Elizabeth Schreckenberg

Girls often grow up dreaming about their perfect wedding. They know even before they meet prince charming whether they'll walk down the aisle of a historical church, or say "I do" next to a crystal lake complete with swans gliding across the water. They've already decided whether they'll wear an elegant lace A-line or a beaded frilly gown with a sprawling train. Liz Bolen, on the other hand, never had a clue as to what to expect on her big day, all the way up until the moment she got engaged.

"I'm a planner by nature," said Liz. "But when it came to the wedding, I had no idea where to begin."

Lucky for her and her fiancé, Ryan Stookey, Y98 FM happened to be promoting their annual Mega Wedding, to be held on February 13th - - just two months after Ryan's proposal on St. Nick's Day.

"We thought it sounded like a lot of fun to let listeners make the decisions for us," said Liz.

They sent in an entertaining video application explaining that they were both from Belleville, but had never met until a few years ago when they hit it off on Café Eau's dance floor. Ryan also described how he proposed by telling Liz she had a St. Nick's present under the Christmas tree, at which point he got down on one knee and asked her to marry him.

Y98 enjoyed the video and chose them as one of five finalist couples. Liz and Ryan immediately got to work on a marketing plan to solicit the most votes. Liz's communications background and graphic design friends came in handy for making posters, posting a web site and placing an ad in the News-Democrat. She's a 1999 graduate from Althoff, and he graduated in 1996 from Belleville West, so they had high hopes that Metro-East residents would support them with votes.

"We stood at busy intersections and on Highway 15 holding signs for several days," said Liz. "We also made a Facebook page and asked all of our friends to help us out."

All of their efforts paid off. As soon as they were announced the winners of the Mega Wedding, they were thrown head-first into a three and a half-week long media frenzy. They were often interviewed on Y98's Phillips and Company morning show, made an appearance on KMOV Channel 4's Great Day Saint. Louis, and were known throughout the Bi-State area as the Mega Wedding Couple, or simply "Couple #4, Liz and Ryan." "It was all very fast," said Liz. "We had so much fun with it."

Listeners voted on the dress, tuxedo, bouquet, centerpieces, wedding bands and honeymoon destination. The best part? Almost all of it was paid for by sponsoring vendors.

"I did have to pay for my shoes," said Liz with a smile.

Guy Phillips performed the ceremony live on the air at the Sheldon Concert Hall, and with Y98 handling everything, Liz and Ryan and their friends and family were able to enjoy the entire day.

"I was happy with all of the decisions," said Liz. "We really wouldn't have changed anything that the listeners chose for us. It was a perfect day."

The couple waited until May to take a honeymoon to Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, where they stayed at the Riu Palace resort. Liz said the trip to paradise was a welcome getaway.

"After the wedding was finished, it was nice to have some down time before our honeymoon. We really looked forward to it and had a great time."

The newlyweds, who still reside in Belleville, are now settling into life outside of the spotlight, although they can't go too far without a faithful fan recognizing their faces.

"We were at Schnucks in the west end looking at canned tomatoes, and a woman walked up to us and said, 'Were you the Y98 couple?' We said yes and she said, 'I voted for you.' It's a great conversation starter."

With all the luck that came with entering the contest, Liz said they might just be on a winning streak.

"I told Ryan maybe now we should buy a lottery ticket."