Couples brave freezing temps to say 'I do' at St. Louis Arch

ST. LOUIS -- True love may conquer all, but it was still pretty cold in those wedding dresses Wednesday as more than 100 couples tied the knot on Valentine's Day under the Gateway Arch.

Many of the brides were decked out in wedding gowns and veils despite snow drifts and a wind chill of minus 2.

April Sermons, 25, of Shattuc, Ill., even wore open-toed beaded shoes that showed off her French pedicure. "They were cute and they matched the dress," she said. "You've got to look good, no matter how cold it is."

She and her new husband, a carpenter named Nick Nolte, 27, had their love to keep them warm.

The wedding, billed as the largest in St. Louis history, was organized by country music radio station WIL-FM. Its morning radio personality, known to listeners as Cornbread, hosted the on-air event. The show's newscaster, Harry Schroeder, is also an ordained minister who performed the marriage ceremony. While there was a festive air, he also briefly spoke to the couples about lessons of love from the Bible before asking them to recite their vows.

Drawing a crowd

Family and friends circled the couples, who were standing on a platform at the Mississippi River bank, as other spectators watched from the steps of the Arch just across the street.

Couples secured their own marriage licenses, which they brought with them to be signed. The radio station worked with area sponsors to provide an official 92 couples, selected from several hundred who sent in applications, with wedding rings, silk flowers, photos and a reception at Al Hrabosky's Ballpark Saloon. One duo also was to win a honeymoon to Jamaica, said morning show producer Michelle Prosser, who noted the event had been planned more than a month ago at a time when St. Louis was unseasonably warm.

Still, the couples said they'd never forget their unique wedding day.

"We're in love. It's Valentine's Day," said John Kohl, 33, wearing a tuxedo and standing next to his bride, Melissa Schreiber, 24, of Dupo, Ill. She wore a newly purchased white faux fur jacket over her gown. He was committing to the right woman -- but wished he'd committed to a warmer pair of socks, he said.