Illustrated By Leigha

Live Guest Illustrations - A Unique Favor For Your Wedding

Hello and congratulations on your engagement!

I remember when I was planning my wedding - it was the most magical time in my life and all I wanted was to experience the perfect day. It was also extremely important to me to make my wedding memorable to my guests. I wanted to hear - for years to come - how much fun my guests had. What better way to make sure my guests remember my wedding than to send them home with their own customized portrait?

My name is Leigha and I am a Fashion Illustrator who fell in love with weddings. From the day I graduated at The Fashion Institute of Technology on the course of Fashion Design, I found myself working in bridal boutiques, exploring all the different areas of the bridal world. All the while, I never stopped practicing my true passion - sketching. 

I decided to take the two aspects of my career that I love the most — fashion illustration and weddings — and combined the two in the hopes of chasing my ultimate dream of capturing weddings through my art style. 

The best part about weddings is that it is the one time we get to have every single person we love in one place to celebrate the love we found. When I look back on my wedding day, I get a little emotional thinking about how we will never all be in the same place again.

This is the moment I wanted to capture. 

Every single guest who attended my wedding will be able to look back on a portrait of themselves that can transport them back in time to that night - what they were wearing, who they were with, how much fun they remember having. Being able to reminisce a beautiful moment that has passed us by is a gift. 

 

I absolutely love when guests seek me out after the wedding to tell me how they have their portrait framed and they look at it every day. That is the ultimate purpose of what I do - create a memory from your wedding that have guests reminiscing forever - so hearing that my artwork is being treasured for years to come is so special to me. 

It's always the groom who surprises me the most with their reactions. In one of my packages, I include a 9x12" commission piece of the couple on their wedding day that is mailed with the remaining guest portraits. Most of the messages I receive are how the groom can't wait to hang up their portrait, or how they are totally blown away to have their own frameable artwork to remember their wedding day. It's like an unexpected little surprise for them that they didn't know was coming - that is if they're anything like my husband and weren't so much involved in the wedding planning beyond the DJ and music choice!

At one wedding, a guest came up to me to inquire if I would illustrate a portrait of her with someone who has passed. After exchanging information and learning more about the requested artwork, I was able to create and mail a portrait to her. Knowing that I could create such meaningful art that could be healing in some ways and bring the memory of someone back for a moment... well, words just can't even describe that feeling. 

I specialize in Fashion Illustration - and illustrating fast - this means my art style is very specific. Fashion illustration is meant to highlight key features (hair color, outfit, shoes, etc.) and I do not capture people's insecurities. I have had guests approach my table and express that they want me to draw them "skinny" or not include acne, etc. The good news is all of the portraits are done in the same fashion illustration style, so no one has to worry about me drawing any of their insecurities. It is meant to be a fun way to capture the outift of the night and to remember the people they love who celebrated alongside them. 

Q: Will our guests have to sit very still for a long time?

A: Your guests won’t have to sit at all! Anyone who wants a custom illustration will have their picture taken and I will use that photo as reference. This way they can go enjoy the party, never miss a beat, and come back later to pick up their finished sketch!

Q: How long does each illustration take?

A: Depending on the details and flow of the wedding/ event, full color sketches take an average of 5-7 minutes to illustrate each individual person and 10-12 minutes to illustrate each couple. My wedding packages include the completion of all guest portraits from the wedding, so any guest who wants one is guaranteed to get one. Any portraits not completed on the night of the wedding will be finished later and mailed to the couple within two weeks. From there they can be included with Thank You cards, or handed out at the couple's leisure!

Q: What do payments look like?

A: My standard payment plan is 2 installments at 50% each. A $200 deposit is collected at the time of booking.

Q: Why should we choose you as a wedding illustrator?

A: Illustrating is my greatest joy in life — have you ever had the feeling that you are destined to do something… that no matter where you are in life there is one thing that makes you, you? That is illustration to me.

When you book me, you are booking someone who will do everything in her ability to capture the essence of your wedding day. I want to help you and your closest friends & family create memories that will be treasured for a lifetime. Consider this the wedding favor that will be enjoyed for many years to come.

I also love working in the wedding industry — getting to know your love story; your friends and family. I have been a stylist selling wedding gowns for more than 6 years. I understand the stress of wedding planning and the importance of your personal calmness during the day of. With me, you can be certain I will bring an extra layer of fun and connection to your wedding night. Your guests will be raving about their personalized artworks forever.

Well, before I started my business my favorite hobby was - you guessed it - drawing! It still is, but now I get to draw as my full time job which means I have even more time for other hobbies! 

Aside from drawing, in the winter you can find me skiing! Or sometimes this means drinking hot chocolate from a cozy cafe while I draw the skiers.

In the summer I love to garden. Being able to grow food to nourish my family is so rewarding. Plus it's so peaceful to be outside!

Friends often call me the grandma of the group because I am known to love knitting and crocheting. Fun fact: I was part of a crochet club in college. 

Any ACOTAR fans here? You can catch me reading every single day. I make it a point to read at least 10 pages of any book each day, no matter how busy I am. We can always use some downtime to escape into a new world for a little.