Wedding Party
Casandra Chatman
Maid of Honor
So many stories but I will share this one it's so funny how connected I am to you that we frequently show up dressing alike hairstyles alike unplanned all the damn time let's go back to 1988 High School prom.. as we excitedly described our dresses to each other and not even seeing the dresses we swore we had picked up the same knee length white dress I think that's probably where it started and it has been crazy every since ...showing up with the same pull back hairstyles at events ...if you look at these pictures even the zipline photo which is a whole another story in itself, we're wearing the same round Rim glasses ..showed up with ripped jeans and Converses who told you to show up looking like me and dressing like me?? showed up at the brunch with your hair pulled up in a bun and mine was braided in a bun we crashed the 80s party and unbeknownst to us picked up the same damn shirt for'80s party. There are so many countless episodes of us showing up wearing similar clothes in some cases the same damn clothes. unplanned either it's the colors it's the pattern it's the style something it's absolutely crazy so maybe now that you've gotten so connected with your husband and y'all like dressing alike that perhaps you'll stop showing up with my damn outfits on!!!🤣🤣🤣 Love you!!
Greg Washington
Best Man
Now.. The funny story.. time frame was early 90's.. "Whats the 411" by Mary J was on replay.. we were in the prime time of life.. Graduation from high school done and now high hopes/dreams ahead.. We all came together in Ft. Gordon Ga.. that group i mentioned earlier. One day we got assigned to KP duty..basically, working in the dining facility all day. Had to be a Friday because somebody came up with the bright idea to "confiscate" about 100 1bs of frozen meat from uncle sam.. We triple bagged it & put it out back in the dumpster.. After the day was over, we pulled the car up to the dumpster & made a clean escape.. One of the guys had an apartment off post ...the cookout was fire 🔥. Nothing like free food, good music & making lifetime memories. I still have a picture of Brooks in his cross colors outfit on that day.. 😱 i would share that one but I will keep it for a later date..
Karla Harper
Bridesmaid
We met in 2006, Pine Bluff, Arkansas. Brief funny story: Our teenage daughters decided that they were going to sneak out and go to a party. Let's just say by the time we (No Phillipia) was done with them, mine included, sneaking out didn't cross their mind again.
ADRIAN DIXON
Groomsman
Avoid going on a road trip with Kojak unless you have an iron bladder or a jumbo-sized cup or bottle—he’s only stopping for gas, even on a 14-hour drive.
LAKESHIA GARRETT
Bridesmaid
Neka is my first cousin and my oldest cousin. Our moms are sisters, but we didn’t actually meet until 2019 – hard to believe, right? We planned a family meet-and-greet, and she drove to Georgia with two of her kids. When she knocked on my sister’s door, we opened it and hugged each other like we’d known each other forever. We spent a weekend filled with family, food, drinks, and, most importantly, making new memories together. I’m so grateful we finally connected. Love you, big cuz, and congratulations on your wedding! #BecomingTheBrooks
ANTHONY THOMPSON
Groomsman
I was Kojak’s personal stylist for 7 years. He wore clothes every chance he got. If I didn’t give them to him, he stole them from 85 until 92.
LILLIAM MURRAY
Bridesmaid
We was raise up together she showed and taught me a lot of things she always tell me to step outside of the box as a big cousin/sister. I look up to her I’m so very happy to be chosen as one of her bridesmaids, I’m so happy for you sis. Congratulations and I love you.
CASEY BROOKS
Groomsman
Where do I start? I don’t know if I should tell you all about how he used to fake leg injuries and use me as his chauffeur to drive his ass from Tampa to Augusta, Baltimore and back or how funny it used to be watching him get whoopins, wearing those banana hammock drawers! But all I know is, he looked like he was doing the Peewee Herman dance every time he tried to block the belt… How about this! I’ll tell you how he got those burns on his forearms instead. When we were children, Kojak used to cook dinner for us, his little brothers, when moms was “outside”. So, on this particular day, I guess he thought he was gonna get fancy with the French fries but it didn’t go quite how envisioned it would . Now, you know how people flip pancakes and eggs with a flick of the wrist and up in the air they go? Well, he tried that shit with grease in the pan {the aftermath is omitted} … Needless to say, we didn’t get no fries that day and I was hungry too! Now before you get all sensitive about what was actually happening in that situation; a 9 or 10 year old lil boy getting burned while trying to cook for his siblings. Laugh at his ass ‘cause he’s alright now ..
SHARRI GRAHAM
Bridesmaid
So once we visited y’all in ATL and yall took us to a club and shared our first gummies. We were high as hell. CJ got us home somehow I really don’t remember. But I do remember him having to climb in the kitchen window to let us in because no one had keys. And y’all entered the garage code incorrectly so many times that it wouldn’t open.
CJ ATKINS
Groomsman
I would like to introduce how I met my big brother and later, my other brothers. I was 11 years old and already been thru a hell of a life. Was just finally removing my guards of abandonment and betrayal by those meant to care for me. I was living with my grandparents and getting ready for a little league all star game practice when there was a knock at the door and the ring of the doorbell. Normally I would kind of interview those that I didn’t kno that would come to visit my grandparents house just out of pure protection. But in this case, this guy had a real genuine glow about him, so I opened the door and looked at him. He asked for my granny. I proceeded to push the door open and welcome him in. Now what he doesn’t know is that I went and got my bat and sat in the little play room and just waited to hear something off so I could run him up outta there. Instead, he asked me to join them in the kitchen where he was speaking with my grandparents and asked me if I liked my first name. I thought it was a trick question so I said “yeah I guess”. Knowing that I deeply hated being a young man named Clarence. He then retrieved his wallet and showed me drivers license. His name is Clarence Brooks. He then said “I hate that name Clarence” and we both kinda laughed because he knew I hated it too. He then said I’m your big brother’s big brother! Thanks Big Bro and I love you Kidd!
TABITHA REID
Bridesmaid
We’ve shared a lot of great moments together, but the funniest one that stands out to me happened at Essence Fest. You and I had bought shots for our girls' group, and because there were so many, the bartender placed them all on a tray. After taking the shots, we were returning the tray to the bar. As we were walking by, this older woman casually set her plate of chicken bones down on the tray and kept talking to her group of friends, as if we were waitresses! We both stopped in our tracks, looked at each other, and burst out laughing at the audacity of it. And of course, it was all caught on camera! It was absolutely hilarious, and every time it pops up in my photo memories, I can’t help but laugh all over again.
JEROME DAVIS
Groomsman
My story involves CJ and Phillipia... We went to Philadelphia for the bucs vs eagles game and every time me and CJ go on a trip we always go to the hood in the town we visiting. So we decided we wanted to go to Rocky Balboa's apartment. Me and Cj was gonna take a picture on the porch. But that shit changed as we got closer to the destination. As we got in the neighborhood, we saw junkies of all sorts doing every drug invented and the police and ambulance just rode by them like they didn't see them. But anyway as we got to the destination nation I looked at CJ and he looked back at me he said he'll naw I'm not getting out. Lol I looked in the back seat at Phillipia, she had her hand on the door lock and the window up button. I got out of there so fast and said I see why Rocky moved.
TANYA TAYLOR
Bridesmaid
Here is her story. Meeting my cousin Neka for the first time in 2019 was such a memorable experience. Since then, getting to know her has been truly wonderful. Spending time with her has not only deepened our bond but also created so many cherished memories. One of my fondest moments was during a visit when her grandson, Parker, made us all laugh with his determined effort not to “break the rules.” I’m also incredibly excited to be a part of her upcoming wedding and celebrate this special chapter in her life. #becomingtheBrooks
Kevin Brooks
Groomsman
Life didn’t give us much of a childhood. With our father passing away when we were very young and our mother facing challenges that deeply affected her, my siblings and I had to grow up much sooner than most. We didn’t have much, but what we did have was each other—and luckily Kojak as our older brother, who eventually became our guide, our protector, and our teacher in the art of survival. Some memories stand out more vividly than others. I remember the nights we’d survive on one meal a day. On especially tough days, my brother would scrounge together just enough money for a single hamburger from Troy’s, and we’d split it four ways. It wasn’t much, but he made it feel like a feast. “It’s not about how much we have,” he’d say. “It’s about making it work.” Then there was the time he taught me how to sell candy at school. We were in survival mode, and every little bit of income counted. He walked me through the basics of running a hustle: how to buy candy in bulk, price it just right, and keep track of profits. But the real lesson came when he warned me, “Don’t eat all the profit, no matter how hungry you are.” Looking back, those moments weren’t just about splitting burgers or selling candy. They were about learning to navigate life’s harshest realities with ingenuity and grit. My brother didn’t just teach us how to survive—he taught us how to think, how to strategize, and how to make something out of nothing.
Pastor Maurice R. Allen
Officiant