How They Met

During one of Anna Claire's visits to Birmingham in the spring of 2022 to see her brother, Drew, while completing her graduate program at the University of Mississippi, she was introduced to Zach during Life Groups at Dawson Memorial Baptist Church. Over the next few months, Anna Claire moved to Birmingham and joined the same Life Group class she had attended during her earlier visits.

As she continued attending Dawson, Anna Claire grew close to her brother's circle of friends—which included Zach. She always found herself intrigued by him and often wondered, "He's so handsome, kind, and grounded—why hasn’t he dated any of the sweet girls in his Life Group?" What she didn’t know was that Zach had made a personal decision not to date anyone from church or within the Life Group. (God clearly had other plans!)

Anna Claire and Zach stayed in touch throughout basketball season, church events, and casual gatherings. As time went on, Zach’s friends—especially Pierce Lagle and Reed Pace—began to question him about his dating life and what he thought of Drew’s sister. With Drew's wedding coming up in the spring of 2024, they encouraged Zach to talk to Anna Claire at the reception.

On the day of the wedding, Zach quickly found Anna Claire at the reception and chatted with her for a few minutes before she was whisked away by family for a photo. Not missing their chance, Pierce and Reed nudged Zach onto the dance floor and told him in no uncertain terms that it was time to "shoot his shot." Anna Claire likes to say that Zach saw her dance moves and that’s when he fell head over heels!

Anna Claire loved dancing with Zach but thought little of it at the time, as they had become such good friends. The next day, Zach messaged her on Instagram:

"Hey! I didn't get a chance to say goodbye last night before I left. I had a blast seeing and dancing with you!"

They continued chatting over the next few days, and then Zach gave Anna Claire his phone number and asked her out on a date to Back Forty to watch the March Madness Final Four. That first date lasted six hours—it felt like they had known each other forever.

From that point on, they saw each other nearly every day and spent every weekend together. After a few months of dating, meeting each other’s families, and taking trips across the country, Anna Claire and Zach knew they had found their forever person. They both felt a deep, God-given peace and clarity about their relationship.

What a blessing! Praise God for bringing them together!

A&Z