By Madoline Markham KoonceGarden Party Designs lives up to its name, and not just because it designs florals for weddings and other celebrations. For the trio of women who own it, their work often feels like a party of its own.If co-owners Suzanne Graves, Jerri Minor and Melissa Mistrot are setting up flowers in front of the stage when the wedding band starts … [Read more...]

By Madoline Markham KoonceMykola Vyshyvanyuk’s dream to design wedding dresses came true in 2013 in Lviv, Ukraine, but then it came to a sudden halt when Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022. He and his wife, Olena, sent their three children to live with grandparents in Greece and France and started using their atelier’s sewing machines to make vests for … [Read more...]

By Madoline Markham KoonceFor many, the day of the solar eclipse in August 2017 might have brought back memories of wearing paper glasses and looking up at the sun. For TV news journalists Jack Royer and Lillian Askins Lalo, it was a day to return to their old stomping grounds at Mountain Brook Junior High School to speak to Sharon Flowers’ broadcasting class – a … [Read more...]

By Anne RuisiLike rice that gets swept up and tossed after a bride and groom get in a limousine outside the church, floral arrangements that grace weddings and receptions often end up in the trash heap.Saving leftover bridal flowers and recycling them into arrangements that bring joy to residents of senior living centers and hospices is a mission for Haley Sly and the … [Read more...]

By Anne RuisiWhen Buddy Sharbel took his daughter, Margaret, into his arms in May for the father-daughter dance at her wedding reception at The Club, the tune was anything but traditional.Instead, the Vestavia Hills resident and his daughter jitterbugged to the Bobby Darin classic, “Mack the Knife,” a song about a serial killer, while her brothers John and Charlie cut … [Read more...]