Brooke and Keegan
Keegan and I started our forever journey at the young ages of 16 and 17. Keegan was born and bred in Noosa and we met in 2009 through a mutual friend while I was on holidays with my family. Sharing our first kiss on New Year’s 2009, at that point we both knew we had found someone special.
The wedding was the perfect day any girl could have asked for. Fairy tales really do come true no matter what anyone tells you. Having the most amazing support from your family and friends and of course our fun-loving, silly, big bridal party that helped us with so much along the way. I still can’t thank the bridesmaids enough for all they did for me. And I guess the boys too for organising Keegan’s wild, helicopter, jetboating bucks party.
But we did have some mishaps long the way! Lets start at the beginning of the week before our wedding…
Yes, things will go wrong, nothing is ever perfect no matter how hard you try. So just relax and let others help you work through it. Here are some of the mishaps I had before the big day.
After already having so much trouble trying to find brown suits for the boys, I ended up getting them made. When they arrived, seven days before the wedding, they fitted in some places but not in others! We managed to find a lady who was absolutely incredible and worked from home for an amazing price named Sabine at Heaps Cutting and Alterations. The suits were picked up the day before the wedding and any alterations still needed were able to be done right then and there. Cutting it close, I know!
Two days before our wedding, I got stuck in so much traffic on my way to a friend’s house who was arranging my flowers for me when my phone GPS died so I had no idea where I was going. Luckily I was smart enough to memorise the address and stopped into a service station to ask for directions. Actually it went a little along the lines of “I’m getting married in two days and… (started balling my eyes out) I need help finding Hanworth St.”
Needless to say I think I frightened the poor woman with my antics. I ended up being an hour late for my florist, Fern and Fig, but she was amazing and went out of her way to help me.
The day before our wedding was the worst of all! But it wasn’t the day of the wedding so I was happy. We lost our dog. Our fur son. Our fur son that was in the wedding. Driving around for two hours while a storm was coming. Yelling out the car windows, until the rain got too hard that it was safer to go home and rest for a bit, wait until the storm died down, have something to eat then go back out and look for him again. Needless to say, Keegan and I were so stressed.
We found him. Locked in a room upstairs inside our house, safe and dry! There were about 20 people at the house that night and to this day everyone is saying they didn’t put him up here. Here’s the crazy theory. We went to the rehearsal and he was locked in the spa area outside the house that had a tall glass gate around it. There was hair and scratch marks on the top of the spa – he must have jumped it!
He then proceeded to push open the back screen door and make his way upstairs. My cousin said he did see it was left open a little when we left. He then would have walked into the upstairs bathroom where he was found and the wind blew the door shut. Yep, that’s the story. Believe it or not but we have no other explanation.
Our wedding day arrived and it was perfect! It stormed the night before and rained the day after. Everything was a luscious, green and the sun was shining bright at Cedar Creek Winery, Mt Tamborine.
Getting ready in The Bartle House, I tried not to stress. I had done all my stressing the days before and was ready to relax and enjoy the big day. I honestly don’t think I had anything thing left in me to stress out and just wanted to have fun with the girls getting ready. I actually felt like a celebrity. Everyone was asking me if I wanted anything and what else needed doing and when and where they should do it. I had food and a glass of champagne and I just laid on the bed watching the girls get their makeup done reminiscing on our years of friendship.
The boys on the other hand had a few more beers than just one! Their gifts from us were personalised flasks with their favourite spirits in them. Although they were all on strict orders not to have too many!
We then travelled to the chapel at Cedar Creek winery where I rode down towards Keegan on a 18 hand high Fresian! Everyone was amazed when I rode down and it was a bit awkward when I got to 100 odd guests until I said ‘Hello everyone’, waved and lightened the intense mood. I think everyone was just in awe as we kept this part a surprise for most of the guests.
Our vows were perfect. We had a competition running to see who could recite the best vows. Keegan won for sure. There were tears followed by laughter followed by tears. They were perfect and everyone was feeling the love in the room. We also practiced our first kiss a lot before the wedding; that was so much fun, and on the day, was also perfect.
The love, hugs, tears, laughs, excitement and smiles that came when we were walking out of the chapel together as Mr and Mrs Carter were unbelievably dream like. We could not have asked for more deserving and lovable family and friends. They, together with Keegan’s grandparents who unfortunately were unable to make it on the day, have all shaped us into the fun-loving couple we are today.
The dancing and laughter started even before the speeches and dessert. We did have a break from dancing for the speeches that each one of our ten bridal party members made. The ‘mutual friend’ that introduced us back in 2009 stole the show as he made a 15 minute comedy sketch on how he introduced us and that all the guests should be buying him a drink from the bar because without him we wouldn’t be there on the day. Everyone in the room was literally in stitches especially Keegan and I because everything he said was true and allowed us to revisit the start of our relationship together.
But he didn’t take away from the others as they were all individually different, personalised, funny and tear jerking. My Dad, Keegan’s Mum and my pop who Keegan is very similar to also made speeches which touched our hearts and made us laugh with joy.
Then there was the father and daughter dance and then my first dance with Keegan. I could not have asked for a sweeter, better talk with Dad during our dance. The song I chose had everyone in tears and had me in tears multiple times in the lead up to our wedding day when I listened to it. Although Dad walked me down the aisle and gave me away I will always be forever grateful to him and as he said ‘I will always be his little girl’.
Ms Chinoiserie Says: Congratulations Brooke and Keegan; after all your mishaps, you enjoyed the most perfect day!
About Brooke: I’m 23 years old and have been with my husband since I was 16. He was my first true love. I still have the first ever rose he gave me on Valentine’s Day – and I just love my new last name.
You are a very talented writer and I loved this romance. You certainly did find the perfect man and dont forget you should have mentioned his mother who raised him on her own and taught him about love and laughter and adventure….also his mother who cried when she thought she had lost the dog on that night and finally to the sneaky person who came in the house and put him in that bathroom….I have two suspects who entered the house after we all left. Finally how proud I am that I have the most perfectly beautiful daughter in law who I love and I see a lot of myself in. I am happy you made my son the happiest man in the world you are lucky and he is lucky…may your love and laughter last eternal…
The Mutual Friend seems like a cool dude.