When I first peeked at this wedding, I thought it was in some magical forest far, far away – but when I saw it was in Jamaica Plain, right in our backyard, it made me fall in love with it that much more. Which is saying something, because I was already head over heels in love with every second captured by Shane Godfrey Photography – and you can see all the reasons why right here, in the full gallery of images.
From Shane… Josina and Bongani both live in a house with their friends in Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts. Bongani is originally from Swaziland, Africa and many of his friends and relatives made it over for their big day! In the morning they built up the Chuppa in the center of the pond at the Essex Conference Center where both the wedding ceremony and reception was held. The grounds are covered with all kinds of sculptures that the owner of the property has created over the years. Every time I go back, there are new sculptures up and they are always very interesting and add to the aesthetics of the property. They had an interfaith ceremony, as Bongani is Episcopalian and Josina is Jewish. They lit candles that Bongani’s family brought over from Africa and then we broke into family, bridal party, and bride and groom photos. Afterwards, we went up to the reception where the tent was done up in twinkle lights. They skipped on the DJ as Bongani had spent several months working on the playlist (his main duty for planning the wedding) and had a few of his friend’s MC for the night. They danced the night away and ended with a fire outside the reception tent which is surrounded by logs with stumps to sit on. We did a final ring shot as we left for the night and they continued after hours by the fire.
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Wedding Photography: Shane Godfrey Photography | Wedding Venue: Essex Conference Center | Officiant: Rabbi Judy Epstein | Floral Design: Trim Hahn of Posies by Trim | Catering: Essex Conference & Retreat | Dress Designer: J Crew | Makeup: Sephora