From the Editor

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 AAs 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!