When Ravens center Jeremy Zuttah, 30, and his then-girlfriend, Heran Haile, 27, woke up one morning and spontaneously decided it was time to get married, they made the trip to City Hall with their pit bull, Ace. But their plan quickly unraveled.

“When we got there, they wouldn't allow Ace in the building,” said Haile. “So we said, ‘OK, fine: We'll go home and do it the proper way.' ”

After their sort-of-elopement fell through, Zuttah decided to formally propose on a surprise trip to St. Barts in the Caribbean. When the couple returned to Baltimore and started to plan their nuptials, they made it clear to everyone — including their event planner, Union3 — that Ace would have to be a part of the wedding.

Although some people thought they were joking at first, as Haile made plans to recruit a dog trainer for Ace's walk down the aisle and arrange a dog tuxedo, it became apparent to everyone that this was serious.

The couple's wedding ceremony took place in June at 10 Light Street in downtown Baltimore, and guests came from as far away as Ethiopia. Ace rose to the occasion and was the perfect groomsman, even though some of the finer details of wedding ceremony protocol escaped him.

“Right before me and my mom walked out, he didn't realize I would be going without him. He tried to walk with me and my mom,” said Zuttah.

And as the couple walked down the aisle after the ceremony, Ace tried to leave with his owners.

While the guests partied at the reception, Ace was rewarded for his work with some much-deserved rest at the Downtown Dog Resort in Baltimore.

The couple — who attended the same high school in New Jersey but didn't meet until they were students at Rutgers University — said they love Ace so much, they couldn't imagine their wedding being held any other way.

“At this point, he's definitely part of our family. We think of him how other people think of their kids,” said Zuttah. “I've had him for eight years, and he's been with me the whole time.”

Haile said she was initially a bit wary of pit bulls, but fell in love with Ace and became his advocate. “I think Ace has really changed my life in so many ways.”