The Wedding of Georgie & Jack Farrell

rebeccarumsam
Jul 13
3 min read

Saturday 20th June - Hobbit Hill, Clitheroe

What a gorgeously sunny day for a wedding!

Having drawn at Hobbit Hill in Clitheroe before, I was excited to be back. The venue is absolutely fabulous, a mix of modern and rustic interior, overlooking the River Ribble and set against a backdrop of green lancashire fields and forest. The couple could marry in the stunning woods as they wished to and luckily this was at the start of the week’s heatwave so the temperatures were comfortable rather than the 35 degrees we would see later on haha. Lucky for me anyway, a rather nice temp to sketch in! I’d set up the day before as I live reasonably near, so I could arrive calmly just before the ceremony and begin straight away.

My assistant, Jamie on this occasion, was ready to go and the guests started filtering in. We had a nice chat with the talented acoustic musician for the afternoon as we waited for more people to arrive. Jamie would let people know what we were doing and ask for a quick snap, which would be air dropped to me so I could start the sketching. Armed with plenty of snacks, intermittent stretching and some speedy toilet breaks, my drawing head was on and settled in for the long sketching session.

Georgie and Jack had booked the platinum package - a day without time constraints, personalised papers with a bespoke design and keepsake wooden stamp in a silk pouch, including a larger portrait of themselves drawn after the day and studio time for more sketching of any guests we may not have been able to draw by late evening. This is my favourite package as I really enjoy designing the couple’s keepsake stamp, the happy challenge of drawing into the night and so I can be there for the change in musical vibes from day to dusk!

The staff at Hobbit Hill are always kind and thoughtful, keeping me hydrated with buckets of iced soda water. I’d gotten into the groove and a couple of hours in I knew I needed to speed up, as is often the case at the start of the day when I’m just getting into the swing of sketching fast. Guests were collecting their portraits as I pinned them and having some chats. There were laughs and many compliments! Many people watched some of my process, sometimes surprised I wasn’t using a template and drawing each image from scratch. I like to add personal details so the drawings are more unique, and I always knew I wanted to add faces to my live sketches rather than leave those out, which adds character and can often make them more comical too.

I try not to look at how many photos I’m yet to draw during the day ha, unless a guest asks me when theirs will be complete! I likely looked a few times but as always, the time goes very fast in deep concentration. I endeavour to draw for as long as I possibly can, which is usually between 9 and 10pm, often dictated by what my thumb can endure ha. On this occasion it was around 9.30pm, celebrated with a slice of pizza and my two little girls waiting for me to pack up (up way past their bedtime, but too excited haha).

You’ll hear me say this often, but my favourite part of every wedding is the speeches! Whether they are funny or loving, I’m emotional every time. All of the speeches were heartfelt and I was grateful to be sharing in part of this couples lifelong memories on their special day. Sometimes it’s a ‘pinch me’ moment, as I certainly didn’t possess the confidence to pursue live drawing only a few years ago! (more on that another time). So thank you for the trust, this really is my dream job!

Thank you Georgie and Jack, you both looked stunning and your day was fabulous! The colours, the details, your guests, everything was beautiful. Your friends and family made it truly special for you both, I wish you a lifetime of happiness and your floaty cloud nine feeling for a little while longer!

Love Rebecca x

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