It鈥檚 rare that an elementary school teacher is invited to a former student鈥檚 wedding.

But in a little village in southern Italy on May 12, retired teacher Nina Fowell was there with tears in her eyes to see Drew Scott and his long-time girlfriend, Linda Phan, tie the knot.

Drew and his twin brother Jonathan are best known for the Canadian television series Property Brothers, on which they help couples find fixer-uppers and transform them into dream homes. Most recently, Drew was featured on Dancing With The Stars.

The ceremony took place in Piazza del Borgo, between Bari and Brindisi in Puglia, along the coast of the Adriatic Sea. Guests stayed at the Borgo Egnazia. The wedding was featured in People magazine.

Fowell taught the Maple Ridge brothers, including their older brother JD, in her Grade 6/7 class at Yennadon elementary.

鈥淎 connection with a Grade 7 teacher is very special,鈥� Fowell said.

鈥淭he reason I like teaching that grade is because there is so much going on in their lives at that age. Their bodies are changing, their school is changing, who they are is at a point of growth,鈥� she explained, adding at that stage, the twins were hard to tell apart.

All three of them, she said, were creative.

They came up with their own company, called JAM, which stood for Jon, Andrew and mom, and they were always entrepreneurial.

When they left elementary school, the brothers went to Maple Ridge secondary before Thomas Haney secondary.

鈥淲hen they hit high school, they really became their own guys,鈥� said Fowell.

鈥淒rew was into basketball, he wanted to teach basketball in high school, and Jon became Jonathan Silver, the illusionist, and wore black and the bling,鈥� Fowell added.

But during that time they never forgot their favourite teacher.

When Fowell retired, they sent her a video congratulating her. She still has it on her phone, and she played it for the guests during the wedding reception.

鈥淏ecause they said they weren鈥檛 going to kiss with the glass banging, you had to talk about some embarrassing moment and so this was mine. It was a visual,鈥� she said.

It starts off with JD saying: 鈥淵ou taught Jon, Drew and I so much over the years. Me, personally, you were the first teacher I ever connected with.

Then Jonathan pipes in with: 鈥淔or me, you were an inspiration. You just taught me never to give up and always follow my dreams鈥�.

Suddenly, Drew steps into the frame, wearing a black wig, bright pink blush on his cheeks in a bikini top, skirt and headband, saying, 鈥楢nd you were a real inspiration for me too Nina. An inspiration in ways words don鈥檛 describe.鈥�

鈥淭he sound wasn鈥檛 great at the wedding when they showed it, but Jon said afterwards: 鈥楴ow there鈥檚 a picture that will be stuck in your mind forever.鈥欌��

Fowell took her friend Brenda Jenkins to the wedding as a guest. It took three flights to get there and three to get back.

The wedding celebration was a week of events, starting with bachelor and bachelorette parties, a welcoming dinner, the wedding and, finally, a Mother鈥檚 Day tea.

Fowell remembers the food.

鈥淔or every four people, they would bring you four of something,鈥� Fowell said of the karaoke-style bachelorette party.

鈥淎nd they would just keep coming and coming and coming.鈥�

At the welcoming dinner, there were booths with meats, cheeses, salads and deserts.

Just before the meal, Drew and Linda thanked their 300 guests for coming. Drew specifically mentioned Fowell and his former basketball coach from Thomas Haney, Mike Shannon, who was also present, and Linda mentioned some of her high school friends.

鈥淚 thought, 鈥極h my God, I got a mention,鈥欌�� said Fowell.

The wedding had a traditional menu, but Fowell says, it was extensive and you got served everything.

The Mother鈥檚 Day tea was an outdoor barbecue. The wedding took place in what appeared to be an 800-year-old building, although Fowell said she was surprised to learn it was only eight.

鈥淚t was beautiful and everybody cried, including Linda and Drew. Her dress was gorgeous,鈥� said Fowell.

Linda鈥檚 dress was designed by Claire Pettibone and was described in People as having a cathedral-length train with intricate, hand-beaded floral details on the bodice and sleeves and an open back draped in jewels.

Drew wore a Claymore Imports kilt made from Scott tartan in their family鈥檚 signature pattern.

鈥淵ou have to be a Scott to wear a Scott tartan,鈥� Drew told People magazine.

The first dance started out as a waltz and morphed into a masterpiece choreographed by Drew鈥檚 Dancing With The Stars pro-partner Emma Slater and her husband, Sasha Farber.

The wedding cake will be featured on the June 25 episode of Cake Hunters on the Food Network. It featured vanilla with goat cheese and strawberry balsamic, organic red velvet, carrot and chocolate hazelnut with a butter-cream frosting.

Instead of gifts, the newlyweds asked guests to donate to WE Charity, formerly known as Free The Children, founded by Marc and Craig Kielburger, to provide people in need access to clean water and help build schools for communities in Asia, Africa and Latin America.

Fowell, though, decided she still wanted to give them something personal that spoke more to their relationship.

鈥淢y in-laws homesteaded a farm in Brandon, Manitoba back in the late 1800s early 1900s. They actually walked out from Toronto with their oxen and everything,鈥� explained Fowell.

On their property, they had a one room schoolhouse for the children.

Fowell鈥檚 gift was the bell that the teacher used to ring to call in the children.

鈥淲ell, I was their teacher and I thought that was appropriate,鈥� said Fowell.

鈥淭hey have a huge family and I thought it would make a great dinner bell.鈥�