Mariah Kennedy Cuomo Wore Vera Wang to Marry Tellef Lundevall at Golden Hour in Hyannis Port

And off they went: “It was supposed to rain all day, but when we arrived at the land of our ancestors in Meri, the gray skies parted and the sun shone through,” Mariah remembers. Tellef casually walked Mariah ahead of her family, as—unbeknownst to her—her father and sisters were aware of the plan and stayed back. “When we were alone, standing together atop a tall rocky point at the end of a peninsula called Capo Milazzo, the wind blowing fragrant sea air around us as the waters mixed below, Tellef read a handwritten letter aloud before dropping to one knee and proposing,” Mariah remembers. “I was completely surprised. I felt myself trembling as I held onto his blue sweater and said, ‘Yes!’ I was overwhelmed with joy by the moment, its meaning, and the beautiful letter read to me by the man I loved and wanted to spend the rest of my days with more than anything in the world.”

Tellef placed Mariah’s dream ring—designed after her grandmother Ethel’s and made by an artisan jeweler friend of his—on his fiancée’s finger, and the two kissed. When they returned to their hotel room after a celebratory dinner that night, the window framed Mount Etna, which was erupting. “The next day, after the rains came and went, the most vibrant double rainbow stretched across the sky, fading and reviving for an hour,” Mariah remembers. “It was miraculous, and it truly felt like there was incredible magic in celebrating our engagement.”

Within a week of getting engaged, Mariah and Tellef agreed they would marry at Hyannis Port the following summer. “Hyannis Port is a place where Tellef and I love to spend time each summer on the water,” Mariah explains. “In between our own wedding weekend’s schedule of formal wedding events, waterskiing, sailing, walks on the beach, volleyball, and yard games fill any spare time.” The couple had about eight months to get everything squared away, so they quickly reached out to family and close friends, who were eager to be involved in wedding planning and lend their support and expertise.

The couple met once a week with their event planners at Taylor Made Experience and an extended planning committee, spearheaded by Mariah’s mom, Kerry Kennedy, along with her twin sister, Cara, and her mother’s boyfriend, George. “People warned me that wedding planning would be an incredible stressor, but my experience was the opposite,” Mariah says. “Everyone’s positivity, enthusiasm, and creativity made the process a meaningful and memorable experience. I will miss it when it’s over!” Meanwhile, her sister Michaela took the lead early in setting up an engagement party, which was held in New York City in March of 2024 at Sincerely, Ophelia. “My dad was [also] a constant source of guidance and support for Tellef and me in countless ways throughout the process and even agreed to take father-daughter dance classes, which were both special and a ton of fun,” Mariah says.

To commemorate the start of the wedding weekend, 100 white flags with big pink hearts flew on flagpoles at houses and on sailboats in the harbor of the little Massachusetts town. “It was so touching and wonderful to behold,” Mariah says, “and a beautiful testament to the unique community here.” The wedding weekend began on Friday morning with Mariah and Tellef planting a magnolia tree—a family tradition—together. Afterward, they went straight to the dock for a sailboat race celebrating Tellef’s Norwegian Viking roots.

On Friday evening, Tellef’s parents, Torjus and Jessica Lundevall, hosted the bride’s and groom’s families for a rehearsal dinner followed by a toast at a local restaurant, welcoming everyone who had made the journey to celebrate the couple.

The ceremony took place on July 20 at golden hour on the lawn overlooking Nantucket Sound, in front of around 400 family members and friends. “Walking down the aisle on my father’s arm, Tellef and I locked eyes as he saw me in my dress for the first time,” Mariah remembers. “And in that moment, the world stopped spinning, time stood still, and I could feel the next chapter of our lives beginning.”

To find the perfect dress, Mariah visited a handful of designers in New York City, but in the end the decision was an easy one. “When I put on my wedding dress at Vera Wang, I instantly knew it was the one!” she says. “The dress—an Italian tulle gown with a classic corset construction accented by asymmetric, hand-placed light ivory corded French lace—made me feel exactly as Tellef does: confident, special, and happy. I felt so blessed because my mother and mother-in-law, Jessica Lundevall, had flown into New York City to help me choose, and both were so excited about the dress as soon as they saw it.”

Co–maids of honor Cara Kennedy Cuomo and Michaela Kennedy Cuomo, as well as 14 bridesmaids, wore baby blue and white V. Chapman dresses, and the two bridesmen—Mariah’s best friends from Brown, Ben Pruzan and Michael Dresdale—wore coordinated light blue suits with pocket squares made from the dress fabric. Tellef and his 18 groomsmen wore classic navy blue suits with ties, perfect for a summer day on the Cape.

The couple was married under a chuppah covered in white roses and flowers. It was built from branches sourced in Norway, where Tellef’s family is from; Italy, for Mariah’s father’s family; Ireland, for her mother’s family; and the United States. The service—which was officiated by the Rev. Matt Malone, a Jesuit priest and friend of the mother of the bride—was traditional in many ways but also reflected the couple’s personal traditions. “It was important to Tellef and me that the wedding ceremony reflect our unique roots, celebrate who we are together, and intentionally usher in a long, successful, happy life together as husband and wife,” the bride explains. “Tellef and I wanted to weave important customs from both my Catholic and his Jewish heritage into the ceremony.” Relatives read Bible passages about love before the bride and groom read vows they wrote themselves.

“The ceremony was all about love from start to finish,” Mariah says. “Love was the subject of each Bible reading, spoken to in our personal vows, and felt from the warmth emanating from those who had gathered at our ceremony to witness, celebrate, and support us. I felt overjoyed, peaceful, blessed, loved, and complete. It may sound trite, but marrying the man I love, Tellef, truly was a dream come true. Hearing Tellef speak his vows—about our love, our future together, and how we will raise our family—was deeply moving.” After the couple exchanged rings, the ceremony concluded with the breaking of the glass.

Then, after the service, guests gathered for cocktails inside Mariah’s grandmother’s home. “When Tellef and I first got engaged, we called grandma to tell her the happy news,” Mariah remembers. “She really likes Tellef—they share a love of football, a desire for adventure, and a great sense of humor. When grandma picked up the phone, she joked about hearing that I had ‘stolen her man.’ We laughed, and she insisted we marry on her front lawn. We were thrilled to say yes!”

The reception was held at the former JFK House, now owned by Mariah’s aunt and uncle Edward Kennedy Jr. and Katherine “Kiki” Kennedy. They offered their front yard as the location for the reception tent and the brunch held the next day. The large tent was adorned with white flowers and strung lights, and in between courses everyone danced to the Sultans. After dinner, Mariah climbed up onto a ladder to cut into their eight-tier wedding cake. “It was inspired by my great-aunt Eunice Kennedy Shriver’s wedding cake, a feat by Confectionary Designs,” Mariah says. “Atop was a silver bell with our engagement date inscribed.”

Following the reception, the mother of the bride, Kerry Kennedy, hosted the after-party in her backyard at Edgehill Farm, just a short stroll down the street. “The garden gate is made of wood and features a Jewish star on one door, which opens to a Mother Mary figure at the center,” Mariah says. “This offers another beautiful symbol representative of our union.” Nestled between the vegetable garden and chicken coop, guests danced all night beneath the stars.