Jasna Polana Wedding in September

Alison grew up in Princeton not too far from Jasna Polana, the legendary 226 acre estate built by Johnson and Johnson heir John Seward Johnson for his beloved third wife Barbara. As a child, Alison and her friends sometimes snuck onto the grounds to play in its ornate, sprawling gardens. So a Jasna Polana wedding was perfect for Alison and Jon: it is well-known as one of the most elegant wedding venues in Princeton, but it also has personal meaning for them.

In the New Jersey and New York City area, we get to photograph many different religious traditions. However, Alison and Jon had a Quaker wedding ceremony, which is quite different from most of the other religious ceremonies that Kyo has photographed.

In a Quaker wedding ceremony, there is no true “officiant”; rather, the assembled family and friends simply witness the bride and groom choose to marry under the care of God. After the bride and groom rise and declare their intent to marry, a relative or friend reads aloud their marriage certificate, and then any guest is welcome to rise and say a few words about the couple and their marriage.

At Alison and Jon’s wedding, there were so many witty, wise, and heartfelt statements from family and friends — it was fascinating and wonderful to watch a wedding ceremony that engaged the guests in such a direct way.

You can view photographs from their joyful reception in the Jasna Polana ballroom in our separate post.