A Classic Winter Wedding at Windows on Washington in St. Louis, Missouri

Emily Kountzman (26 and a registered nurse) and Josh Burlison (26 and a sales representative) met at Emily's cousin's high school graduation and spent a lot of time together the summer following. However, it wasn't until their second year in college that sparks began to fly on an ice rink with a few friends. Following that night, Emily woke up to the same text message every morning for the past seven years, “Morning Beautiful.” One day after Emily came home from work, she found their new puppy with a red ribbon around its neck. Just as Emily realized there was a ring fastened to the ribbon, Josh was kneeling at her side proposing. Growing up Catholic, Emily knew she wanted her wedding to be at Immaculate Conception Parish in Arnold, Missouri. In addition, she wanted to have her wedding at Windows on Washington because her and Josh were able to bring in their own vendors for the wedding as a blank canvas. Because they chose to have their wedding in the winter, Emily and Josh did not want to limit themselves to a specific theme. They preferred the traditional look of their fashions with an ivory and white color palette. Window on Washington began the reception with their signature champagne greeting during cocktail hour. After dinner, Josh proceeded to stuff the vanilla and chocolate wedding cake topped with strawberries into Emily's face. To top off the night, Emily's father, instead of giving a speech, sang "They Got the World on a String," by the late Frank Sinatra, which surprised the guests as he ended it with his own flair. "It was definitely the highlight of the evening, especially for those who didn't know his talent," says Emily.