and a wraparound porch.

Wedding preparations are underway at the massive Georgia estate
(The Image Direct)

In addition to the main house, there is a smaller cottage for entertaining and a five-bedroom guest house with three master suites.

Matt Damon, Jimmy Kimmel and Drea de Matteo are reportedly among the wedding guests who will stay at the 10,000-square-foot cabin known as the Oyster House over the weekend.

The officiant

Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez’s wedding will be officiated by life coach and former monk Jay Shetty. Shetty and Lopez worked together on an episode of “Couch Conversations” on YouTube.
(Amy Sussman/Getty)

Life coach and former monk Jay Shetty will officiate Affleck and Lopez’s weekend nuptials.

The United Kingdom native and Lopez worked together on an episode of the “Couch Conversations” YouTube series in January 2021. The actress appeared on Shetty’s “On Purpose” podcast in March 2021, joining the long list of his past celebrity guests who included the late Kobe Bryant, Gwyneth Paltrow, Khloe Kardashian and Alicia Keys.

Lopez later asked Shetty to officiate four weddings during the press tour for her 2022 romantic comedy “Marry Me.” Shetty has prior experience as a celebrity wedding officiant, having presided over Lily Collins and director Charlie McDowell’s nuptials last year.

Wedding festivities

The three-day celebration will kick off with a rehearsal dinner Friday, the ceremony Saturday and a barbecue Sunday.
(Engel & Volkers via The Grosby Group / BACKGRID)

The wedding weekend extravaganza will kick off with a rehearsal dinner Friday night, and the ceremony will be held Saturday.

The celebration will conclude with a barbeque Sunday.

Fox News Digital has learned that during their stay, guests will potentially be treated to yoga sessions and enjoy a spectacular fireworks show.

Preparation

Wedding preparations have begun on the estate.
(Fox News)

In images obtained by Fox News Digital, party trucks and cars were seen traveling a private road leading to Affleck’s sprawling Georgia estate Thursday.

The couple enjoyed a relaxing moment at a Savannah, Georgia coffee shop ahead of their three-day wedding celebration.

Lopez, 53, and Affleck, 50, stopped into Gallery Espresso on Thursday to enjoy some coffee with their children in tow. The group ordered frozen lattes, some tea and bought a shirt from the “old school” location, the shop manager told Fox News Digital.

“They weren’t on top of each other,” the manager, Jessica, recalled to Fox News Digital. “They weren’t like all over each other or anything because they all the kids with them. So they were just pretty casual, just normal. They’re just having a normal time.”

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Jessica suggested Affleck enjoys the coffee spot and Savannah because it is “historic” and gives him some privacy.

She emphasized that the coffee shop customers have tried to respect the couple’s “private time.”

Jessica told Fox News Digital this is not the first time Affleck has visited the spot, known for having the best blueberry muffins in town. In 2003, the “Deep Water” star ventured into the caf? with ex-wife Jennifer Garner.

The three-day wedding weekend has been two decades in the making for the couple.

The three day long celebration of their love is set to take place over the weekend and has been three decades in the making.
(Fox News Digital)

Affleck and Lopez were initially set to walk down the aisle in September 2003 but postponed their nuptials with just a few days’ notice. The pair, famously dubbed “Bennifer,” ended their engagement in early 2004 after two years together.

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The “Argo” star later married Jennifer Garner, 50, with whom he shares daughters Violet, 16, Seraphina, 13, and son Samuel, 10. Affleck and Garner separated in 2015 and finalized their divorce in 2018, after 13 years of marriage.

Lopez married Marc Anthony, 53, in 2004, but the two, who are parents to 14-year-old twins Max and Emme, divorced in 2014.

After the “On the Floor” hitmaker ended her engagement to Alex Rodriguez in March 2021, she and Affleck rekindled their romance. Lopez announced that the couple had become engaged for the second time in April 2022.