Man’s best groomsman! Baltimore Ravens player Jeremy Zuttah intended to get married at City Hall last month when a ban on dogs prompted the athlete to change his wedding venue — on the spot.
Zuttah and his fiancee, Heran Haile, were all set to marry on June 11, at Baltimore’s City Hall, when their plans came to a complete standstill. One of Zuttah’s groomsmen, his beloved pit bull Ace, was prevented from entering the premises of the building. The sweet four-legged groomsman wasn’t allowed in City Hall per the government building’s no dogs rule. The couple agreed that if Ace wasn’t allowed, the wedding would not proceed without the canine.
The pair scouted additional locations where they could marry instead, and settled on the Under Armour Performance Center gym, which was beautifully converted into a wedding venue.
Ace wore a black puppy tuxedo with a white collar and black bow tie, and was escorted by Zuttah’s brother. The Ravens center followed his pit bull down the aisle to the tune of “All of Me” by John Legend.
“He wasn’t the best man because he can’t speak,” Zuttah’s bride joked on the Ravens’ official website. “You have to do a speech at the reception.”
Joking that Ace was her “ideal wedding date,” Haile offered thanks to Downtown Dog Resort, “for making sure Ace was ready for our wedding” on an Instagram photo herself sitting next to her pup in her gorgeous sleeveless wedding dress. “I think he was the main attraction!” she added along with hashtags “#pitbullsofinstagram #dogsinweddings #groomsdog #jerlovesher.”
“He’s awesome,” Haile said of her prized pit bull pup. “I just could not imagine getting married without him. He’s with us every day everywhere we go. I thought everyone was crazy about their dog like I am.”
Zuttah and his bride Haile met at Rutgers College and though they’ve made a home in Hoboken New Jersey, they chose to marry in Baltimore to shine a positive light on the Ravens’ city.
“We decided to get married in Baltimore because it’s been the headlines recently for not great things, which we think is a shame because the city is beautiful and the people are beautiful,” the bride said. “This is a great city that people should not knock down.”
In addition to having the wedding witnessed by the couple’s four-legged groomsman, several of Zuttah’s football teammates also attended the wedding, including quarterback Joe Flacco, Marshal Yanda, Steve Smith, Justin Tucker, Justin Forsett and Lardarius Webb.
