Vestavia Hills Magazine Spring 2022

PATRICIA IRENE’S MACARONS • TOUR THE GRACE GALLERY’S ARTWORK • ON TYBEE ISLAND TIME

2022

WEDDINGS EIGHT REAL WEDDINGS A LUNCH FOR YOUR LADIES SHOWER GRAZING TABLE STYLING

SPRING 2022 VestaviaHillsMagazine.com Volume Six | Issue One $4.95

VestaviaHillsMagazine.com 1

2 Spring 2022

VestaviaHillsMagazine.com 1

FEATURES 64

BROOKE & REED 66

KATIE & HARDIE 68

KATHLEEN & BENNETT 70

MEREDITH & LUKE 74

KATIE & MICHAEL 76

78

CAROLINE & SWEDE 80

MADISON & COLE 2 Spring 2022

PHOTO BY HEATHER DURHAM PHOTOGRAPHY

ELLIE & FORD

64

23

PHOTO BY MARY FEHR

arts & culture

13 An Artistic Glow at The Grace Gallery 22 Read This Book: Changing Minds & Changing Seasons

food

& drink

23 Pinks ‘n Sweets: Patricia Irene’s Macarons 31 Area Dining Guide: A Special Advertising Section 34 Five Questions For: Chopt Creative Salad Co.

in every issue 4 Contributors 7 From the Editor 8 The Question 9 The Guide 82 Out & About 86 Marketplace 88 My Vestavia Hills

travel 35 Hit the Road: On Tybee Time

weddings 43 Forever on Your Side: A Ladies Lunch Before the Big Day 49 Destination Style: Intricate Wedding Dress Designs 56 How to Style a Shower Grazing Table: Inspiration for Celebrations 61 A Guide to Selecting Just the Right Wedding Tie 62 Pandemic-Era Trends That Are Here to Stay

VestaviaHillsMagazine.com 3

contributors EDITORIAL

Alec Etheredge Meg Herndon Michelle Love Madoline Markham Keith McCoy Emily Sparacino

CONTRIBUTORS

James Culver Lindsey Culver Mary Fehr Christiana Roussel Elizabeth Sturgeon Arden Ward Upton

DESIGN

Jamie Dawkins Connor Martin-Lively Kimberly Myers Briana Sansom

James Culver, Photographer

James lives in the Birmingham area with his wife, Rachel, a native of Homewood, and their three children, Callie, James III and John Michael.

James is a graduate of Auburn University and spent years in Atlanta working as a graphic designer, creative director and photographer. He specializes in event, real estate and portrait photography, and he can be found on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook at @jculvercreative and at jculver.com.

Lindsey Culver, Photographer

Originally from the Midwest, Lindsey is a photographer who lives in Homewood with her husband, Chris, and two mischievous children, Smith and Roland (along with their dachshund puppy, Sweeney Todd).

When not working as a baby and child photographer, she can be found with her hands in the dirt of her flower and vegetable garden, with a cup of coffee in hand around the clock, hosting hot tub parties for her friends and attending every local musical theater performance.

MARKETING

Octavia Campbell Evann Campbell Jessica Caudill Kari George Michaela Hancock Rachel Henderson Rhett McCreight Tori Montjoy Viridiana Romero

Mary Fehr, Photographer

Mary is a wedding and portrait photographer based out of Birmingham.

She studied art and art history at University of Montevallo. She likes to teach and plans on getting her MFA in order to do so. Mary also loves to travel and has a goal of photographing a wedding in every state! She enjoys reading non-fiction, going to concerts and spending time with her family.

ADMINISTRATION Hailey Dolbare Mary Jo Eskridge Daniel Holmes Stacey Meadows Tim Prince Brittany Schofield Savana Tarwater Anna Willis

Christiana Roussel, Writer

Where should we have dinner? Where should we go on our next family vacation or couple’s getaway? What kind of shotgun should I buy? These are all queries writer Christiana Roussel has answered in recent months.

While food writing is her original passion, she has really enjoyed expanding her repertoire to include travel and sporting activities that might involve an upland adventure. And no, it is not just because there might be a need for new clothes for the expedition.

Vestavia Hills Magazine is published quarterly by Shelby County Newspapers Inc., P.O. Box 947, Columbiana, AL 35051. Vestavia Hills Magazine is a registered trademark. All contents herein are the sole property of Shelby County Newspapers Inc. [the Publisher]. No part of this periodical may be reproduced without written permission from the Publisher. Please address all correspondence (including but not limited to letters, story ideas and requests to reprint materials) to: Editor, Vestavia Hills Magazine, P.O. Box 947, Columbiana, AL 35051.

Vestavia Hills Magazine is mailed to select households throughout Vestavia Hills, and a limited number of free copies are available at local businesses. Please visit VestaviaHillsMagazine.com for a list of those locations. Subscriptions are available at a rate of $14.95 plus tax for one year by visiting VestaviaHillsMagazine.com or calling (205) 669-3131, ext. 532.

Advertising inquiries may be made by emailing advertise@vestaviahillsmagazine.com, or by calling (205) 669-3131, ext. 536.

4 Spring 2022

VestaviaHillsMagazine.com 5

6 Spring 2022

from the editor

A

ON THE COVER

Ellie & Ford

Ellie Rembert and Ford Brown were taking photos on Vestavia Drive one day when Ford got down on one knee and proposed.

The couple married Jan. 30, 2021, and took photos at Old Overton Club.

Photo by Anna Godwin Design by Kimberly Myers

As a preschooler I’d hide behind my mom’s legs when I met new people—I was that shy. But not at my Aunt Betsy’s wedding. Somehow putting on a lacy peach dress and getting a basket of flowers to take down the aisle unleashed a different child on the dance floor—one who cried during the bride and groom’s first dance because she had to step away from the floor. Turn on music or, better yet, a live band, and a child can dance for hours on end without a care in the world like I did that July evening with my cousin Andrea.

Fast forward 31 years and one worldwide pandemic later, and once again I found myself at family wedding—a reception for a couple we had watched wed on Zoom a year before. It was the first large indoor gathering I’d been to in well over a year, and I entered the scene freshly vaccinated and apprehensive about all the people—almost like my childhood shyness. But before long, I found myself on the dance floor, once again with my cousin Andrea. Quickly, we tuned out all thoughts of the virus that had changed our world and danced the night away without abandon. It was freedom-filled bliss.

To me, that is one of the best markers of a wedding—to be so in the moment, so focused on celebrating two people becoming one that all the sorrows and fears of the world around us fade for a brief while for feasting, dancing, merriment and perhaps a few tears of joy.

That’s also part of why putting together this annual wedding issue is my favorite part of my work year as I get a taste of those blissful celebratory moments for couples and their guests. Each comes with a unique story, many of them this year either during or coming out of the height of pandemic times. And now I get an extra layer of editorial joy to get to share them with all of you.

In addition to our features on Vestavia Hills brides and grooms, you’ll also find inspiration images from a bridesmaids’ luncheon and a shower grazing table, as well as wedding dresses by independent designers that I can’t stop staring at, a guide to selecting just the right wedding tie and a few pandemic-era wedding trends that are here to stay.

Plus, before you get to all the wedding section goodness, we introduce you to the artwork of Shannon Harris and her Cahaba Heights gallery, The Grace Gallery, and invite you to take a taste of Patricia Irene’s macarons made by Kathryn Yarbrough.

Cheers to all the marriages this issue celebrates, and here’s to hoping your 2022 is marked by moments where you too can pause all thought of the hard things of this world and dance the night away like a child!

madoline.markham@vestaviahillsmagazine.com VestaviaHillsMagazine.com 7

“ ” THE QUESTION

What do family and friends who attended your wedding remember the most from it?

We had a white castle bouncy house at the reception at Regions. For the kids? Maybe… mainly for us! It was a blast!

My husband was not into the fancy food at the reception, so he asked his groomsman (and they delivered) to bring Krystal. Next to all the fancy food, were 100+ little boxes of cheeseburgers.

Instead of a groom’s cake, we had a sterling silver bowl of Cheetos!

We had two ceremonies, a church service and a traditional Persian ceremony.

We also had bagpipers, a Celtic band, a DJ playing Persian music, Irish dancers and belly dancers.

-Jeremiah Stone

-Kristin Tunnell

-Parastoo Farzad Lykins

Our wedding cake (a replica of University of Michigan’s football stadium)!

Definitely the swing dancing at the reception!

They had to throw them out of Vestavia Country Club after we left because they wouldn’t stop dancing!

A tornado came through during our reception, so we all had to go hang out in the locker rooms at Inverness Country Club until it passed. We had a ton of fun and still laugh about it!

My husband is a dentist...

We gave out cotton candy (my fav!) and toothbrushes as our favors.

-Patty Corbett Green

-Melissa Moody McMurray

8 Spring 2022

-Jessica Prescott

-Jennifer Mitchell Kline

-Melissa Koski Howell

THE GUIDE

WING DING APRIL 23 4-7 P.M. Vestavia Hills City Hall Get ready to eat wings and more wings at this annual Leadership Vestavia Hills event, and there will be live music and a kids zone too. All proceeds benefit the Youth Leadership Vestavia Hills and other local charities, and the event is currently looking for sponsors.

Find more details at leadershipvestaviahills.com/ wing-ding-challenge/.

VestaviaHillsMagazine.com 9

THE GUIDE

AROUND TOWN MARCH 5 Superhero Fun Run + Rebel 5K Color Run Vestavia Hills High School MARCH 17 Live After 5 Vestavia City Center MARCH 24 Friends of the Library Fundraiser Featuring Dolores Hydock Vestavia Hills Library MARCH 31-APRIL 10 Stephen Sondheim’s Company Virginia Samford Theatre

APRIL 23

Heights Hangout 2-7 P.M. Heights Village

This annual event will return with pop-up shops, food, live music and a kids’ zone.

10 Spring 2022

Big City Rhythm will play 2-5 p.m. and Telluride 5-7 p.m. Admission, $10, proceeds benefit the ongoing beautification of Cahaba Heights through the Cahaba Heights Merchants Association.

APRIL 8 VHHS RISE Day Vestavia Hills High School

THE GUIDE APRIL 8-10 Birmingham Barons Home Openers vs. Rocket City Trash Pandas Regions Field APRIL 8-24 Once Red Mountain Theatre Company APRIL 16 Battle of the Bands Rocky Ridge Business District APRIL 22 Concert Series: Sean Michael Ray Wald Park Grand Lawn MAY 24-29 SEC Baseball Tournament Hoover Met Complex WEDNESDAYS STARTING MAY 4 Vestavia Hills Farmers Market 741 Montgomery Highway

MARCH 19

RISE Kids Day 9-11 A.M. Vestavia Hills Civic Center Come out for a morning of fun with a character party and touch-a-truck event benefitting Adolescent and Young Adult Oncology Program at UAB. The event is part of VHHS student organization RISE’s work to raise money to support research to fight cancer.

Tickets, $15 each, can be purchased at gofan.co/ app/events/437797? schoolId=AL2466.

VestaviaHillsMagazine.com 11

THE GUIDE COMMUNITY

AWARD WINNERS Leadership Vestavia Hills not only turned 25 this year but also honored its 2021 Community Leadership Awards winners on Feb. 22. Antoinette (Toni) Vines received the Distinguished Citizen Award, and Karen Odle received the Lifetime Achievement Award. Toni founded and runs Mercy Deliverance Ministries with an aim to break cycles of poverty through the delivery of fresh food and produce, healthcare and education. Karen has served as the Vestavia Hills Chamber of Commerce president since 2002, and over the 20 years of her leadership, the chamber has grown from 296 members to 1102. She will retire from that position in April.

12 Spring 2022

APRIL 6

Dogwood Luncheon 10:30 A.M. SILENT AUCTION 11:30 A.M. LUNCHEON Vestavia Country Club Come out to hear Whitney Miller, season 1 winner of Fox’s reality cooking show, Masterchef, speak about her work as a chef, cookbook author, recipe and menu developer, food stylist and more. Tickets for this annual Vestavia Beautification Board event are $30 per person and can purchased by emailing dogwoodluncheon@gmail.com or visiting 2022vestaviahillsdogwoodluncheon. eventbrite.com.

&CULTURE

ARTS

AN ARTISTIC GLOW

The Grace Gallery shimmers with light, metals and color from its Cahaba Heights home.

BY ELIZABETH STURGEON PHOTOS BY MARY FEHR VestaviaHillsMagazine.com 13

14 Spring 2022

T

The Grace Gallery waves hello in aqua. Her thoughts flow in metallics within painting-filled rooms, and she shimmers.

Artist and owner Shannon Harris sees the gallery as an extension of herself, hence the building’s very own sparkling personality. The pumping heart works in the back corner of the space, where Shannon paints in her studio to create “my happy place, with all my magic.”

Settled off Dolly Ridge Road, The Grace Gallery is home to Shannon’s skylines, landscapes and other abstract paintings that bind her portfolio together in loose, hazy blocks of color and married golds and creams. It’s also home to classes of all kinds—from children’s parties to private adult lessons—that allow Shannon to share her techniques with others.

Just like her own painting style, Shannon’s classes are joyful and personal. She can tell someone’s occupation within five minutes of their work on the canvas, and she finds the best ways to lead each

student through the project—usually a large abstract. “We call it the good time gallery,” Shannon says. “When all my girls are here, it’s something else. People come in here all the time and say we need a reality show.”

The Grace Gallery embodies so many of Shannon’s experiences—the acorn in her logo is symbolic of regrowth, something that rings especially loud in the spring season as the gallery approaches its fouryear anniversary.

Shannon opened the gallery doors within days of April 27, 2018, an anniversary of its own for her and the Cahaba Heights neighborhood. April 27—the day tornadoes struck the Southeast and completely devastated parts of Vestavia Hills in 2011—weighs heavy on any longtime resident or business owner when the day rolls around.

Urban Green, Shannon’s upcycling class space and shop just across from her current gallery, was the setting for her own April 27. Uprooted and VestaviaHillsMagazine.com 15

YOUR HOME AT THE GALLERY The Grace Gallery is Shannon’s home away from home since her Cahaba Heights home sits just around the corner, and she wants to open the doors to you, too. After the space’s recent renovations, the gallery can function as an event space for small launch parties, fundraising events, bridal teas, and more, which she hopes to see this year.

16 Spring 2022

tornado-blown trees that destroyed the store seemed to be the physical manifestation of the emotional pain Shannon was experiencing.

“At the time [of opening Urban Green], our own home was in foreclosure, my marriage was falling apart and I was a new single mom to my toddler son and teenage daughter,” Shannon writes in her story on The Grace Gallery’s website. “I was sleepdeprived and working 18-hour days to provide for my children along with giving myself a purpose in those very dark days.”

But in the same way Cahaba Heights saw the epitome of a tight-knit, do-anything-for-you community after the tornadoes, Shannon found the same strength. Within the months surrounding the tornadoes, Shannon began painting for friends and family while her son, Cooper, was sleeping, and pinning down the creative talents she’s always clung to throughout her life. By the next April, she was approaching the idea of being a full-time artist and had her work for sale in her first gallery on 30A. For herself and for her classes, Shannon holds on to what she’s seen in the artistic practice throughout her life—that art is therapy. “When artists have overcome pain, and they’ve used their VestaviaHillsMagazine.com 17

ART OF ALL SIZES For artists like Shannon who are always reinventing the ways they make art, prints have changed the game. Shannon’s come in a wide range of sizes, many of them printed on canvas, which allows for more people to hang her pieces in their homes. Plus, it makes Shannon’s work more accessible through different price points.

Beyond The Grace Gallery, you can find Shannon’s work in Homewood’s Argent Antiques, Inlet Beach’s The Blue Giraffe on 30A and other stores around the Southeast.

For all your backyard playground needs!!

CALL

205-408-4386 for more info!

NOW ALSO SELLING AY COMMERCIAL PLAY EQUIPMENT! CALL 205-408-4386 86 FOR MORE INFO!

3165 CCahaba h b VValley lle RRoadd Birmingham, AL 35124

www.backyardalabama.com 18 Spring 2022

150 Artists • Corks & Chefs Live Performances Imagination Festival for Kids Cafe & Lounges • Special Exhibitions

art as therapy to get through some dark times, there’s depth in their art,” she says. “That’s always been my therapy, and that’s why I call my classes therapy.”

Classes beam with fun and brightness and adventure at The Grace Gallery. For children, requests to paint a cat riding a horse start there and then morph along with young artists’ inspiration. For adults, Shannon takes away the paintbrushes and equips them with plastic scrapers and other hard edges so they work with color in its pure and raw form.

She brings the same tools to her own art, pulling materials and techniques from her past work flipping houses, and “improvs” and experiments with the paint. But when she sees her “mad scientist” pieces resonating with a viewer, her series begin to emerge. “I like to invent new things.

If it goes well, that’s a new series,” she says.

In her series of skylines, Shannon has brought Birmingham, Mobile, Huntsville, Montgomery and Atlanta to life in her hazy hues. The buildings and landmarks feel familiar, but Shannon makes them her own with her color staples—blues, golds and creams—and her loose imagining of the structures.

FIND ART

April 22-24, 2022 Sloss Furnaces

Image: Chloe York, “Washy Decorator 2”

www.magiccityart.com 2022 SPONSORS: Alabama State Council on the Arts & the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency • Avadian Credit Union • Bancography • BlueCross and BlueShield of Alabama • Coca Cola United • Dermal Brands EventWorks Rentals • Jemison Investment Company, Inc. • Joe Piper, Inc. • Kinetic Communications Sloss Furnaces Foundation, Inc. • Yarbrough Festival Foodservices MEDIA SPONSORS: AL.com • Babypalooza • Bham Now • Birmingham Mountain Radio 107.3fm • B-Metro • EXCURSIONSgo.com High Level Marketing • Over the Mountain Journal • Starnes Media • The Birmingham Times • This is Alabama Vestavia Hills Magazine • WBHM Public Radio 90.3fm

VestaviaHillsMagazine.com 19

This style continues in her lakes and her collegiate series, all tied together through her signature palette. “My best drink as an artist is color balance and color placement,” she says. “It’s important to have that eye and balance the colors.”

The medley of light, metals and color create a glow surrounding Shannon’s work, a glow that radiates throughout her second home at The Grace Gallery. The future looks just as bright as she is expanding her pillow line, hopes to introduce more textiles and interior design elements, and is gaining a clearer image of her purpose and her art therapy.

Shannon sees herself one day introducing a nonprofit side to The Grace Gallery and earning an official certification as an art therapist, combining psychology and social theories into the ways she has seen art transform lives.

Her idea is to create a program for adults to find support and expression through art. “If a creative does not find their creative purpose—their Godgiven gift—if it doesn’t get let out in the proper way, it’s going to get let out in a different way.”

Through Shannon’s method of painting— impulsive and off-the-cuff, moving with emotions— she sees resilience —the kind that she’s reminded of when spring blooms and carried with her always.

The Grace Gallery is open Tuesday through Saturday 12-4 p.m. and Monday by appointment. You can also find Shannon’s work at gracegallerybham.com or on Instagram @gracegallerybham.

20 Spring 2022

VestaviaHillsMagazine.com 21

ARTS & CULTURE

READ THIS BOOK

Changing Minds & Changing Seasons Recommendations from

Michael Sinnott

Vestavia Hills High School English Teacher

I want my English and creative writing students to walk out of my class—hopefully—as better readers, better writers and, maybe, better people.

I love books that either change my mind or detail how someone else changes. These books, ranging from professional nonfiction reads to novels and short story collections, have moved me, in some way, from a point A to a new point B. I encourage you to embrace one of them and the possible change that it can bring.

Think Again

By Adam Grant Adam Grant is known as one of the most popular professors at the Wharton School of Management at the University of Pennsylvania. Focused on rethinking and relearning, Think Again was my most recommended book of 2021. Grant has the ability to articulate ideas I have always thought and felt but did not have the words to express. It is a fantastic and timely read both personally and professionally.

Southernmost

By Silas House Southernmost is a novel by Southern writer Silas House. A massive flood of the Cumberland River opens this novel that centers on a Tennessee Pentecostal preacher and his family. The book chronicles one man’s evolution in faith and family. It is a beautiful and moving work about the tension found in a changing South. How do we both hold on to what makes the South special but also move forward as a place and a people? I read it in a single day.

A Swim in a Pond in the Rain: In Which Four Russians Give a Master Class on Writing, Reading, and Life

By George Saunders If you have ever wanted to know what it is like to be in a creative writing class with a master writer and teacher, this is the book to check out. It changed how I read the short story and teach creative writing as a whole. Each section begins with a Russian short story and is followed by how Saunders teaches the story in his creative writing classes at Syracuse University. The work is a chance to go to class with one of America’s most lauded and awarded writers.

Brainstorm: The Power and Purpose of the Teenage Brain

By Daniel J Siegel Parents and teachers, this is the book for you. Brainstorm changed how I think about my students, who are growing and changing into young adults. Siegel is a leading researcher on adolescent and teenage minds and behaviors.

Because of his research, I understand the highs and lows that young people experience, and I hope this understanding allows me to better reach them. Try out this mind-changing title about the ever-changing teenage brain.

The Year of Magical Thinking

By Joan Didion Joan Didion is the unofficial queen of my AP English Language and Composition classes at VHHS. When she passed away in December, I saw countless tributes to Didion from former students all over social media. I read sentences differently because of Joan Didion. I try, though futilely, to write differently because of Joan Didion.

The Year of Magical Thinking is where many should begin her writing. So many have had to work through loss and grief over the last two years, and this book can change how we think about, talk about, and deal with grief.

22 Spring 2022

&DRINK

FOOD

PINKS ‘N SWEETS

For baker Kathryn Yarbrough macarons are a melt-in-your-mouth delight, but that’s not all.

BY MADOLINE MARKHAM PHOTOS BY MARY FEHR VestaviaHillsMagazine.com 23

T

To know Patricia Irene’s macarons is to know the two women who passed on their love of cooking to their granddaughter, Kathryn Yarbrough. Patricia, lovingly known as “Pat Pat” to her grandchildren, immigrated to the United States from the Abruzzo region outside of Rome, and she mothered 12 children, the oldest of which is Kathryn’s father. At any family gathering she hosted, she was always cooking and feeding people.

Glenda Irene or “Babe” to her grandchildren, on the other hand, was born and raised in Alabama and passed on her Southern-style cooking to Kathryn and her cousins. Like Patricia, she was always making sure everyone around her was full and happy.

Despite her heritage, Kathryn, a Gadsden native, is quick to point out she is not a baker or cook by trade. She served as the executive director of Muscular Dystrophy Association in St. Louis and then as the development director for their arts and sciences program at UAB when she and her husband moved back to Alabama after their first child was born seven years ago.

But with two little ones at home and a husband who travels extensively for his job, Kathryn eventually decided to stay home with her two boys.

She got restless, though, and when COVID hit in 2020, she turned to the kitchen to “get things out.”

Looking for a new challenge to master, she turned to her Bouchon Bakery cookbook, memories of macarons from France and the legacy her grandmothers instilled in her.

Her kids were running around and the process was frustrating, but soon she’d in fact mastered the delicate, colorful confections from her Coventry kitchen. From there a cousin asked her to make some for a baby shower, and Patricia Irene’s was born, combining Kathryn’s love of macarons with her passion for nonprofit fundraising with her monthly give back days.

Today you can buy Patricia Irene’s macarons in five local Piggly Wigglys as well as in Backyard Market on Highway 31. In fact, Kathryn has gotten to know Backyard Market owner Jeff Gentry and now bakes in their kitchen on Mondays when the market is closed, where she can do a week’s worth of production in eight hours with the commercial

24 Spring 2022

VestaviaHillsMagazine.com 25

equipment. Altogether her one-woman team bakes 800 to 1,000 macarons a week—no simple task when you have to get the meringue to form just right and the cookies to dry just right all before they even go in the oven. In the end, macarons keep up to about a month in the refrigerator or three months in the freezer.

Each pillowy sandwich cookie is made with only three ingredients—almond flour, egg whites and powdered sugar—and the almond flour, lighter than all purpose, means macarons are inherently gluten-free too.

Kathryn first tried macarons herself when she travelled to Paris around seven years ago and found cases full of a rainbow of colors that were beautiful to look at and a delight to taste. “They were the best things I have ever had because they are so light,” she says. “They sort of melt in your mouth.” She especially remembers a red currant flavor—one she

has yet to make herself—as well as the classic chocolate ganache and Earl gray and lemon.

Early on Kathryn would make more unusual flavors from French macaron baker Pierre Herme’s cookbook, but she quickly found people in Birmingham didn’t seem keen on them. Instead they gravitated toward flavors like cookie butter— which tastes similar to a gingerbread—and fruitbased ones as well as Earl grey and lemon, a popular French flavor combination. Kathryn especially likes to use Bonne Maman jams (which come with their own unique story you can find online) and local Alabama products like a creamed honey she finds at the Piggly Wiggly in her flavor profiles. In the summer, she brings out blueberrylemon and strawberry ones, and in the spring she creates floral flavors like rose and lavender as well as citrus ones like bergamot.

No matter the time of year, she rotates between

Compassionate veterinary care, boarding & grooming

1471 Montgomery Hwy VestaviaAnimalClinic.com

(205) 823-7485

26 Spring 2022

buttercream, cream cheese and chocolate ganache filling for the confections that seep into the flavor of the cookies as they sit in the refrigerator for the first 24 hours after baking.

Outside of her regular macaron production, Kathryn also takes orders for cakes, cake pops and other desserts, and she sells her cake balls at Backyard Market too, which serve as her regular excuse to play with sprinkles.

Kathryn finds a lot of people don’t know what macarons are—or confuse them with dense coconut macaroons (with two o’s)—and are hesitant to pay $21.99 for hers in stores. But once they understand the process behind them and the quality of ingredients in them, that often changes. In fact, she’s found she has a big customer base in girls

ages 12-16 thanks to social media craze over macarons.

As to her in-home audience, Kathryn’s Dolly Ridge kindergartener, sensitive and empathetic by nature, would rather eat a chocolate chip cookie, but he won’t tell his mom he doesn’t like her macarons. “I think I am full. I will try them another time,” he tells her instead. His 3-year-old brother, on the other hand, is a sugar fiend who will eat anything sweet.

At first, it was hard for Kathryn’s boys to understand that their mom working in the kitchen was her job. But once they started to go with her to Piggly Wiggly to put them on shelves and later see them when they were shopping, it started to click, and now they are proud to tell others what their VestaviaHillsMagazine.com 27

708 Montgomery Highway, Suite 116 Vestavia Hills, AL 35216 (205) 379-0293

28 Spring 2022

mom does. And the older they get, the more they’ll grasp the other part of the macaron’s mission too.

On the 15th of every month—the anniversary of the May 15 that she first started Patricia Irene’s— Kathryn holds a special macaron give back sale benefitting a specific local nonprofit. She takes whatever inventory of macarons she has on-hand and gives a 12-pack of them to anyone who gives a donation for the nonprofit until her supply runs out. It’s a good opportunity for people to try them, and she’s never had anyone donate under $20-30.

“People are willing to give above and beyond for a good cause,” she says.

At the end of the day, it’s the nonprofit connection that continues to drive Kathryn’s baking passion, and she hopes to connect with more and more in the community for her give back sales and help spread the word about their work to others. Pat Pat and Babe would surely be just as proud of that as their granddaughter’s macarons.

Learn more about Patricia Irene’s at patriciairenes.com or follow @patricia_irenes_ bham on Instagram. You can buy them at Piggly Wigglys in Homewood, Crestline, Clairmont, River Run and Bluff Park as well as in Backyard Market on Highway 31.

TASTE. SIP. REPEAT.

Restaurants & Chefs, Wine, Craft Beer, Spirits & Cocktails, plus Tasting Seminars & Demos April 23 & 24, 2022 Sloss Furnaces National Historic Landmark @ the 39th Magic City Art Connection GENERAL + VIP TICKETS ON SALE IN APRIL. www.corksandchefs.com

25th YEAR

VestaviaHillsMagazine.com 29

GIVING BACK One of Kathryn’s greatest passions in making macarons is holding give back sales to benefit local nonprofits and connecting with their missions. Here’s a list of some of the nonprofits she has had customers contribute to in the past.

Toys for Tots Breast Cancer Research Fund of Alabama BAM Strong (Children’s of Alabama) Operation Back to School Red Mountain Grace Red Cross of Alabama for Fultondale Tornado Relief The Wellhouse Muscular Dystrophy Association ALS Association

30 Spring 2022

Hoover+Vestavia Hills | Special Advertising Section

DINING GUIDE Hoover+Vestavia Hills

5220 PERIDOT PLACE, SUITE 112 • HOOVER, AL 35244 FABFRUITBOWLS.COM • (205) 502-7373

FAB Fruit

FAB Fruit desires to provide delicious food mixed with a delightful environment for friends and family to enjoy together.

Brad Tompkins, FAB Fruit owner, and his family handle the day-today operations, and his older teen daughters provide leadership by creating fun promotional TikTok videos and serving a selection of frozen fruit bowls—acai, payata and spinach, and an array of fruit and protein smoothies. FAB Fruit is open daily 10:30 a.m.-7 p.m.

700 MONTGOMERY HIGHWAY, #194A • VESTAVIA HILLS, AL 35216

1021 BROCKS GAP PARKWAY, SUITE 141 • HOOVER, AL 35244

TACOMAMAONLINE.COM • (205) 941-8226

CLEANEATZ.COM • (205) 490-1141

Taco Mama

Stay hungry and be thirsty. At Taco Mama, we believe in supporting our local businesses and serving our guests the freshest ingredients possible. We believe any time is a good time for a margarita. We believe in ice cold cerveza. We believe in people helping people. Hours are Monday to Saturday 11 a.m.-9 p.m. and Sunday 11 a.m.-8 p.m.

Clean Eatz

Clean Eatz Hoover is on a mission to “change livez” by making clean meals accessible and affordable for everyone in our community. There are multiple ways you can eat “clean” with us, including our full-service cafe, shopping the Grab ‘N Go freezers and ordering through our weekly meal plans. We are honored to make life easier while helping you fuel your body! Learn more about our meal plans at cleaneatz.com/mealplanmenu or email us at lee@cleaneatz.com.

VestaviaHillsMagazine.com 31

DINING GUIDE

Hoover+Vestavia Hills | Special Advertising Section

Photo by Jenny Nicholson of Eating Alabama

5190 MEDFORD DRIVE, SUITE 124 • HOOVER, AL 35244

5249 PERIDOT PLACE • HOOVER, AL 35244

TAPROOT-CAFE.COM • (205) 502-7781

WALK-ONS.COM • (205) 224-9810

Taproot Café

Taproot Café is a community-focused eatery that embraces locally sourced ingredients from farmers and food makers, offering wholesome, seasonal food in a bright and welcoming environment. It serves up freshly made sandwiches and paninis, salads, open-faced toasts, soups, smoothies, and more. Through good food, Taproot Café endeavors to love and connect people, playing its part in the sustainability of community, the environment, and the local economy. You can also place your order online.

Walk-On’s Sports Bistreaux

Based in Baton Rouge, Walk-On’s Sports Bistreaux was founded in 2003 by Brandon Landry, a former walk-on basketball player at LSU. Leaning on the true spirit of a walk-on and building a winning culture, the brand is rapidly expanding across the United States. Its Louisiana-inspired menu features food and drinks made from scratch daily. Walk-On’s allAmerican team serves up a game-day experience in a fun, familyfriendly atmosphere that ensures every guest is a winner.

5219 PERIDOT PLACE, SUITE 3 • HOOVER, ALABAMA 35244

5541 GROVE BOULEVARD, SUITE 111 • HOOVER, AL 35226

ILOVEMELT.COM • (205) 988-2022

THEGROVE.THECASUALPINT.COM • (205) 783-1108

Melt

The concept behind MELT is simple: a modern twist on a classic comfort food. Grilled cheese sandwiches put smiles on faces.

Whether it’s a plain grilled cheese, a burger with Matilda sauce, or a spicy buffalo chicken sandwich, the MELT menu has something for everyone. We also keep vegetarians and vegans happy with an assortment of vegan cheeses, fresh vegetables and gluten-free bread.

Come unwind with our full-service bar and weekly specials.

32 Spring 2022

Casual Pint

With 35 taps featuring not only Alabama breweries but also national and international selections, there are plenty of choices at the Casual Pint—plus wines and other spirits to enjoy. We have a wide variety of foods on our menu to perfectly complement your beer selection. We have game and trivia nights and live music too, and you can also pick up something to enjoy at home including growlers or crowlers filled from the tap wall.

DINING GUIDE

Hoover+Vestavia Hills | Special Advertising Section

5532 GROVE BOULEVARD • HOOVER, AL 35226

708 MONTGOMERY HIGHWAY, SUITE 108 • VESTAVIA HILLS, AL 35216

FARRELLYSKITCHEN.COM • (205) 968-1408

CHOPTSALAD.COM • (205) 737-8186

Farrelly’s Southern Bar & Kitchen

Owners George and Eileen McCluney have longed believed that good food brings people together and instantly lifts the spirit. Farrelly’s (pronounced farlees) is a neighborhood restaurant that celebrates Southern ingredients in a relaxed environment. You can enjoy food, craft cocktails and an extensive wine list served with warm, southern hospitality in the dining room, outside patio or bar area. We also have a private dining room for parties, rehearsal dinners and business gatherings.

Chopt Creative Salad Co.

Chopt, a creative salad company, has opened their second Birmingham location in Vestavia Hills in addition to The Summit location. Chopt offers a variety of ways to order its creative salads, wraps and warm bowls including its new group ordering feature, curbside pickup, ordering ahead via app or website, and contactless in-store ordering. The Vestavia Hills location also features a mural of Sibyl Temple. Hours are Monday - Saturday 10:30 a.m.-8 pm and Sunday 11 a.m.-7 p.m.

1021 BROCKS GAP PARKWAY, SUITE 145 • HOOVER, AL 35244

4330 CREEKSIDE AVENUE • HOOVER, AL 35244

TRELUNABARANDKITCHEN.COM • (205) 538-5866

TWINPEAKSRESTAURANT.COM • (205) 203-9461

Tre Luna Bar & Kitchen

Tre Luna Bar and Kitchen is an Italian-inspired space nestled in the Village at Brock’s Gap, the heart of Trace Crossings, in Hoover. The restaurant offers an upscale experience with a neighborhood feel and features daily fish specials, a raw bar, specialty cocktails and made-from-scratch pizzas baked in a wood-burning oven from Italy. They offer lunch Wednesday - Friday 11 a.m.-2 p.m. and dinner Monday-Saturday (Monday-Thursday 4-9 p.m. and Saturday-Sunday 4-10 p.m.).

Twin Peaks

Twin Peaks never stops short when it comes to the menu. Whether it’s for lunch, happy hour or dinner, our guests can expect made-from-scratch menu items capable of satisfying every appetite. When someone steps inside a Twin Peaks, they’re immediately transported to an environment reminiscent of a comfortable cabin in the mountains. Whether you are in the mood for comfort food or something on the lighter side, we offer meals that satisfy everyone.

VestaviaHillsMagazine.com 33

FOOD & DRINK

5

FIVE QUESTIONS FOR

Tina Young

Chopt Creative Salad Co. Regional VP for Southeast PHOTOS CONTRIBUTED

A new restaurant in Vestavia City Center wants to transform the way you eat by creating salads that people will actually crave, and they find ingredients from all over the world to keep their ever-changing menu interesting. Chopt officially opened in January with its first day of business benefitting Jones Valley Teaching Farm, and you can stop by for a meal Monday - Saturday 10:30 a.m.- 8 p.m. and Sundays 11 a.m. - 7 p.m. To learn more about the restaurant concept, we chatted with their Regional VP Tina Young.

What’s the back story on Chopt and what it’s about?

Best friends Tony Shure and Colin McCabe wanted great craveable healthy food, and they opened their first restaurant on 17th Street in New York City in 2001.

We are a healthy alterative to a fast casual.

We change up our menus every three months and bring different flavors from around the world into our restaurants for people to try.

is custom, so for every location we bring something from their area into the design.

The Summit is the Vulcan, and Vestavia is the Sibyl Temple.

You come in and go to the assembly station and order a chef creation or build your own.

We will build a salad or warm bowl for you, and then we mix your salad with a dressing pairing. We ask you how much dressing, and if it’s not enough we can add more.

popular warm bowls with a mixture of rice and quinoa or cauliflower rice. Our braised chicken tinga is served with marinated kale, black beans, cojita cheese, tortilla chips, scallions and avocado, and we top it with our scratch-made Mexican Goddess dressing, an avocado-based dressing that is phenomenal.

What else should we know about the menu?

Any of our salads can be made into wraps as well, and we make all 18 of our Can you talk more about international Can you tell us about a couple of your dressings every day from scratch. We have flavor influences? a Tex Mex Ranch and Sweet and Smokey We have a team that travels for most popular menu items?

Our Mexican Caesar is one of our most Chipotle, White Balsamic Vinaigrette, inspiration and brings the tastiest creations back to us. Our destination popular. It’s our spin on Caesar with a kick Greek Yogurt Tzaziki, Creamy Lemon changes every 90 days. We currently have with romaine, cojita cheese, tortilla chips Herb, Buttermilk Ranch, Smoky Bacon a crispy Cholula Chicken Salad, Shrimp and jalapenos and tossed with our Mexican Russian to name a few. I personally love Taco Salad and Roasted Poblano Bowl for Caesar dressing, and you can add a protein the Mexican Caesar best. Our kids menu to it. For proteins we offer grilled chicken, has mac n cheese, quesadippers, chicken destination Mexico. fried chicken, shrimp, falafel and tofu, as dippers, kids craft salad, a kids craft warm What is the inside of the restaurant well as a destination chicken like Cholula bowl or a kids craft plate, and they all come fried chicken that is named for a hot sauce. with a side of chips, cookie, brownie, apple like?

It’s bright and welcoming. Our wallpaper Our Chicken Tinga is one of our most or carrots with hummus.

34 Spring 2022

On Tybee Time Slow down to explore sandy beaches, marshes and historical sites on this small island off the southern coast of Georgia.

By Christiana Roussel | Photos Courtesy of Tybee Island & Local Businesses Referenced in Captions VestaviaHillsMagazine.com 35

HIT THE ROAD

Road trips are a funny thing.

We start out in our own driveways, surrounded by the familiar—the twists and turns of our own neighborhood streets—which gradually give way to multi-lane highways, streams of cars and trucks all rushing to their destinations.

And as we approach our own journey’s end, in this case, Tybee Island, we take a moment to notice the still-unfamiliar but highly anticipated. The highway recedes, and we find ourselves on a simple two-lane road that will ultimately end at the ocean, exactly where we wish to be.

At only three miles long and less than a mile wide, Tybee Island—one of the famed Sea Islands off the coast of southern Georgia—is a natural respite from the rigors of daily life. With sandy beaches to the east and tidal marshes to the western interior, Tybee is replete with marine activity far different from the towns dotting the northern Florida panhandle where many of us have vacationed. Life on Tybee Island is dictated by the tides, the ebb and flow of a life lived more slowly, more in tune with the native world around us, and one rich in history.

Alabama

South Carolina

Georgia Atlanta

Birmingham

20 20

75

Macon

6 hrs., 22 min.

411 Miles

Auburn

16

Columbus

16

Savannah

36 Spring 2022

Tybee Island

HISTORY

These islands have seen their fair share of Revolutionary War battles, and Fort Pulaski (nps.gov/ fopu/index.htm) is a must-visit for any history buff.

Named for Casimir Pulaski, a Polish soldier and commander who fought in the Revolutionary War, this coastal fortification played a key role in rifled cannon combat. Today the site is part of the National Park Service and available to visit year-round.

During the Industrial Revolution, Tybee Island was the southern-most stop on the Central of Georgia Railway line, making it the ideal destination for residents of densely populated cities up north who were seeking healthier climes as remedies to ailments associated with industrial pollution.

For lighthouse enthusiasts (yes, that is a thing!), Tybee Island is home to Georgia’s oldest and tallest lighthouse, the original being constructed in 1736.

The Tybee Island Historical Society oversees the Tybee Island Light Station and Museum (tybeelighthouse.org), and it is a must-visit.

WHEN (and HOW) TO GO There are those who favor beach visits only when you can don a bathing suit while others prefer to go when the wide expanse of sand is not chock-a-block with umbrellas and beach towels. Honestly, there isn’t a bad time to be on the island. The spring sees more temperate days and nights making Tybee Island ideal for a weeklong getaway, a day trip from Savannah or anything in between.

The drive to Tybee Island from Birmingham is a little over six hours. There is plenty to see along the way, and it might be nice to have your car for extended exploration. Plane travelers can fly into Savannah and make the 20-minute drive onto the island.

WEDDING DESTINATIONS

Those looking to plan their nuptials on the island should book The Reeve Cottage (thereevecottage.com) guest house, located on a prime acre of land at the Southern-most tip of the island.

With an unrivaled view of the ocean, Little Tybee Island and epic sunsets, guests will appreciate the location as much as the bride and groom themselves. The Tybee Island Wedding Chapel and Grand Ballroom is also worth checking out (tybeeweddingchapel. com). (Miley Cyrus fans might recognize the chapel from her movie, The Last Song.)

Reeve Cottage

Photo by Roland Broda

VestaviaHillsMagazine.com 37

HIT THE ROAD

WHAT TO DO A visit to Tybee Island should come with a commitment to adventure and to being outdoors—there is so much to explore.

Forget the Car

Many visitors bring their own bikes or rent on the island from places like Tim’s Bike & Beach Gear (timsbeachgear.com). Still others like the ease of a golf cart, renting one at Tybee Golf Carts (tybeegolfcarts.com).

Tim’s Bike & Beach Gear

Sea Treasures

Take to the marshes in a kayak or SUP with Sea Kayak Georgia. Book a Sundial Charter Tour to hunt for fossils (megalodon sharks teeth!) and lost treasures from the sea. Sundial also offers crabbing and light-tackle fishing for those looking for sport. Dolphin watching and sunset tours are always popular with anyone visiting Tybee, and there are several outfitters offering these experiences as well.

Meet the Turtles

Kids of all ages will enjoy visiting the Tybee Island Marine Science Center (tybeemarinescience.org) to learn more about the coastal marine life. Sea turtle nesting season begins around May 1; local volunteers spend time searching the local shoreline for these nests and then sit with them to protect them from scavengers. Visitors can meet Ike the sea turtle who was born September 2020 and now calls the center his home.

Tybee by Night

Evening entertainment can often be found at the Tybee Post Theater (tybeeposttheater. org), which was once a movie house for soldiers stationed at Fort Screven. Nowadays, you can not only catch a screening but also see live music or a local theater production.

Tybee Post Theater

WHERE TO STAY Life on Tybee is definitely “island time” and many hotel options lean toward casual. After all, with so much going on outdoors, you’re not likely to spend too much time in your hotel room.

The Beachview Inn and Spa (beachviewtybee.com) is minutes from the beach, with hospitality that combines the relaxed coastal atmosphere with Southern charm.

The Back River area of Tybee is less densely populated with several VRBO options, cottages for groups or family gatherings too.

38 Spring 2022

Meet Your Travel Guide Proud to call Birmingham home, Christiana Roussel loves discovering every corner of the Magic City. But the road beckons often. She’s been known to make a wrong turn into the right choice, dig in with the locals and try to talk her way out of a speeding ticket or two. Curiosity drives her and finding connection is her passion.

WHERE TO EAT Ahhh, we’ve saved the best for last—the food. As you can imagine, the menus at most Tybee Island restaurants feature seafood. It is the history and the vibe that makes them all distinct.

The Crab

Simply Seafood

Longtime visitors, larger groups and anyone looking for a bit of old-school beach schmaltz will clamor to go to The Crab Shack (thecrabshack.com), an island institution where guests arrive via car or boat.

Large holes in the center of each table give way to trash cans underneath, perfect for making a mess and tossing in shrimp shells and tails, corncobs or any other detritus from a good seafood boil. Note: the baby alligator on-site might be the other reason kids love coming here. AJ’s Dockside (ajsdocksidetybee.com) is equally casual and attached to the marina where you can spend the afternoon watching fishermen bring in their hauls.

A Step Above

Looking for something a bit more upscale?

Shack

Photo by Amy Murphy

Try Sundae Café (sundaecafe.com), where you might have to choose between sushi nachos, shrimp and grits, a Lowcountry bouillabaisse or burgers with thick-cut bacon. Over at Salt Island Fish and Beer (saltislandfb.com), you’ll be looking at the blue crab poutine, baked oysters or a whole fish, straight off the boat.

Until Whenever

Late night diners have been known to favor Huc-a-Poos (hucapoos.com), where closing time is noted as “whenever.” As popular

with the locals as it is with vacationers, this is where you can meal hard on wraps, pizzas, nachos or anything that pairs well with beer.

To Start the Day

If breakfast is more your speed, uber-laidback diner-style Breakfast Club might be just for you. Locals call this “no frills,” and that is saying something because Tybee is already pretty low-key. Omelets as well as classic fare like steak-and-eggs or hash browns are the order of the day at Sunrise Breakfast (sunrisesavannah.com) as well.

The path to

MENDING HER

HEART

was actually through her leg.

Olivia was born with a congenital heart defect requiring open heart surgery at 3 months old. She also required a second surgery as a teen to replace her pulmonary valve – but this time they went through a vein in her leg to insert the Harmony Transcatheter Pulmonary Valve in her heart. This less-invasive path to replacement shortened her recovery time, and she went home the next day. Olivia was the first pediatric patient in the southeast to receive the Harmony valve, and it was here at Children’s of Alabama.

Olivia Tetralogy of Fallot Patient

To learn more visit ChildrensAL.org/heart

VestaviaHillsMagazine.com 39

40 Spring 2022

weddings vestavia hills

A GUIDE TO ALL THINGS WHITE, BRIGHT, & BEAUTIFUL PHOTO BY BE LIGHT PHOTOGRAPHY

VestaviaHillsMagazine.com 41

forever on your

side Just before the big day, it’s time to slow down and celebrate the ladies who will be standing by your side.

That’s just what this bride did with an elegant and heartfelt luncheon she won from Bromberg’s.

Photos by Arden Photography VestaviaHillsMagazine.com 43

The Cake Pull You can order a bridesmaids luncheon cake from Olexa’s in their signature vanilla buttercream with charm pulls already in it. According to the tradition, each bridesmaid pulls a ribbon to find a charm with its own meaning and gets to keep it. Fittingly, Hannah pulled a charm with a bride and groom cake topper.

2020 was a tough year for all things weddings. Then with the advent of 2021, Bromberg’s was not only ushering in a fresh year but also their 185th anniversary of business, so the store wanted to do something special for the Birmingham community. And that’s how they decided to give away a bridesmaid luncheon along with Juliska, their bestselling giftware line, both for the community and to highlight their wedding registry—and to bring joy coming out of a difficult season. Hannah Reeder—now Hannah Reeder Evans— was selected as the winner in August and held her luncheon at Olexa’s with a selection of vendors Bromberg’s brought on board on Nov. 19. Read on to learn more about the details of the event to help inspire your own.

Floral Party Starter The design for the luncheon started with this blue and white floral Field of Flowers Chambray linen from Juliska, and all other details, including the menu, invitations and place cards by Dogwood Hill, were based on it. The napkins fit seamlessly with Hannah’s décor theme.

The Palette The spring-like color palette of the luncheon was inspired by Hannah’s wedding itself with light blues, soft pinks and whites.

44 Spring 2022

REGISTRY TABLE TRENDS Mix and Match Often brides inherit family china, so

Mix it Up The table featured two different champagne flutes, Juliska’s Amalia and Graham patterns, to add variety, along with the Isabella acrylic goblets. All of the glassware features Juliska’s berry and thread motif that tied all of the pieces together, and the vases were also from the Graham, Amalia and Isabella lines along with the Arden— which just so happens to be the name of the event’s photographer too.

Bromberg’s bridal consultants like to work with them to select new pieces to mix in with existing ones to create a table of their own that will host memories for years to come.

Elevated Everyday The store also sees more brides only registering casual china that is dishwasher-safe

Gift Time All the guests received Juliska vases provided and wrapped by Bromberg’s. Since the vases have the same thread motif as the tablescape, they will remind the guests of this special celebration each time they fill them.

and likes to help them select lines like Juliska that “elevate your everyday” to present effortless elegance.

Register at Bromberg’s at brombergsbride.com online or in their stores in Mountain Brook Village or at The Summit. Couples who register get 20

Lunch Menu Juliska’s Berry & Thread Flared design was plated with classic ladies lunch selection of smoked almond chicken salad, spring mix salad with fresh fruit, Olexa’s signature balsamic vinaigrette dressing and a morning glory muffin.

percent off wedding bands at the store as well as 20 percent off gifts for bridesmaids, groomsmen and hostesses, and free delivery in the Birmingham area.

Soft Touches Florist Marigold Designs was especially excited to fill these vases with peonies, along with other soft pink and white florals, since Hannah really likes peonies and had them planned for her wedding flowers too.

BEHIND THE SCENES Giveaway Sponsor: Bromberg & Company Inc. Photographer: Arden Ward Upton Table Setting*: Juliska

Invitations: Dogwood Hill

Venue + Catering: Olexa’s Florist: Marigold Design

*Includes plates, napkins, flutes and glasses, silverware, vases and bridesmaid gifts.

46 Spring 2022

VestaviaHillsMagazine.com 47

48 Spring 2022

destination

style

A local photographer showcases wedding dress designs as intricate as the architecture in their Chicago backdrop.

Photos by Mary Fehr VestaviaHillsMagazine.com 49

Dress by Ituwa Dress

Dress by Barbara Kavchok Bridal

50 Spring 2022

Last summer Birmingham photographer Mary Fehr got to see a new side of the Windy City: behind the scenes of its wedding market—and not just any part of it but a set of smaller independent wedding dress designers that an all-female agency, The Agency by GCG (Grace Consulting Group), represents. During her time there Mary modeled and photographed dresses while interacting with the designers themselves. “It was inspiring to see all of these designs and help get their names out there,” she says. “Being able to represent those smaller independent designers is important as well.” Here we share some of the images she created in that time.

Dress by Barbara Kavchok Bridal

VestaviaHillsMagazine.com 51

52 Spring 2022

Dress by Enura Bridal

Dress by Goli June

VestaviaHillsMagazine.com 53

Dress by Love Lives Here Bridal Photographer Mary Fehr, pictured on the left

Dress by Ituwa Dress

54 Spring 2022

How to Style a Shower

Grazing Table Take some inspiration for your next celebration from this grazing table created by local woman-owned businesses.

Style Board Starter Get your team of hostesses on the same page by sending a style board to keep the color scheme consistent for the party. The one for this summery table featured light greens and peaches that are especially evident in the balloon garland.

Showstopper Photos by Lindsey Culver 56 Spring 2022

Anchor the center of your table with a large colorful floral arrangement, and then arrange all the serving plates around it.

Drink Station No need to try to squeeze your beverages in on the food table. Set a bar cart or small table next to it, and add extra florals and greenery to your ice bucket to dress it up too.

Two-Toned Why pipe icing onto cupcakes with one color and texture when you can have two? These petite cakes showcase the table’s summery palette— until they are eaten.

VestaviaHillsMagazine.com 57

Candy Please For a twist on the charcuterie board idea, create a candy board for guests with a sweet tooth.

BEHIND THE SCENES Venue & Prop Rental:

WestHouse Events Florals, Prop

Rentals & Styling: Stems & Styles

Balloon Garland: Celebrate

Birmingham Charcuterie

Board: boardbox Candy Board: The Little Fox Candy Co.

Take a Stand

Cake, Macarons &

Cake plates aren’t just for cake. Style colorful macarons and other finger foods on stands of various heights, and have fun mixing and matching them.

Crumbs by Catie

58 Spring 2022

Cupcakes:

VestaviaHillsMagazine.com 59

60 Spring 2022

A Guide to Selecting Just the Right Wedding Tie Photos by Morgan Hunt | Text by Madoline Markham 2020 forever changed the way we dress. There was no need for suits on Zoom weddings and for car parades. Coming out of that extended year, though, everyone was wondering what the new normal would be. One thing is certain: nothing is as a formal as it was, as Harrison Limited owner Scott Pyburn will tell you. And when it comes to weddings, that means more are now taking place on beaches and in backyards where there’s no need for a tux for groomsmen. But once you decide the groomsmen will wear suits, what’s next? Here’s Scott’s guide to tie selection for your suit.

1. Start with color.

Most couples will bring in a bridesmaid’s dress color or swatch to match menswear to. From there Scott will pull out a book of tie fabrics from Robert Jensen, a Houston-based designer that is exclusive to his store locally, and let the customer select a fabric to correspond with it.

2. Consider the weave and pattern.

You can choose a weave like a pineapple grenadine or a satin one, both equally formal. The couple can also opt for a less formal striped tie with the bridesmaid dress color as one component of the pattern or for a bowtie.

3. Add a pocket square.

You can go with a classic white or colors or patterns to complement the tie selection.

4. Place your order.

Most stores might not have as many ties in the color and weave you select in stock as you need, so you can place an order for the number of groomsmen you have. Robert Jensen also makes a tall tie in addition to the standard size.

ABOUT HARRISON LIMITED Article Sponsor Since 1991, Harrison Limited in Mountain Brook Village has sought to present their clients and friends with clothing of a particular character.

Their focus has always been to provide a special experience for discerning men—one that emphasizes classic design and style, attention to detail, and a commitment to exceptional service.

Pandemic-Era Trends That Are Here to Stay COVID made everyone rethink how they live and how they plan weddings. Here are some aspects of plans wedding professionals see continuing on into 2022 and beyond.

Special Family Moments

At-Home Weddings

Rethinking Dinner

With the emergence of COVID-19, our

When brides get married in the home

Coupled with outside seating and tents,

couples have worked with our team to

where they grew up that holds so many

food trucks allow multiple cuisines to

curate special family moments. One

lifelong memories, it’s extra special.

be served and showcase the couples’

of our favorite moments has been

There’s nothing like the moment when

personalities. It’s a fun and creative way

with the introduction of first looks

she puts on her dress with her mom in

to have food and festivities for events.

with grandparents where they can

the same room where she played with

We are also including scented sanitizers

get a specific time to share words of

dolls and walks down the same steps as

on the tables that are reflective of

encouragement, prayers and hopes for

she did for prom. Whether it’s a tented

the event. It is something guests love

their future ahead.

-Sheriah Gibson, Posh Occasions

reception on the lawn or dinner party

and adds another layer of safety and

inside, there’s an intimacy that can’t be

cleanliness to events.

-Etricia Robinson, Gumbo to Geaux Caterer & Event Planner

Photo by White Oak Productions

replicated at a country club or venue.

-Heather Durham, Heather Durham Photography Photo by Heather Durham Photography

62 Spring 2022

Photo by Je Vois Photography

VestaviaHillsMagazine.com 63

brooke + reed AUGUST 28, 2021 PHOTOS BY HEATHER DURHAM PHOTOGRAPHY

64 Spring 2022

HOW WE MET Reed and I (Brooke) have dated since seventh grade. We knew each other all throughout elementary school but didn’t become friends until we had sixth-grade math class together.

the details Ceremony Venue: Briarwood Presbyterian Church Reception Venue: Vulcan Park and Museum Day of Coordinator: Cindy Caradine Florist: The Kings Garden Caterer: Iz Catering Bride’s Cake: Pen and Pastry Groom’s Cake: Barb’s Cakes Invitations & Calligraphy: Brooke Alexander Design (bride) Wedding Dress: The White Room Bridesmaid Dresses: Bella’s Bridesmaids Hair & Makeup: Abby Moorer Hair and Makeup Groom/Groomsmen Attire: Calvin Klein Music: Fountain City Players Transportation: Vintage Car Parade

THE PROPOSAL I (Reed) had always dreamed of proposing at the lake house we grew up going to, so I told Brooke we were eating dinner with my family at Springhouse and had to pick up my grandmother on the way. On the way to her house, I pulled off into the driveway of our old lake house. Brooke immediately knew what was going on, so I had to pull her down to the dock. My sister and cousin had gone before us and set up pictures and flowers, so everything was ready to go. After saying a few things, I got down on a knee and she said yes!

THE WEDDING DRESS One of my (Brooke’s) favorite parts of my wedding dress, an ivory all lace Anne Barge gown, and veil was that my mom and I ended up sewing my veil. We took pieces of lace from my mom’s dress and made a custom veil. It was one of my most favorite parts of my whole wedding day look and so sentimental!

FAVORITE DETAILS Some of my favorite details from the wedding are all of the things my mom and I (Brooke) worked on throughout the summer for the wedding. We made all of the silk ribbon, designed all of the invitations, and spent many hours around the kitchen table tying bows and putting together wedding invitations. Another one of my favorite details was the vintage car parade. I had always dreamed of having a fun exit and the vintage car parade came to mind. Our close friends and family helped pull it off, and it was the perfect exit for the whole bridal party.

VestaviaHillsMagazine.com 65

katie + hardie JUNE 26, 2021 PHOTOS BY ELEANOR STENNER PHOTOGRAPHY

66 Spring 2022

HOW WE MET Hardie and I (Katie) grew up together. We have been family friends since we were young and would always spend the Fourth of July together. We were in the same friend group in high school and started dating our senior year. We took on Auburn University together and built a relationship stronger than ever! Once we both knew that we would be back in Birmingham after college, we decided to start on a journey into marriage.

THE PROPOSAL Hardie proposed to me right in front of the pond at the entrance to the Birmingham Botanical Gardens. My best friend convinced me that we were getting dinner with her family at the Grand Bohemian to make sure I was dressed accordingly, but we took a detour to meet my soon-to-be fiancé.

the details Ceremony Venue: Vestavia Hills United Methodist Church Reception Venue: Hoover-Randle Home and Gardens Day-of Coordinator: Grace and Truth Weddings Florist: Susan Milner Designs Caterer: Happy Catering Company Cake: Telia Johnson Cakes Invitations: Carlson Craft Wedding Dress: Ivory & White Boutique Bridesmaid Dresses: Revelry Hair & Makeup: The Collective Salon Makeup: Jaysa Hope Caldwell Groom/Groomsmen Attire: Jos. A. Bank Music: DJ Ben Bruud Transportation: Rare Transportation Emcee: Jerell Horton

THE WEDDING DRESS I found my dress at Ivory & White Boutique in Mountain Brook. It was actually the first dress that I tried on there, and my sister knew from that instant that it would end up being my dress.

FAVORITE MOMENT Our last dance was by far the greatest part of the day. As we started dancing, many of our guests joined in as well, but as the song progressed they slowly trickled out to the front lawn for our exit. By the end of the song, it was just Hardie and me on the dance floor, soaking in all of the joy of the most wonderful day.

FAVORITE DETAILS My most favorite wedding detail was my veil. I wanted to incorporate something from my mom’s dress into mine, so she and I were able to take all of the lace off of her dress and hand stitch it onto my veil. It was truly so special and something that I hope my sister and my children will use as well.

VestaviaHillsMagazine.com 67

kathleen + bennett NOVEMBER 21, 2020 PHOTOS BY ELIZABETH FOWLER PHOTOGRAPHY

68 Spring 2022

the details Venue: The Sonnet House Wedding Planner: Ellen Morgan, The Sonnet House Florist: Corey Hults, The Sonnet House Caterer: The Sonnet House Cake: Magic Muffins Videographer: Pinnacle Media Invitations: minted.com Wedding Dress: All about the Bride Bridesmaid Dresses: Bella Bridesmaids Hair & Makeup: Glow Groom/Groomsmen Attire: Men’s Wearhouse Music: Cahaba River Strings, Matt Carroll Band Transportation: Vintage Auto and Wedding Chauffeur

HOW WE MET We both grew up in Vestavia but didn’t really know each other until we met in Mrs. Walker’s freshman English class at Vestavia Hills High School and also at track practice after school. I (Bennett) quickly developed a crush on Kathleen, while she was not so sure at first.

After several months of heavy pursuit, I convinced Kathleen to go on a date with me to the famous Cheesecake Factory at The Summit. We both attended Auburn University and decided to take a break as we navigated our way through college. It was while we were apart we realized how much we loved each other and needed each other.

THE PROPOSAL A surprise winter storm came through Chattanooga, and as we were walking out the door to go for a hike in the snow, I had a gut feeling to run back inside and grab the ring out of its hiding place. As we hiked atop Lookout Mountain, I set up my camera and told Kathleen I wanted to “take a picture of us in the snow,” but in reality I hit the record button and captured the moment.

FAVORITE MOMENT During the ceremony Pastor Wade asked us to turn around and see everyone that came to support us on our big day. Seeing all of our close friends and family made us feel so loved! Something extra special to mention is that we were so fortunate to have many of our childhood friends in the wedding.

In fact, most of our wedding party are from Vestavia too.

FAVORITE DETAILS Our first dance was “Your Song”

by Elton John. The groom’s cake was a kayaker going over a waterfall. The bride’s bouquet had all of Kathleen’s favorite flowers, and she wore a bracelet that belonged to her late grandmother.

VestaviaHillsMagazine.com 69

meredith + luke MAY 15, 2021 PHOTOS BY BE LIGHT PHOTOGRAPHY

70 Spring 2022

HOW WE MET Meredith and I (Luke) met in our first week of medical school.

Luckily, we lived nearby, and I was able to chauffeur her to and from the many social events that occur in the first month of school. From the beginning I was infatuated with her, though I tried my best— and failed—to keep it a secret.

Our frequent drives allowed me to fall in love with her. Over that year we became best friends going to every social event and studying for each test together. We are both so grateful that we started officially dating in the summer before the second year of medical school, which is arguably the most academically stressful due in part to board exams. We later traveled to Amsterdam, and Meredith was able to experience her first Filipino Christmas party—that one ranked among the top. I was able to tag along with her family to several Auburn football wins and spend a week at the beach with her family.

the details Ceremony Venue: Canterbury United Methodist Reception Venue: The Theodore Wedding Planner: Kalee Baker Events Florist: HotHouse Design Studio Caterer: Beyond Details Cake: Telia Johnson Videographer: Huf Wedding Films Calligraphy: Jennifer Reynolds Calligraphy Paper: Ledgewood Fine Stationery Wedding Dress: Bella Couture Bridesmaid Dresses: Bella Bridesmaids Hair: Lynsey Richardson, Perfectly Undone Beauty Makeup: Cosmetics by Mackenzie Groom/Groomsmen Attire: Mr. Burch Formal Wear Music: Nationwide Coverage Band Departure Car: Coats Classic Cars Trolley: Prideline Transportation Rehearsal Dinner: Ovenbird Lighting Design: Tn Event Designs Event Rentals: Event Rentals Unlimited

THE WEDDING DRESS If you know Meredith, you know she loves to sparkle. When trying on dresses at seven different boutiques, no gown was “WOW” enough until she saw the Lazaro “Emma,” an ivory tulle bridal ball gown in full floral-printed glitter.

FAVORITE DETAILS I am from a very tight-knit, huge, and super fun Filipino-American family. The men on the my side wore “barongs” to the rehearsal dinner that were custom designed and handmade by a family friend in Cebu, Philippines. Meredith’s rehearsal dinner dress was accented with a rhinestone belt from her grandmother’s wedding dress that came across the sea on an ocean liner from England more than 60 years ago. The last pass on wedding night was also a huge hit with mini ice cream cones from Trader Joe’s, as was the champagne tower of our dreams that came to life.

VestaviaHillsMagazine.com 71

72 Spring 2022

katie + michael JUNE 5, 2021 PHOTOS BY JE VOIS PHOTOGRAPHY

74 Spring 2022

HOW WE MET We met through many mutual friends. We were actually friends for over a year before we started dating. I think all our friends knew we liked each other before we even realized it. Michael was always making me (Katie) laugh, and I just felt so comfortable and at ease around him.

the details Venue: Events at Haven Wedding Planner: Engaged Wedding Library Florist: Laurel and Sage Florals Caterer: The Bright Star Cake: Magic Muffin Videographer: A Morales Production Wedding Dress: Bella Couture Bridesmaid Dresses: Azazie Groom’s Tux: Greg Tremblay Hair and Makeup: Salon 43 One Music: Color the Night

THE PROPOSAL One day we set out on a hike to Lookout Mountain in Montreat, an adorable little mountain town that I had spent summers visiting growing up. When we got to the top of the mountain, my parents and Michael were acting a little funny. We posed for a photo, and just like that, Michael was down on one knee.

THE WEDDING DRESS It was lacey and flowy and just made me feel so pretty. My favorite part was the buttons on the back, although it took a village to fasten them on the big day!

FAVORITE MOMENT It’s so hard to pick a favorite moment, but I would have to say it was our first dance. We chose the song “Apollo” by St. Paul and the Broken Bones, a band we both love with local ties. Toward the end of the song, we invited everyone out to dance with us, and to my surprise, so many people got up to get their groove on. Our videographer said it was the best first dance he’d ever seen.

I’ll never forget it.

FAVORITE DETAILS The flower arch by Laurel and Sage for our ceremony was breathtaking. Our band, Color the Night, played the perfect set list that had everyone on the dance floor until the very end of the night. The food from The Bright Star, Birmingham’s oldest restaurant, was delicious, with my favorites being the mac n’ cheese and the pie shooters. How can you have a wedding without pie shooters?

VestaviaHillsMagazine.com 75

ellie + ford JANUARY 30, 2021 PHOTOS BY ANNA GODWIN

76 Spring 2022

HOW WE MET Our paths definitely crossed while attending rival high schools, but we officially met through a mutual friend when I (Ellie) was moving back home from Auburn for an internship. We went on our first date to my favorite restaurant, and the rest is history!

THE PROPOSAL On Mother’s Day weekend, Ford told me we had to get dressed up and take photos for his grandparents who live out of town.

We went to Vestavia Drive and took photos like normal, and he walked me over to a gazebo for a “better view” and got down on one knee. I immediately said yes, and we were joined in celebration by our family hiding in the bushes watching it all happen.

FAVORITE MOMENT My favorite moment was walking down the aisle with my dad to Ford. Being surrounded by all of our favorite people while saying our vows was truly the best.

the details Ceremony Venue: St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church Reception Venue: Events at Haven Wedding Planner: Occasions with Symone Shaw Florist: Jean Brown & Linda Bearden Caterer: Happy Catering Cake: Magnificent Cakes Videographer: Jen & Matt Landrum Invitations: Cotton & Pine Wedding Dress: Bustle Bridesmaid Dresses: Bella Bridesmaids Hair & Makeup: Melissa Bogardus & Carter and Morgan Music: OBOV Band Transportation: The Struggle Bus Photography Venue: Old Overton Club

FAVORITE DETAILS Ford and his dad, along with the help of his mom’s painting skills, built the flower wall behind our cake. I saw a photo of this on Instagram and wanted to create it for our wedding. We did wait until the week of the wedding to make the wall, but after a few late nights, it turned out perfectly and was a great backdrop for photos throughout the reception. Another stand-out detail was Ford singing “Hero” by Enrique Iglesias with the band like he was on an American Idol audition.

WHAT WE ARE DOING NOW With a bit of convincing Ford, a life-long Hoover Bucs fan, we are living in a house in Vestavia. We renovated the entire house in three months leading up to our wedding and are getting to enjoy it together. I work in the medical staff office at Grandview Medical Center, and Ford works in petrol sales with Verifone.

VestaviaHillsMagazine.com 77

caroline + swede JUNE 5, 2021 PHOTOS BY SWEET JULEP PHOTOGRAPHY

78 Spring 2022

the details Ceremony Venue: Vestavia Hills United Methodist Church Reception Venue: Vestavia Country Club Wedding Planner: Engaged Wedding Library Florist: Lillie Jane Caterer: Vestavia Country Club Bride’s Cake: Pen and Pastry Groom’s Dessert: Big Spoon Creamery Videographer: Sweet Home Studios Invitations: Fine Paperwork Calligraphy: MHC Calligraphy (bride’s sister) Wedding Dress: Bustle Bridesmaid Dresses: Azazie Hair & Makeup: Holly Craft Groom/Groomsmen Attire: Mr. Burch Formal Wear Music: Second Groove Showband Transportation: The Struggle Bus Getaway Car: Event Rides Bham

HOW WE MET Swede and I (Caroline) met through a mutual friend who was his roommate at the time and a good friend of mine from college.

After meeting, Swede asked me out on a date to Bettola. When I told my mom his name, she started laughing. Both of our grandparents grew up in Auburn together and are close friends.

Our grandfathers used to eat lunch together every day. My mom and his dad grew up in Auburn together as well, and my dad and Swede’s mom went to Mountain Brook together for a few years. It seemed like fate that after all of these family connections we finally met at the right time!

THE PROPOSAL My mom told me she needed help taking her car to the shop, and when I walked inside the house, Swede was standing in the living room. He took me outside and proposed to me in my backyard. It was very sweet and intimate—no photographers, no family, just us!

FAVORITE MOMENT As we left our reception our getaway driver, a family friend, started playing “Sweet Caroline” from the car, and all of our guests sang along and threw rose petals as we walked to the car. It was a fun surprise and a moment I will never forget. My family always sang it to me as I was growing up.

FAVORITE DETAILS I adored our wedding cake. It looked like a fairy tale the way the flowers circled up. It also tasted delicious. I ate it for breakfast the morning after our wedding, and I am having a hard time letting it sit in our freezer a whole year until our anniversary. Kristen lives in Vestavia and does the cake tastings out of her home. It is such an inviting experience tasting and designing the cake with her.

VestaviaHillsMagazine.com 79

madison + cole SEPTEMBER 5, 2021 PHOTOS BY NATHAN FORBES

80 Spring 2022

the details Venue: TJ Tower Wedding Planner: Dana Baswell, Southern Styled Events Florist: Flowers by the Heart Cake: Magic Muffins Videographer: Ninety-Three Creative Invitations: InPrint4U Wedding Dress: Diane’s Formal Affair Bridesmaid Dresses: Dear Cleo Hair & Makeup: Lisa Nguyen Groom/Groomsmen Attire: Mr. Burch Formal Wear Music: DJ Sillz Transportation: Rick Burton Photo Booth: Let’s Booth It

HOW WE MET My roommate sent a text several weeks prior to the Auburn vs. Ole Miss game in 2017 asking if we minded if a few of her friends stayed in our apartment while they were in town experiencing their first SEC football game. I was quite surprised when four cadets from the United States Air Force Academy entered our front door.

All weekend, Cole and I found ourselves sitting next to each other at lunch or dinner. Cole is very shy, so I enjoyed picking on him to open up and speak to me. He ultimately felt comfortable enough to begin some playful banter (and honestly, flirting!) with me, but just as quickly as the weekend started, it came to a close. Cole and I spent the next two and a half years texting and Facetiming. I was surprised when he invited me to fly out to Colorado to be his date to the Air Force Academy’s ring dance, and when I was finally reunited with Cole, the rest was history!

FAVORITE DETAILS Throughout our long-distance relationship when I was living in New York, my roommate Melinda May, a singer/songwriter, always commented on the special connection that Cole and I shared.

One night, she shared a song that she had written about Cole and me, “Anywhere, Everywhere.” The song was inspired by a conversation that Melinda and I had where I shared with her that living my dream in New York City was special, but I always had the feeling that something was incomplete when Cole wasn’t there. The song mentions that a girl would be fine “spending every Christmas in North Dakota,” which is pure irony since Cole and I are now living in North Dakota. Before our ceremony started, I asked Melinda if she would perform it, and it was one of the most special moments.

VestaviaHillsMagazine.com 81

OUT & ABOUT

1

VESTAVIA HILLS CHRISTMAS PARADE

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

PHOTOS BY JAMES CULVER

This annual parade processed from Liberty Parkway to Alston Meadows in Liberty Park on Dec. 12.

1.

The McCarroll Family

2.

Melissa and Ellie Ersoy

3.

The Authement Family

4.

The Green and Stokes families

5.

The Beard Family

6.

The Morales and Bygrave families

7.

Patrick and Sarah Gardner, and Laura and Charlie Blake

8.

The Manuel Family with Mary Fischer Wendorf

9.

Mayor Ashley Curry’s float

10. City Council Member George Pierce’s car 11. Alfano Grocery’s red pickup 12. William Richardson, Brooks Rambo and Bennett Zinder 13. ARC Realty float 14. Lil Rebels Third Grade Cheer float

82 Spring 2022

OUT & ABOUT

10

11

13

14

12

VestaviaHillsMagazine.com 83

OUT & ABOUT

1

2

POINSETTIA BALL

3

PHOTOS CONTRIBUTED

The Ballet Women’s Committee and Poinsettia Men’s Club hosted the 54th Annual Poinsettia Ball on Dec. 16 at Vestavia Country Club. The Ballet Women’s Committee was founded in 1960 to foster and promote fine arts in the greater Birmingham area. All proceeds from the Poinsettia Ball support the Alabama Ballet.

1.

Catherine Whitcom, SK Wyers, Mary Lansley Schick, Sydney Speagle and Avery Kilpatrick

2.

Millie and Laura Hawk

3.

Mallie Reed, Lauren Watts, Madeleine Yates, Olivia Snyder and Bailey Williams

4.

Sydney Grace Edge, Collins McMurray, Chandler Coshatt and Isabella Rizzo

5.

John and Elizabeth Lemak

6.

Abby Smith, Evie Ann Owens, Mary Hinson Mims, Brooke Tarrant, Megan Smith and Virginia Macoy

7.

Anne Elise Beasley, Katlin Willingham and Abbigale Fitzgerald Waters

8.

Miller Widemire, Kait O’Donnell, Grace Belcher and Maggie Caselton

9.

Malone Gammill, Elizabeth Eickholt, Virginia Balogh, Mary Alex Maluff and Ashby Thomas

10. Catherine Cangelosi and Emory Elizabeth Swafford 84 Spring 2022

4

6

5

OUT & ABOUT

7

9

8

10

Learn more on our social media! @VESTAVIACITYCENTER CHOPT | TACO MAMA | CRUMBL | AMC | MORE! VestaviaHillsMagazine.com 85

MARKETPLACE

Marketplace Vestavia Hills Magazine • 205.669.3131

A BIRTHDAY PLACE BAKING, PARTY SUPPLIES & GIFTS • CUSTOM PARTY DECORATIONS, INHOUSE GFX TEAM TO MAKE YOUR PARTY • SAME-DAY PICKUP 205-637-0010 QUESTIONS@ BIRTHDAYPLACE.COM 2706C PELHAM PARKWAY PELHAM, AL 35124

Associated Grocers of the South HIRING EXPERIENCED STANDUP FORKLIFT OPERATOR. $19.85/HOUR, PLUS $$$ PRODUCTION & SAFETY INCENTIVES. 2nd shift starts at 4:00pm. Great benefits including Blue Cross Health+Dental Insurance $59/week.

Paid vacation & holidays, matching 401k. APPLY AT WWW.AGSOUTH.COM Automation Personnel Services Hiring IMMEDIATELY For: Automotive Assembly, General Labor, Production, Clerical, Machine Operator, Quality, Carpentry, Welder, Foundry. Positions In: Calera, Clanton, Pelham, Bessemer, McCalla. Walkin applications accepted.

Clanton (205)280-0002.

Pelham (205)444-9774.

Bama Concrete Now Hiring: Diesel Mechanic 4 Years Minimum Experience. CDL Preferred.

Competitive Pay. Great Benefits. Apply in person: 2180 Hwy 87 Alabaster, 35007 Now Hiring For Utility Positions Starting pay $14.42/hour Must be able to pass background screen. Please apply at: www.bc.com $80,000+ Yearly Potential Sales positions available at Burton Campers. Please call Mickey Price for phone interview: 205-668-0075

86 Spring 2022

Chilton and Shelby County Treatment Center Now Hiring Masters in counseling/ social work and related fields. Email resume to: donnajoiner53@gmail.com Or call 205-755-4300 for more information.

Kelly Education • Shelby County Schools • Hiring Substitute Teachers.

Limitless opportunities for passionate people! •Free pre-hire training •Paid orientation •Ongoing professional development •Steady, yet flexible, work •Weekly pay •Your preference of schools.

Contact Anne Gamble: O: 205.682.7062 M: 205.532.1122 anne.gamble@ kellyservices.com Lancaster Place Apartments. Location, community & quality living in Calera, AL. 1, 2, & 3 bedroom apartments available.

Call today for specials!!

205-668-6871. Or visit hpilancasterplace.com Marble Valley Manor.

Affordable 1 and 2 Bedroom Apartments for Elderly & Disabled. Many on-site services! 2115 Motes Rd, Sylacauga.

256-245-6500 •TDD#s: 800-548-2547(V) • 800-548-2546(T/A). Office Hours: Mon-Fri, 8am4pm. Equal Opportunity Provider/Employer

Oxford Healthcare in Montgomery currently hiring certified CNA’s and/or Home Health aides in the Clanton, Marbury and Maplesville areas. Must be able to pass complete background check, have reliable transportation and have a strong work ethic. Serious inquiries only. Call 334-409-0035 or apply on-line at www.

Oxfordhealthcare.com

VestaviaHillsMagazine.com

LAND FOR SALE 180 acres, located on Walnut Creek. Will not divide property. Call for more information: 205-369-5641 Part-Time Maintenance Manager Position Opening at Riverside Baptist Church Helena.

Good employment for qualified retired or semiretired person. Call 205-426-1910 for additional information.

South Haven Health & Rehab NOW HIRING!!!

•LPN’s & RN’s -$5,000 Sign-on Bonus for Full-Time shift •CNA’s Apply in person: 3141 Old Columbiana Rd Birmingham, AL-35266

CLOCK REPAIR SVS. * Setup * Repair * Maintenance. I can fix your Mother’s clock. Alabaster/ Pelham. Call Stephen (205)663-2822 Electrician - FT Supreme Electric, local-based company in Pelham.

Must be willing to learn & work hard. Go to: supremeelectric-al. com Print employment application under Contact Us. Mail to: Supreme Electric 231 Commerce Pkwy Pelham, AL 35124 or call 205-453-9327.

Become a Dental Assistant in ONLY 8 WEEKS! Please visit our website capstonedental assisting.com or call (205)561-8118 and get your career started!

Now Hiring! Termite Treaters and Inspectors.

Work with a great local company, in business for over 50 years. BC/ BS insurance, 401k, opportunities available.

No experience required.

Must have a good driving record and be able to pass drug screen. Email

to facsmith@charter.net or call 205-369-6250. Vulcan Termite and Pest Control Now hiring RN’s and LPN’s throughout Alabama! $250 community referral bonus for RN’s and LPN’s. Signon Bonuses available at select locations! For more information please contact: Paige Gandolfi Call/text: 724-691-7474 pgandolfi@ wexfordhealth.com HIRING EXPERIENCED PIPE LAYERS & CDL DRIVERS REV Construction seeking Experienced Pipe Layers CDL Drivers Class A or B 2yrs dump truck exp. preferred Benefits include: BCBS Medical Insurance, 401k Paid holidays & vacation time.

Email resume: mtucker@ revconstructioninc.com Fax: 205-349-1862 Call: 205-349-1860 DONAVAN LAKES FISHING CLUB & INN Marion, Perry Co. AL 2131 Eagle Grove Church Rd. Marion, Alabama •8 Lakes •17 Piers •Bass, Bream, Crappie, Catfish.

•Camping, Nature Trails, Birding. Membership $1000 for 2022 Contact Thomas Wilson 334-247-2101 wils5789@bellsouth.net www.donavanlakes.orgg High Expectations Cleaning 205-728-8854 highexpertcleaning.com GENERAL MANAGER: SONIC–CHELSEA. DUTIES: Responsible for operations, training and development of all employees; execution of policies, programs and systems, including Sonic Operations Manual. Creates and maintains an “Employer of Choice” environment.

REQUIREMENTS: -Highly motivated -High School diploma/GED -Two years restaurant management experience (P&L experience preferred) -Advanced studies in business, restaurant management, or related field preferred. -Proven experience managing all shifts without supervision.

-Willingness to relocate.

BENEFITS: -Competitive Pay -Bonus Plan -Health Insurance -Optional Life Insurance, IRA -Paid Vacation -Excellent training program Are you “Sonic Good”? Mail Resume: J.W. Cain 6 County Road 455 Iuka, MS 38852 Call 662-424-0706 Email: john@mfmanagementllp. com Experienced Termite Technician or someone experienced in routeservice work and wants to learn new profession.

Work-vehicle/equipment provided. Must drive straight-shift, have clean driving record/be 21/ pass background/drug test. Training provided.

Insurance/401K offered.

M-F 7:00-4:30 + 1 Saturday/month. Pay $13hr. Send resume to facsmith@charter.net Southeastern Sealcoating Now Hiring RECEPTIONIST Requirements: Microsoft Office proficiency, Organizational skills, Personable phone skills.

We offer benefits & 401k!

Must pass drug test.

Email resume: Grace@southeastern sealcoating.com LOOKING FOR A TRAVEL TRAILER We have several to choose from Travel Trailers, 5th wheels and Motorhomes Financing available W.A.C. Give Me A Call Now! 205-991-3500

Embroidery

Engraving

Wedding & Shower Invitations, Programs, accessories for the wedding party, many options!

Gifts for the Bride, Groom,

• •

•

•

Wedding Party, Hostess Gifts and so much more!

VestaviaHillsMagazine.com 87

MY VESTAVIA HILLS JORDAN ELDER

Vestavia Hills Elementary Liberty Park PTO President

Fitness Fun

F45 I am in no way a girl that likes to work out, but I love this gym! It is hard, and I am usually sore afterwards. But the community that surrounds you, the coaches that challenge you and the peppy dance music make it all well worth it. You will be amazed to find out what you are capable of and how strong you really are!

A Second Home

Meals on the Go

Snapper Grabbers Land & Sea Liberty Park Our family is always on the run, and I am not ashamed to admit I am not the best cook. I like to pop in to Snapper Grabbers and grab a premade meal that makes my picky eaters think I really am a chef.

The Chicken Enchiladas may be the new family favorite!

Girls’ Day Out

LaBella Skin Spa This is one of my go-to stops for not only massages and facials, but also the perfect present for all my girlfriends’ birthdays. Coleman always greets you by name and helps you shop for just the right gift.

A couple of my favs are the crazy soft Barefoot Dreams blanket, and of course you can never go wrong with a gift card.

Community Schools

VHELP & LPMS I cannot say enough wonderful things about the staff at VHELP. The love they show our children is top notch, and I know the same goes for our middle school. A large part of that, I believe, is because these truly are the community’s schools and everyone pours their heart into helping support them. The tunnel and golf cart pick up are the icing on the cake!

88 Spring 2022

Old Overton Club From tennis and swim team to brunches, couples golf and date nights, this has really become our family’s second home. I cannot say enough about Lizzie and the tennis program, and couples golf may be my husband and I’s favorite date night. Chef Hayes and Berlinda never miss with their gourmet meals and desserts. And our children love to count how many deer or turkey they see on the way home.

[Newbor n + Child + Family Por traiture] info@apeppermintphoto.com + 205.807.6431 w w w . a p e p p e r m i n t p h o t o . c o m VestaviaHillsMagazine.com 89

90 Spring 2022