This Wedding Made History at Birmingham’s Linn-Henley Library
The first-ever wedding at this beautiful Birmingham library was a celebration featuring breathtaking murals, vintage wedding gowns (plural!), and even a special surprise guest appearance. Image: Alyssa Rose Photography
Some love stories begin in libraries. This love story made history in one!
On freshman move-in day at Birmingham-Southern College, Ally Brinson met Jacob Woodard. For the next four years, they were inseparable friends, which carried them through college life at the now-closed Birmingham institution. But it wasn’t until just shy of graduation that their relationship shifted into something more.
With Jacob preparing to move to Virginia for a new job, and Ally planning to stay in Birmingham for law school, the timing could have pulled them in different directions. Instead, Jacob asked Ally to be his girlfriend, sparking a much bigger love story that led to one stunning library wedding.
Before Jacob moved to Virginia, the newly official couple spent one of their final Birmingham evenings sharing ice cream at a scenic overlook of the city. That night, Ally made Jacob promise he’d return to the Magic City once his work contract ended. Three years later, Jacob brought her back to the very same spot — this time to propose.
Diving into the planning process, Ally began securing the details. She knew she wanted to have her wedding at the Linn-Henley Research Library Downtown. “I studied history, philosophy, and law at BSC, and the Linn-Henley Research Library holds the Southern History Archives,” Ally tells us. “From the first time I walked through those doors years ago, I immediately fell in love.”
Ally wasn’t even sure the library hosted weddings. As it turned out, it didn’t — until theirs. Luckily, both the couple and the library were up for the task.
As fate would have it, the love story that began at the former Birmingham-Southern became one of the last to start there — and the first to be celebrated inside one of Birmingham’s most beautiful institutions.
When they set the date for February 14, 2026, Ally knew she had to lean into the Valentine’s Day theme. “Valentine’s Day has always been my favorite holiday, so a pink and red color palette was an obvious choice,” she says. Never one to shy away from a creative project, Ally had tons of ideas for how she wanted to make the day special. But knew she would need some help to make it happen.
With that in mind, she enlisted Engaged Wedding Library, a Homewood-based wedding planning service. They provided the perfect balance of guidance and coordination to help Ally bring her vision to life.
“Because the library has those fantastic, colorful murals, I did not want to choose shades of pink and red or any florals that competed with how beautiful the library already is,” Ally explains. She reached out to florist Michelle Wright to design the arrangements. “She completely understood my vision of complementing the library’s beauty instead of competing, [with it]” Ally says.
Ally knew the library was the venue from the start, but finding a wedding dress was another story entirely. Then, in February 2025, her beloved grandmother Vivian passed away. A former owner of a designer consignment store in Five Points, Vivian was, as Ally puts it, “the most fabulous person in every way.”
Years earlier, while planning her own wedding, Vivian had fallen in love with a brand-new gown a customer brought into the shop on consignment. She wore it for her own wedding, then later passed it down to Ally.
Ally was also offered her mother-in-law’s wedding dress, and wanted to use them both. So, she took the dresses to NiEl Bridal Atelier to see what could be done with them. Ally wound up wearing her grandmother’s gown for the ceremony, and NiEl created a beautiful reception dress from her mother-in-law’s gown.
“I’m so grateful that they managed to keep the integrity of both dresses and honor two amazing women by giving both dresses their moments to shine!” Ally shares.
Ally didn’t shy away from adding personal touches wherever she could. “Once I landed on a color scheme, I created a wedding branding kit,” she explains. “I wanted to create a logo that we could continue to use for future home decor.” At the wedding, the logo appeared on cups, napkins, matchbooks, and even custom soap dispensers and embossed towels in the restrooms.
Ally also taught herself how to letterpress and emboss stationery to create a custom invitation suite. She incorporated the library’s murals into a toile print for the rehearsal dinner placemats and designed Valentine’s Day koozies featuring their pets, Bo and Onion.
Ally tells us that she spent quite a bit of time collecting decor pieces from estate sales and antique markets. She sourced two large pedestals to serve as floral vessels at the head of the aisle, and she also found a wooden library card catalogue, which she used as a guest book. “I purchased some library cards and asked guests to leave notes, advice, or book recommendations to store in our card catalogue,” she shares.
Sourcing enough chairs for the ceremony proved a bit challenging, but Decor to Adore saved the day. “I wanted to mix half Chivari rental chairs with the original chairs used in the library. They helped me determine the best option that felt cohesive,” Ally says.
With Jacob’s cousin, Evan, officiating, the couple personalized traditional vows, which they shared under the library’s grand murals, surrounded by loved ones and books.
At the reception, a relaxed, Italian buffet-style dinner was served, catered by Savoie Catering. Options included a large antipasto selection, salad bar, several pasta options, and a variety of flatbread pizzas.
As the reception picked up, a special appearance surprised Ally and Jacob — Birmingham-Southern’s own Rowdy Panther mascot. “Jacob’s dad, Mike, arranged the surprise appearance,” Ally says. “We had absolutely no idea! Jacob and I are both so grateful for our time at Birmingham-Southern. It not only brought us together, but it also gave us our best friends and shaped us into the people we are today.”
The happy couple’s last dance served as a send-off into their happily ever after, as they danced to “Man I Need” by Olivia Dean.
For Ally, staying true to herself, her experience, and her vision for her big day made all the difference. For brides in the midst of planning their own fairytale wedding, Ally offers this advice: “Check in with yourself throughout the day. Ask yourself how you are feeling and if you need anything. Your wedding day should be the happiest day of your life, but it is so easy to let the emotions of others shadow your own. It is impossible to make everyone happy, and you should never feel guilty for enjoying your day! Be intentional about the aspects that matter to you because those are the things that you will treasure long after the day is over.”
RESOURCES
- Venue: Linn-Henley Research Library
- Wedding Coordinator: Engaged Wedding Library
- Photographer: Alyssa Rose Photography
- Bridal Gown Alterations: NiEl Bridal Atelier
- Bridesmaids’ Dresses: Alfred Sung from Bella Bridesmaids
- Hair & Makeup: Melissa Bogardus
- Flowers: Michelle Wright
- Catering: Savoie Catering
- Entertainment: Emerald Empire Band
- Cake: Mere’s Bakes
- Chairs, Linens, Draping: Decor to Adore
- Tanning Artist: The Salty Spray
STYLEBLUEPRINT RESOURCES:
Planning a wedding? Check out StyleBlueprint’s two Wedding Resource Guides. (More to come!):
- StyleBlueprint Nashville’s Wedding Resource Guide
- StyleBlueprint Birmingham’s Wedding Resource Guide
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Katie Leigh Matthews
A Birmingham native, Katie is a lifelong waterfall chaser and is passionate about the outdoors. She also loves connecting with remarkable women in the Birmingham community and bringing their stories to life. Katie has been writing professionally for over six years; you can find more of her work at Moms.com and Islands.com.