JLo and Ben Affleck Are Getting Married In a Plantation-Style Home Today
Controversial past of Bennifer's 'plantation-style' wedding venue https://t.co/iW4N2L6iNi pic.twitter.com/ikiTVzcXH4
- Page Six (@PageSix) August 20, 2022
Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck are tying the knot (again) today, and on a planation-style home owned by Ben no less. 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 property was the original venue where the two were suppose to tie the knot 20 years ago. When Affleck first bought the property in 2003, he was reportedly hoping to build a chapel on the property, but he and Lopez ended their original relationship shortly after in 2004.
Actors Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds sparked controversy when they wed at Boone Hall Plantation in Mount Pleasant in 2012. Leslie Harris, co-editor of “Slavery and Freedom in Savannah” and a professor of history at Northwestern University, said she was shocked that Affleck and Lopez decided to have their wedding at a plantation-style home.
“When he discovered who his ancestors were he tried to squelch it,” said Harris. “It’s clear he didn’t learn his lesson. We’re back at the same place with him. People still build houses that are plantation style. It’s a sign of wealth. It’s surprising that Affleck would choose this place for his wedding when many (historic) plantations have stopped even having weddings.”
Several major wedding businesses have taken steps to distance themselves from the plantation venues. In 2019, Pinterest, The Knot, and Zola, pledged to stop promoting plantation weddings and using language that romanticizes them.
Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck’s wedding preparations in Riceboro, Georgia! pic.twitter.com/xNs8KbhmR6
- Bennifer Updates (@BenniferUpdates) August 20, 2022
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