Big Brother Star Cody Calafiore Marries Cristie Laratta in New Jersey! ‘Best Day of Our Lives’ (Exclusive)

Cody Calafiore had a hometown wedding!

The Big Brother The alum, 33, married longtime love Cristie Laratta on Friday in New Jersey, where they both grew up — and where they first met. They celebrated their wedding at Shadowbrook in Shrewsbury, a historic 18-acre estate, surrounded by 200 loved ones.

“It was amazing for us. It was the best day of our lives,” Calafiore tells PEOPLE, saying that their vision for their big day came together just as they had hoped.

“What was most important to us was celebrating with all our friends and family,” he continues. “We wanted a beautiful, heartfelt ceremony that told the story of how we fell in love, followed by high vibes all night and dancing the night away with everyone we love.”

Cody Calafiore and Cristie Laratta with members of the wedding party.

Photo by Heather Pauline

Among the guests were several of Calafiore’s colleagues Big Brother contestants — Paulie Calafiore’s brother, Derrick Levasseur, Tiffany Mitchell and Enzo Palumbo — as well as Cara Maria Sorbello of Challenge.

The couple opted for a formal black tie affair to match the elegance and grandeur of their venue, decorated with lots of tall candles and all-white flowers with greenery by Jardiniere Fine Flowers.

All celebrity weddings in 2023

Their ceremony was written and planned by their officiant, Liz Norment of Have Lover Will Travel, which Calafiore says perfectly captured the couple’s unique story.

“Her beautiful writing highlighted not only the serendipity of our meeting, but how we fell in love during the most challenging time of my life, during my lymphoma diagnosis [in 2016] at age 23,” explains Laratta. “Our story will always be special to us because of how we thrived during such a difficult time in my life and found joy and love in the darkest of times.”

Cody Calafiore and Cristie Laratta during their wedding ceremony.

Photo by Heather Pauline

“We knew after growing so strong through our first year together, we could take on anything in life together — cheeky but true,” she adds.

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Laratta walked down the aisle in a Martina Liana gown – which she tailored herself – and paired it with Vince Camuto platform heels. “The style was the vibe I always envisioned for my wedding dress,” she tells PEOPLE.

Cody Calafiore and Cristie Laratta at the wedding venue on their wedding day.

Photo by Heather Pauline

For the reception, she changed into a more casual Grace Loves Lace dress and Sam Edelman shoes. “I wanted something super fun to dance to and be comfortable at the end of the night.”

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Makeup by Michele Eva took care of the glam bride, and her hair was styled by Ashley Raibick. Bartolomeo Cerrati of Just A Touch Hair Lounge cut Calafiore’s hair on the couple’s big day.

Cody Calafiore and Cristie Laratta share a kiss on their wedding day.

Photo by Heather Pauline

Laratta, who says she was “great about picking music” for the wedding, incorporated many of her favorite songs into her special day, including plenty of Taylor Swift songs. She and her bridesmaids came out with a violin cover of Swift’s “Lover.” Calafiore and his best men, meanwhile, walked down the aisle to a violin cover of James Arthur’s “Say You Won’t Let Go.”

“These are two songs that we’ve loved over the years, and ‘Say You Won’t Let Go’ was the first song in 2016 that we called ‘our song,'” notes Laratta.

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Instead of handwritten vows, the couple asked Norment to write words for each other. “That was perfect for us,” Calafiore recalls. “They included a bunch of cute modern vows including a promise to ‘fill life with adventure and home with laughter’.”

Laratta and Calafiore are both “big gourmets” so they treated their guests to a big feast. The reception began with a “knockout” cocktail hour featuring a sushi display created by a sushi chef at Nobu in New York. “This was huge for Cristie as a sushi addict and connoisseur,” says Calafiore.

Cody Calafiore and Cristie Laratta pose on their wedding day.

Photo by Heather Pauline

The cocktail hour also featured a homemade pizza station, lobster ravioli, a vodka and caviar ice sled station, lobster rolls served with mini beer bottles, a New York strip steak station with bacon bits and bacon mac and cheese, a wok station — ” and the list goes on and on,” jokes Calafiore.

Guests also enjoyed a dinner that included burrata and arugula salad, Chateaubriand in burgundy truffle sauce, Chilean sea bass coated in beurre blanc sauce, and Kansas City pork chop in Jack Daniel’s sauce. And in case someone was more hungry, the wedding afterparty was hosted by Chick-fil-A.

Cody Calafiore and Cristie Laratta cut their four-tiered wedding cake.

Photo by Heather Pauline

Dessert included slices of chocolate and vanilla wedding cake filled with cannoli cream, along with cheesecake, lobster tail pastries and chocolate cannoli bombs. At the end of the evening, guests were invited to grab a few more treats from the ice cream cart, including six different flavors of Italian ice cream, homemade donuts and cappuccinos.

Calafiore and Laratta enjoyed their first dance as husband and wife to “Thank God” by Kane and Katelyn Brown. “The song seemed like a perfect fit for us and was exactly what we wanted to say – that we’re so grateful to have each other,” says the reality star, who appeared in seasons 16 and 22. Big Brother.

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The couple first met at a crowded bar on July 4, 2015, and became engaged seven years later, in October 2022. Calafiore popped the question to Laratti in a surprise proposal at Riverside Gardens Park in Red Bank, New Jersey, just as the sun was it was setting.

Cody Calafiore and Cristie Laratta at their wedding. Laratta changed into an elegant silk dress for the later part of the celebration.

Photo by Heather Pauline

Calafiore says he appreciates Laratta’s kind heart and sense of humor. “I love how silly she is and when we’re just being silly and dancing together in the apartment for no reason. I love how she likes to celebrate the little moments and all the special things in life,” he shares.

Laratta says Calafiore “always makes us smile and laugh” and “brings so much joy” to their lives — “even on the most ordinary days or doing the simplest things like relaxing at home.”

After their honeymoon in Antigua, the duo is looking forward to starting their married life together.

“I can’t wait to continue our adventure and all that comes from traveling, buying a house together, and starting a family,” Laratta tells PEOPLE.

“Let’s hope baby!” adds Calafiore.

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