Wedding Artist Portfolio

 

Deja and David Cut Their Cake

The cake cutting happened right near my setup, and I got a perfect view — even snapping a beautiful photo of the couple with their cake.

​

Then, late in the evening, something happened that I’ll never forget.

​

An older couple came up to be drawn.

​

The woman was in a wheelchair. The husband gently positioned the woman in the wheelchair in front of me. She had a condition that made it hard for her to hold her head up on her own.

I’d worked in nursing homes before. I knew she wouldn’t be able to hold her head up for long.

I hesitated — not because I didn’t want to draw her, but because I wanted to do it right.

​​

Before I could worry any more, her husband stepped in.

He gently cradled her chin in his hands and held her head up for me.

She smiled — and suddenly I could see that she was actually quite beautiful.

​​​​

As I began to draw, the room seemed to fall away.
They were in their own little world.

I drew her quickly so that they didn’t have to stay in that position for long.
As I was drawing, the husband whispered something in her ear. She smiled even bigger.

​

The love between the two of them was so touching that I had to blink back tears.

There must have been something in my eye.

When I finished her sketch, I told her husband he could let her rest.

He took a seat next to his wife and her head drooped down on her chest again. She was tired. That was a lot of effort.

I drew the gentleman, and then I gave it the once over, shaded a little bit more here, added an extra line there.

And now the moment everyone was waiting for. I was ready for the big reveal.

Would they like it?​​

I held my breath and turned the pad toward them.

For a moment, neither of them said a word.​

Then they both broke into big smiles.

​

They loved it!

​​

The wife was all smiles. I rolled it up for them. The husband thanked me and carefully unlocked her wheels and carted her away.

​​

I took a breath, wiped my eyes and kept going.

The Father of the Bride & one of their sons

Later that evening, I was talking to the father of the bride. He and his wife were taking a breather and grabbing a bite in the kitchen. 

“When my daughter said she was hiring a caricature artist for her wedding, I said…

A WHAT?” he said, scrunching up his face. I laughed.

“But you’ve been the best thing here tonight. People were lined up all night long.”

​

His wife nodded.

​

“Everyone was talking about it,” she said.

​

“And you know those folks in the wheelchair?” he added.
“They don’t ever get pictures taken. Anywhere. Neither of them. But they got one with you.”

​

Then he said quietly, “That was my mom and dad.”

​

I caught my breath. Those folks I drew with the wheelchair were the grandparents of the bride.

​

“You made their day,” his wife said.

​

“I’m so glad,” I said — and again, I’d got something in my eye.

Oh this is so why I do what I do.

​

I’m so grateful for this job. I always wanted to help people. And this is how I get to do it. 

​

One drawing at a time.