Amidst 220 of their closest family and friends, the new Mr. and Mrs. Weinstein danced their first dance. As the couple held each other close, the lyrics of Sting’s “Fields of Gold” struck a chord. “Will you stay with me, will you be my love,” were the words of assurance, Casey Hirschhorn and Matthew Weinstein swore to each other eight years prior.

“I love you so much … if only we were 26 years old, I would marry you now,” said Matt, 20, inside a birthday card for Casey, then 20 also. A commitment and memory the couple unknowingly both shared on their wedding day. “Our rabbi asked us to write a letter to each other,” says Casey. When Matt’s letter was being read by the rabbi, “I whispered in his ear, I wrote the same thing.”

In sync since they began dating in college, the young couple shared a passion for traveling, so it was only fitting that their romance matured while they were overseas. Right on cue, and seven years later, while Matt was travelling abroad, the couple connected in Italy realizing that absence really does make the heart grow fonder. And as Sting, the master of lyrics, put it, “I never made promises lightly,” their commitment was about to unfold.
Back home in New York, “I missed him so much, and [knew] I was never going to let him go again,” recalls Casey. For Matt, in the midst of seeing the world, he had a defining moment and knew the time had come.

Matt proposed three months later, on top of a mountain in Napa Valley. Foreshadowing to their wedding day, the weather was temperamental all weekend, until the day of the proposal. “It was pouring rain on Friday and Saturday, and it was perfectly sunny on Sunday,” says Matt.

Fast-forward 19 months, and they tied the knot at Belle Mer in Newport, Rhode Island. “We didn’t necessarily want a long engagement,” says Casey, “but we fell in love with the venue and that was the first date available.” The location, unlike any other waterfront properties in New England, is über modern and sleek, making it the perfect choice for their New York chic reception.

When it came to planning, the bride needed a lot of help. Belle Mer is “stark white” says Casey, and “besides roses, I didn’t know a single flower.” Deciding on white orchids for the table centerpieces, they bathed the décor in purple, pink and blue lighting to make the room pop. For the groom, his simple requirements were a weekend wedding and no tuxedo.

During the entire planning process, “I was pretty calm,” recalls the bride-to-be, that is, until the morning of the wedding, when she was awoken by the sounds of pouring rain and thunder. A frazzled Casey admits that she was “tracking weather patterns all morning. I was looking for any sign of hope,” she laughs.

As fate would have it, the west wind moved, and like their sunny engagement, the sun made an appearance right around the time the outdoor ceremony was about to take place.

After the wedding, the pair honeymooned in Saint-Tropez, Portofino and Marrakesh before returning back to New York City as husband and wife.