Live drawings at the downtown Marriott

In June I worked a lovely wedding at the downtown Marriott on the Portland waterfront; I love South Portland right by the Willamette river, you get some beautiful views.

My set up at the Marriott.

I was hired by the wedding planner Tahirah Ali - she reached out on behalf of her clients that I actually had met before at a previous wedding! Sara and Carter were guests at a wedding I worked last October and loved the drawing they received so much that they wanted to hire me for their own day.

There was no ceremony at this wedding, as it was done privately for friends and family. So essentially it was one giant reception!

Still fairly early on in my live art career, this was the biggest wedding I had worked (probably around 180 guests), and the number of people I drew proved it. Upon counting everyone in the photos of my drawings at the end of the night, I realized I had drawn fifty people. Definitely had to rest and stretch my wrist the next day.

I also realized I need to have a sign on my table that encourages “1-2 people” only. I kept getting groups of 3-4, and unfortunately it just takes a little too long when you have others waiting for their turn. I tried to make sure everyone who wanted a drawing got one, but I had a few logistical errors I ran into. For one, unlike my previous weddings, I was not visible to the crowd, but tucked away in the foyer, with a separate room hosting the dance party. So although I was keeping a waitlist of people waiting to be drawn, without me in their sight they often didn’t think to check, and without them in my sight I couldn’t find the next guest easily.

It made me think at a wedding this big, a waitlist might not be feasible, and walk-ins and lines will have to do. There are other solutions, like taking a number and even having a restaurant buzzer, so we’ll have to see how those might work.

Thankfully I was able to squeeze in not just a large number of people but the people who really wanted a drawing (they kept coming back and checking) all seemed to get one. If not, I gave them my business card, as I do live portraits at art markets and farmers markets as well.

Also, because I had so many people to draw and so much demand, a few times I asked the guests if they were okay with me forgoing the felt pen finish, and sticking to red and blue colored pencil for a bit of a faster drawing.

I think I’ll try out a few different methods to see what works the best for large weddings, especially when I’m in a separate room.