When one couple celebrated their vows in the Brevard Zoo in Florida earlier this year, they were relieved that they did not get a resounding criticism to their decision.
On the day of their wedding, newlyweds Tara and Tommy Beers were surprised by a few members of their family and friends, as captured in these breathtaking photographs.
Tara, who is in charge of event management at the zoo, made the decision to choose the venue’s brand-new lion enclosure as the location for her wedding ceremony.
One male lion wanted to take part in the festivities, and he did so by watching the event from behind a plate-glass wall, as shown in the beautiful wedding photographs taken by Nick and Lauren Photography.
“It was actually very awesome. My wife is an event coordinator at the zoo. They’d just finished that lion enclosure. It was a new area,” Tommy says. “We were the first ones to do it.”
The guests couldn’t take their eyes off the lions when it came time for the bride’s special moment!
“It was really cool because when she was walking down, everyone was supposed to look at the bride, no one was looking at the bride,” chuckles Tommy. “They were all looking at the lions because they were tracking her, and they are big kitty cats.”
But Tommy is adamant: “I was looking at the bride. It was very distracting, though”.
The groom, however, is certain that his bride was not insulted by the fact that Tara’s wedding moment was stolen by the enormous cats.
“She absolutely, absolutely loved it. That was one of the reasons why she wanted to do it down there so we could try to see if some of the lions would be in some of the photos,” he stated. “It worked out better than either of us ever could have imagined.”
Tara wrote in a statement about her wedding day, “We’re so grateful to the wonderful events team at Brevard Zoo for creating such an elegant and intimate atmosphere for our wedding. The unexpected roar of approval from the lions during our vows, captured so beautifully by Nick and Lauren Photography, added an element of wild wonder to our special day. We couldn’t have asked for a more perfect setting to join hands.”
In addition, Tara told that the lion in the pictures was Ruaha, one of the three lion brothers in the enclosure.
“It was absolutely a dream. We didn’t know how they were going to react,” Tara stated. “We found out very quickly that they love wedding dresses. And they love anything with a train or sparkles or moving fabric, just like kitty cats.”
At a crucial point in the ceremony, the lion squats on his hind legs and places his front paws on the glass in a number of pictures.
“When it was asked if anyone objects, that’s when he put his paws up,” photographer Lauren Laveria of Nick and Lauren Photography stated. “Everyone was laughing. We felt like we were in a Snow White moment, but at the zoo.”
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“The lions were out and about when the ceremony started, lying down enjoying their area,” Laveria stated. “As soon as she started walking down the aisle, they started coming over.”
In response to the question of whether they have seen the lion since getting married, Tommy said, “We say hi to him every day when we’re at the zoo.”
Following Lauren’s public sharing of ceremony images, the Jan. 19 wedding has garnered renewed attention on the internet. Beyond the widely shared pictures, Tara and Tommy’s romance was significantly influenced by the zoo.
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Tommy was taking his children to the zoo when the pair first met, less than a year before their wedding. On their special day, the couple also posed with goats and kangaroos in addition to the lions.
About an hour’s drive from Orlando is where you’ll find the Brevard Zoo in Brevard County, Florida. Weddings, seminars, corporate retreats, and other events are held there.
