Broken Arrow Marine Gets Wedding Wish

Saturday, August 26th 2006, 8:50 pm

By: News On 6

A US Marine from Broken Arrow, shot nine times while serving in Iraq, gets his wedding wishes granted. Private First Class Sam Brackett and his fiancÃ©e were working with a tight budget and limited time frame.

News on 6 reporter Ashli Sims says several local businesses stepped up to make their wedding dreams come true.

The brave Marine and his beautiful bride. It seems like a Hollywood ending to a modern day fairy tale. And "the too good to be true" detail, they met on a blind date.

PFC Samuel Brackett: "I went to college and I came home with one of my buddies and I was hanging out with him and I was like man I havenâ€™t been on a date in a long time."

Adrea Brackett: "This whole time I was complaining to my girlfriends that I wanted to go out on a Friday night and not pay for dinner. I want a date.

PFC Samuel Brackett: "then he told me I might know someone and I was like all'right."

The two hit it off and were inseparable, eight months later they were engaged on New Year's Eve. But their road to the aisle hasn't always been so picture perfect. Private First Class Samuel Brackett spent much of their engagement, serving in Iraq. And one day last November, the couple wasn't so sure this day would ever come.

PFC Samuel Brackett: "I was about ten feet from the house and I had turned to the left to look for the door and that's about the time we started catching machine gun fire."

Brackett was shot nine times. â€œMy thumb, both my calves I got nicked in the side and the chest my back and I took shrapnel in my left arm."

The 22 year old US Marine was awarded a purple heart for his bravery. And he even had the option to go home, but chose to stay with his unit. â€œI wanted to go back. I, you grow a bond with those guys, their like brothers. So I just told em I wanted to go back and I went back and patrolled again."

With Sam between deployments, Adrea went to work trying to plan a last minute wedding.

Adrea Brackett: "with last minute planning and in the wedding business there's not a lot of last minutes. And trying to find some place that could hold a sight that can work and afford. Novi was just great and he worked with us."

When the Chalkboard and its staff learned of Sam and Adrea's story, they kicked the wedding machine into high gear. They found ten vendors to help them provide a true day to remember. From the flowers to the fountain of chocolate to the flourishes on the chairs.

Adrea Brackett: â€œWhen I walked in its just, itâ€™s everything I could ever imagine to want to look like and more."

A perfect beginning to their happily ever after.