The love story of the century culminated with an Alice in Wonderland wedding Saturday at Shelton's Place.
The lucky lovebirds, Lugene and Jeff Keels, shared their vows among giant polka-dotted mushrooms, tea sets, cards, and guests dressed as rabbits and other character with tops hats form the well-known Disney story.
The journey to the alter was a long one. The two met each other for the first time at Burke Baptist Church years ago.
"I was finishing my duties as an offering bearer, turned to my seat and there she was," Jeff said. "I sat down next to her and we became girlfriend and boyfriend."
Their puppy love did not last long, as three months later, Lugene broke up with him.
When asked why, he said, "She will tell you she was 16 and I was 19 and we weren't ready for each other at the time."
The two went off on two separate paths, and in the blink of an eye 30-something years went by. They both got married to different people. Then they both got divorced.
It wasn't until March 5, 2016, a day Lugene says she'll never forget, that their paths crossed. It was at a wedding, of all places.
"That day was exactly one year after his wife gave him divorce papers," Lugene said solemnly. "So it went from one of the worst days of his life to the happiest day of his life. I made him very happy."
She added that it was lucky that he was alone at the wedding.
"He had asked like two other women to go with him, including his daughter, and they all couldn't for some reason or another," Lugene said. "He didn't want to go, but he decided that they were good friend's and he needed to go. I'm so glad he decided to go."
The two became comfy, sitting next to each other at the reception.
"We hadn't talked in over 30-something years," Jeff said. "We started telling each other about our lives. I noticed she is still a very attractive lady. She had always been pretty, and she's only gotten more beautiful."
The two left the party separately, but kept in contact.
"I went home to Houston and she lived in Lufkin," Jeff said. "We continued to talk until like 3 in the morning as we continued to go through our life story."
Then he used the best pick-up line he knew-Do you want to go to a tree farm?
She said yes.
"I'm sure that in the whole universe that pick-up line has been used zero times before and probably had zero chances of success, except if used on Lugene," Jeff said with a hearty laugh. "Love is not about finding a girl, it's about find the girl. And anybody who says yes to going to a tree farm has got to be the girl for me."
The two went to visit his tree farm and hit it off. He proposed on Thanksgiving Day of 2016.
"I told her that she was my first kiss and I wanted her to be my last," Jeff said.
But love does not come without its trials.
On Easter morning this year, disaster struck. Lugene went to wake Jeff up, but he wouldn't rouse. Disturbed, she tried again, and he began to shake, suffering a violent seize. Lugene dashed to the phone to call 911. When they got to the emergency room at Woodland Heights, Jeff's heart rate was 230 and his blood pressure was dropping.
Ten nurses and doctors surrounded him, moving in a frenzy as he was put on a cardiac crash unit and classified as being in a "dire" condition.
His heart had gone into atrial fibrillation, in which the top two chambers of his heart were pumping blood incorrectly.
In this nightmare of a reality, Lugene's mother, Lillian Armstrong, brought what any concerned mother would bring-her famous banana pudding. When Jeff started coming to later in the day, Armstrong gave him some of the dessert. He took a few bites, and his heart immediately began beating in rhythm.
"What my heart immediately recognized, it took my brain a little longer to figure out," Jeff said. "I reflected and later realized, what she brought wasn't just banana pudding, but her concern, attention and her love."
The doctor later revealed that if Lugene hadn't been there to wake Jeff up and if nobody took him to the hospital, he might not be alive.
"I should have a "beware" sign attached to me," Jeff said. "Because there are issues with this. I get (a) violent seizure every now and then. I scream. I've even broken my back because they are violent seizures. This is not a minor issue in my life. There are risks."
After deep contemplation, Jeff told Lugene that nobody should have to be concerned with or have to put up with someone in his condition.
"I gave her an out. I said look, if this is going to be too concerning, worrisome, or if this is going to be a burden for you, no questions asked, you can say goodbye and I'll be okay," Jeff said, his voice becoming rough. "I'll miss you and I love you, but I don't want to burden anybody."
Lugene wouldn't have any of that.
"She took me as come what may," he said, smiling. "She told me she loved me and she would always stand by me."
The two got married quickly for technical reasons on July 15. The Alice in Wonderland wedding served as a celebration, a way to "just have fun and be unique," according to Lugene.
"Last time I got married I had just a straight regular wedding," she said. "This time around I thought I would be fun. And I'm so happy. It's fate. God sent him. When God answers prayers, he answers prays."
Under a trellis lined with roses and baby's-breath, the couple exchanged rings and vowed to be with each other through life until death.
Jeff thanked the audience for taking time out of their day to show up and thanked people who impacted his life. He turned to Lugene, with tears welling up in his eyes and the most euphoric smile. "I am grateful for you," he said. "Not just because I owe you my life, which I do. You're inner beauty radiates to your outer beauty, and that's is what I have fallen in love with. I am so grateful for you."
The happy couple shared a passionate kiss, sealing their promise to love each other forever.
The two left the wedding on cloud nine, arm in arm as they headed to their 10-day Costa Rica honeymoon.