
By Maggie Gove
Michael and Linda Adler have been creating memories together for more than 42 years, and now each year they help hundreds of brides and grooms make their own memories at The Barn at Shady Lane.
Running a wedding venue was not always the couple’s dream. It came along after years of serving and singing alongside one another. Michael has been serving at Shades Mountain Baptist Church as the worship pastor for 22 years, and Linda has been teaching voice lessons all the while.
Their vision to open a wedding venue came together over a series of years in which they were helping with marriage conferences.
Seeing great successes from these conferences sparked the thought in them, “Perhaps we could do this on our own property,” – a property they did not yet have and did not have the means to purchase.
Before finding their home at Shady Lane, Michael and Linda and their sons lived in Vestavia Hills for nearly 14 years. During their time in Vestavia, they sang and officiated at many weddings, which allowed them to see first-hand the inner workings of most of the area’s finest venues. Over the years, they gathered many ideas of ways they could bring their own venue to life if it were to become a reality someday.
Bringing the Dream to Life
Michael and Linda rely greatly on their Christian faith, and they believed owning and running a wedding venue was the right step for the next chapter of their life. Finding their land was not a quick and easy task; they spent four years searching for the right property on which to build.
In 2012, the couple leveraged their home in Vestavia to buy what they call an “8-acre slice of paradise” nestled between the Renaissance Ross Bridge Resort and Lakeshore Parkway. They named their new home and future venue location Shady Lane, inspired by the gorgeous Bradford Pear trees that line the driveway on the property.
In early 2014, it was finally time to start building. With the help of their team and Linda’s eye for design, the couple crafted gorgeous indoor and outdoor venues within the year.
“We also had the consistent guidance of our contractor, Myrick Gurosky and Associates, and landscape (architect), Don Jones. They went above and beyond to keep us in budget while helping to create such a magical space,” Michael said.
They spent the spring and summer hard at work and the venue was up and running in a matter of months. The Barn at Shady Lane’s first event was held Sept. 24, 2014, when Michael and Linda hosted their granddaughter’s first birthday party.
Having four sons, three daughters-in-law and a growing list of grandchildren, the couple could not think of a better way to open their venue.
“Three of (our boys) are married and have chosen such great wives that they are like the daughters we never had,” said Michael.
All of Michael and Linda’s boys supported their parents’ dreams to have their own wedding venue.
“They have watched us produce big events and large-scale productions all of their lives,” Michael said. The boys loved the property and the potential for something big for their parents, he said.
The two youngest sons and third daughter-in-law were invested in the first several years of Shady Lane. Michael said,
“It was actually a large percentage of their Birmingham-Southern and Samford University friend groups that became our initial workforce and helped us establish an immediate reputation for cleanliness, efficiency and a staff that works hard to make every event a win.”
Michael and Linda’s mission at Shady Lane is to be dedicated to creative excellence and stellar service, use their gifts and life experience to benefit those who come their way and cultivate a space where marriage is held in the highest esteem.
They also are dedicated to each other. The couple said they always have had a blast being together, sharing in their love for music and people, as they still do today.
The two met in Hollywood in the 1980s while singing on the Oral Roberts television show. They spent three years in and out of Hollywood filming weekly specials while they both studied to receive bachelor’s degrees in music education.
Today, Michael and Linda still serve at Shades Mountain Baptist Church and teach voice lessons while running The Barn at Shady Lane. Michael has picked up a new creative hobby in woodworking, and Linda loves getting to do “girl things” when she spends time with her daughters-in-law. They are grateful for their four sons and their families and their support over the years as they have brought this dream to life.
A Look at Shady Lane
The Barn at Shady Lane is a rustic, elegant venue that feels miles away from the hustle and bustle of city life. Its peaceful atmosphere suits any kind of wedding – from a small, intimate wedding to a large, extravagant one. Shady Lane seats up to 300 and is complete with an antique-furnished bride’s loft, cool rustic-modern groom’s cottage and stunning indoor and outdoor spaces.
While the word “barn” is in the title, that is about as country as it gets. There are no animals or hay bales at The Barn at Shady Lane.
“We do have one free-range chihuahua and a gorgeous ragdoll cat named Mr. Bingley,” Michael said.
There is always something exciting happening at Shady Lane. Michael and Linda are continually working to make improvements to their venues. A recent addition includes a shimmering fountain in the center of the pond that anchors the property at the Sunbelt Parkway entrance.
Their passion builds with every update they make. The couple’s youngest son, Brady, explained that his dad gets so excited with every improvement.
“We recently had a fountain installed… and he hasn’t stopped marveling over it since,” Brady said. Their love for people and dedication to serving to the best of their abilities are qualities that can be consistently found both behind the scenes as well as in the public eye.
Shady Lane brides have access to a preferred vendors list as well as tables, chairs and wood pews, along with lanterns to pillars, or even a wall of lights.
The Barn at Shady Lane has received the Couples Choice Award from Wedding Wire every year since 2016 and has been awarded Best of Birmingham by Birmingham Magazine in 2016, 2017 and 2018. Michael and Linda often have people tell them, “You two are living our dream!” to which Linda laughingly replies, “So, your dream is janitorial service?”
The couple loves running the venue, but it is a lot of work.
“The standards must stay high for every single event, and that takes work,” explained Michael. But he said it is all worth it in the end. Barely a week goes by without one looking at the other and saying, “Not everyone gets to do this.”