Flower girl and ring bearer at 2001 wedding walk down same aisle as bride and groom

After serving as flower girl and ring bearer at the wedding of friends of their parents 17 years ago, a US couple last month walked down the exact same aisle - this time, as bride and groom.

However, the newlyweds are quick to point out that they did not have a fairy tale childhood romance.

The pair met in church as primary school students, before serving in the 2001 wedding.

"I had a crush on him from the start," Brooke Franklin told ABC News.

"He absolutely could not stand me. He said I got on his nerves. I'd try to play with him at school and at church and he just didn't want much to do with me at all," she said.

Luckily, Mrs Franklin's now-husband Adrian had a change of heart in high school and asked her to be his girlfriend.

"Every time our paths would go separate ways, we'd reconnect," Mr Franklin said.

Among the more than 300 guests at their wedding was the bride from the 2001 nuptials.

"We forgot we were in the wedding together and she brought the photos to us," Mrs Franklin said.

The couple married on September 19 at South Gastonia Church of God, the same church as the 2001 ceremony.

According to ABC News, the couple have pictures from both wedding ceremonies on display in their North Carolina home.