Karissa and Jared’s Wedding at Home in Mahwah

Posted on October 22, 2024
By Molly Gregor

Their Story

Jared and Karissa went to high school together and met in their hometown of Mahwah, New Jersey. After college, they moved together to Chelsea in New York City and now call Hoboken their home.

Will You Marry Me?

The couple got engaged on September 7, 2023, in Hoboken, New Jersey, where they reside.

Details of the Day

On July 20, 2024, Jared and Karissa got married in Karissa’s childhood home in Mahwah, New Jersey—Father of the Bride style! When it came time to look at venues in the New York City and Hoboken area, nothing felt quite as special or different as the thought of being married in Karissa’s backyard. As high school sweethearts, the couple felt grounded and excited by the idea of coming back “home” for the biggest celebration of their lives.

Jared and Karissa had a private and intimate ceremony, followed by a large cocktail hour and reception-only celebration where all of their family and friends joined them.

Karissa’s father, Jim Ciliento, owns his own landscape design and construction business, The Corner Nursery. With his and his wife Deb’s creative vision—and a lot of hard work—the family put their heart and soul into creating the wedding venue of Karissa and Jared’s dreams.

As sister and maid of honor, Kayla Ciliento put it perfectly: “Backyard parties are our ‘thing’ as a family. We have seen Karissa and Jared go through so many phases of their lives together, now coming together here for one of the most epic parties to honor their marriage.”

The caterer—The Brownstone—used the family grill as one of the main cocktail hour stations, cigars were hand-rolled next to the pool, guests gathered around the firepit for end of the night s’mores, and family and friends danced all night while some neighbors even listened to the live music from their front lawns. At the end of the night, buses brought the guests to an after-party to another favorite local spot, Allendale Bar & Grill in Allendale, to continue the celebrations.

Favorite Moment

For Jared: “Watching our family and friends pour into the backyard from inside the house with Karissa, as we ate some of the best Brownstone cocktail-hour seafood.”

For Karissa: “Finally getting to see Jared at the ‘altar,’ under the arbor my uncle and family built for us. The ceremony took place on top of our little golf putting green deep in our backyard, under the tall trees that watched us grow up together all these years.”

Favorite Detail

For Jared: “We asked Karissa’s uncle to build an arbor for us to get married under. He custom-designed and built it a few weeks before the wedding, and it’s something we’ll have in our family forever.”

For Karissa: “It’s hard to choose, because so many vendors and people worked so hard to help pull off the best day of our lives. It’s a combination of many things—the thousands of flowers or new trees my dad planted to transform our backyard or the hundreds of candles my mom set up next to the pool and waterfall that glowed once the sun set.”

Why Did You Choose an At-Home Wedding?

Karissa’s family home is one of the couple’s favorite places to spend time with family and friends.

Advice for Others

If you plan to have a backyard or off-premise wedding, make sure you are surrounded by the right people and vendors who are willing to work hard and problem-solve to make your dream a reality!