As Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez prepare to say ‘I do’ for the second time, all eyes are on Affleck’s gorgeous mansion in Georgia that he first bought for $7.1 million in 2003.
While Affleck recently put the sprawling 87-acre property up for sale for $8.9 million, he ultimately decided to keep the home and use it for a glamorous wedding ceremony with new beau Lopez.
The two will have their wedding ceremony on Saturday, a massive $400,000 affair that involved months of preparation, including installing dancefloors and shipping in glassware, linens and furniture.
The house, built in 2000, is an ‘imitation plantation’ mansion in Riceboro, Georgia that overlooks the North Newport River on the private Hampton Island.
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 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 holds five bathrooms and is outfitted with special pinewood flooring
It also has 15-foot high ceilings and romantic arched fireplaces scattered around the premises
The mansion sits on 4,000-acre pristine Hampton Island, about 35 miles south of Savannah, Georgia
Lopez and Affleck were secretly wed recently at the Little White Chapel in Las Vegas, an event they kept secret even from some close friends and family
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.’
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 Oyster House serves as a guest house for the property, and boasts an outdoor pool and can sleep more than twenty guests
The Oyster House has several rooms equipped with bunk beds that were ‘salvaged from marine vessels’
The Oyster House is expected to hold the wedding reception
Another image shows how a picturesque wooden outhouse will be deployed for part of Bennifer’s celebrations
Visitors must obtain the permission of an island resident before crossing the bridge that provides access to the exclusive enclave
An overview of the wedding preparations shows the sprawling, wooded island filled with trucks and tents
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.
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 day, summer storms permitting, Affleck and Lopez’s guests can take to the golf course a short buggy ride from guest accommodation.
An aerial shot conveys the scale of the wedding prep currently underway – and the exceptionally picturesque setting
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