20 Jan Berkley & Zac | Birmingham Botanical Gardens & The Summit Club Wedding

I truly adore all the couples I get to work with every year, but I have to say, one of my favorites from 2013 would have to be Berkley and Zac. I had such fun every time we got together for planning sessions.

Keeping with true form for all of my 2013 outdoor weddings… yes, we had a weather issue. About 10 minutes prior to ceremony time, a single cell thunderstorm was quickly approaching. I couldn’t believe watching the radar on my phone how this one cell lined up perfectly to keep the gardens in its path. I had just enough time to evacuate all 150 already seated guests indoors before the bottom fell out. And then this one little cell that should have passed in a just a few of minutes, mushroomed, providing us with lots of standing water everywhere. After it passed, several of the guests helped out by toweling down the chairs but here’s where something else interesting came into play. Apparently when it rains really hard, ants don’t like to be down in the ground. We noticed several of the guests chairs were covered in the biting beasts seeking refuge from the gully washer we had just had. You have to love Mother Nature and learn to roll with what you are given. It was still a beautiful ceremony and I’m sure, one that everyone in attendance won’t soon forget!

One of the sweetest things that will always remain with me is how Zac loves and cares for Berkley. I know chivalry is still somewhat alive today, but if someone were to put a photo next the word in Webster’s Dictionary, it would be Zac’s face pictured there. After each meeting, I always witnessed him carefully helping Berkley into her car (or his passenger seat if he drove them) and wait for her to drive away from the parking lot first. It was obvious to me, Berkley is so precious to him.

On a side note, I have a bit of advice to send out about what not to do on your honeymoon. I ran into Zac a few months after their wedding. We briefly caught up and I asked about their trip. They spent a lovely week at a gorgeous Sandals resort in the Carribean. Zac said it was perfect except for one small incident. The first day there, Zac’s wedding ring slipped off his finger within minutes of going into the ocean. After searching for a long while, the ring was not to be found. Of course, they replaced the ring once they returned home, but he was still saddened by the loss. Moral of the story… it’s just a good idea to remove all jewelry before going into the water.

Many thanks to all the great vendors below for making Zac and Berkley’s day beautiful…
Photography ~ Jewels Photography
Videography ~ Ralph Shaw
Ceremony ~ Birmingham Botanical Gardens
Reception ~ The Summit Club
DJ ~ Fusion Entertainment
Florals ~ Joann Bunn & Carolyn Pate
Cakes ~ Wedding Cakes by Jan O’Donnell
Photobooth ~ Birmingham Photo Boot
Rentals ~ Special Events
Transportation ~ Legacy Limousine
Hair & Makeup ~ Brittney Shelton (Joyce’s)