I especially love photographs like this one of the flower girl and a bridesmaid talking at the foot of the marble steps at a Jasna Polana wedding in Princeton. They are engrossed in conversation and it’s a completely natural moment between the two of them. I always try to take lots of these types of photos at every wedding: all the members of the bride and groom’s wedding party, family, and each wedding guest at various moments, simply enjoying themselves.

Jasna Polana is a great place to capture these sorts of images because it has so many nooks and crannies where guests can hang out. The marble staircase is just outside the ballroom and its wide, sweeping steps are the perfect place to sit down and take a breath in the midst of the dancing.

In fact, the whole mansion provides breathtaking backdrops no matter where you are. It’s one of the most dramatic and unusual wedding venues in New Jersey.

Originally built as a gift for Basia Johnson, John Seward Johnson’s third wife, Jasna Polana is filled with 18th century French antiques, tapestries, intricate woodwork and original art. After John Seward Johnson died, Basia moved to Monaco and decided to convert her home into a private golf club. It is available for rent for weddings and events.