“I think I’m going to go home now,” Christopher Trump-Retchin said one Sunday evening to Raina Dieterle after dating for two months. “Really?” Raina replied, not wanting him to leave. He stayed and it was then that the couple realized it was love and they have been together ever since.

On August 30, 2006, after dating for three and a half years, and on the first night in their new apartment in Chelsea, Christopher planned a romantic dinner for two. Having asked Raina’s father for her hand on July 4^th, he had patiently waited to propose until their new home was ready. After dinner, dessert and a walk, the couple returned to rose petals strewn on the bed and the ring on a pillow. Raina said “of course!” to Christopher’s, “Will you spend the rest of your life with me?”

Nancy Swiezy, owner of A Newport Affaire, helped the couple coordinate the destination wedding weekend in Newport—a city that holds a special place in Christopher’s heart. It was there with his late father, Peter Retchin, where he learned to sail and the two once competed in the Newport Bermuda Race. 

The weekend—dubbed by Raina’s father as a “lovefest”—kicked off Thursday with dinner for 60 family members and the bridal party at Belle Mer. As a contrast to Saturday’s elegant and formal ceremony and reception at Marble House, Raina wanted Friday night to be more casual. A clambake at the International Yacht Restoration School fit the bill.

Playing on the nautical theme, Christopher raised a pirate flag, guests enjoyed the night’s signature drink—the dark and stormy—and the themed groom’s cake of red velvet and lemon was served. A video montage including Christopher’s paternal grandmother who was unable to attend was shown. “She was hilarious and it was the most amazing thing to have it feel like she was there talking to us, toasting us,” Raina recalled.

To make the most of their time with guests on Saturday, the couple took pictures before the ceremony. “I saw her and I relaxed as I often do when I’m around her,” Christopher said. Calmness prevailed until grease soiled the train of Raina’s champagne-colored Kenneth Pool gown while she was ascending a metal staircase. Fortunately she had packed a stain kit and saved the dress.

Potential tragedy averted, the ceremony incorporating both Christian and Jewish traditions, preceded with a calm and happy Raina escorted by her father down the aisle to “Canon in D.” The 230 guests then enjoyed a cocktail hour where they were greeted by the “biggest dance floor you can get”—one of the bride’s requests. About 40 members of the Retchin family surprised the newlyweds with a rendition of the Rolling Stones “Satisfaction (I Can’t Get No),” calling it Christopher’s favorite song until he met Raina. “It was so fun and loving,” Raina laughs.

“I wanted to slow down the night,” Christopher recalled. “It was everything I wanted. I’d like to do it again, the whole weekend.”

The couple honeymooned for 10 days at the Le Taha’a Island Resort & Spa in French Polynesia.

Written by April Miller