When groom-to-be Brett Greenhill, 39, was paralyzed in a swimming accident during his bachelor party on December 2, 2016, he tried to push his fiancee away.
But nine months later, the couple tied the knot on September 9 in front of 100 of their closest family members and friends in Atlanta.
‘It was the most exciting and special day,’ Meg Alexander, 30, told PEOPLE. ‘Especially after everything that’s happened. There wasn’t a dry eye in the house.’
The couple’s wedding was originally planned for February 2017. At their joint bachelor/bachelorette party in Naples, Florida, disaster struck.
Meg and Brett are pictured at the altar during their wedding day on September 9. Brett was paralyzed during their joint bachelor-bachelorette party in December
Brett was playing football with his friends on the beach when he decided to go for a swim.
Meg noticed him floating in the water and went to check on him. Seconds later, she heard screams.
Brett was airlifted to Lee Memorial Hospital in Fort Myers, where doctors told him he had shattered part of his vertebrae, leaving him paralyzed from the neck down.
The couple head down the aisle on their wedding day, nine months after Brett was paralyzed
The couple are all smiles during their Southern vintage-themed wedding in Atlanta
They believe that when he dived into the water, he must have hit a submerged sandbar which injured his back.
The couple had just mailed out invitations to their February wedding when the tragedy struck.
Brett tried to push his bride-to-be away at first, telling her: ‘This is not what you signed up for.’
Meg wouldn’t let him, and the pair realized they needed each other spiritually, physically, and emotionally.
The couple pushed their wedding from February to September, and it could not have gone better. The Southern wedding was vintage-themed.
Brett and Meg share a dance during their reception on September 9
‘Everyone keeps talking about his face [at the altar],’ Meg said. ‘He was just so happy and I was too.’
‘It’s been a roller coaster,’ Brett said to PEOPLE about life since the accident. ‘There have been a lot of good days and a lot of bad days. It’s been an adventure, but people keep reminding me that this is just the beginning of a longterm journey.’
Brett was originally paralyzed from the neck down. In just nine months, he’s made enormous progress. He has some arm strength and wrist movement, and there is a chance that he will continue to regain mobility.
Now Brett’s next goal is to move from a power wheelchair to a manual one.
Brett and Meg pose with family members. The couple’s new goal is to start a family
Brett Greenhill and his fiancee Meg got married on September 9, nine months after Brett was paralyzed from the neck down
Brett was originally paralyzed from the neck down but in just nine months, he’s made enormous progress (pictured before the accident)
However, their combined goal is to start a family.
‘We’d love to start a family in the next two years,’ Meg said. ‘And build a home that will be easier for us to live in.’
The couple originally planned to go backpacking in New Zealand for their honeymoon.
The couple originally planned to go backpacking in New Zealand for their honeymoon
They adjusted their plan and together with Meg’s sister Mollie, they drove to Chicago, took a train to Seattle, and then went on a week-long cruise in Alaska.
The couple had created a foundation to help with Brett’s medical bills and physical therapy. They have raised $133,215 so far.
‘One thing that we’ve really been trying to do is just to keep each other positive,’ Meg said. ‘Some days are really bad for me and Brett will kind of talk me down the ledge and bring me back to reality. It’s the same for him. On his bad days I try to lift him up.’
The couple pushed their wedding from February to September, and it could not have gone better (pictured before the accident)
‘When you set a goal, sometimes it takes a little longer to get there than you anticipated, but if you work hard together you can make it happen,’ she continued. ‘They say for better for worse, for richer for poorer — and I guess we got that out of the way early.’
‘We’re a team and really just a great couple,’ Brett said.
DailyMail.com has reached out to Meg and Brett for comment.