Posted: 1st Oct

The rise of live wedding illustration: entertainment with a personal touch

Forget the wedding favour that gets left on the table. One of the most personal trends emerging at weddings is giving guests something they can actually see being created: their own hand-drawn illustration.

Live wedding illustration combines entertainment with a keepsake, transforming guests into stylish works of art while they celebrate. And one Glasgow illustrator is bringing a fashion-forward twist to the idea.

Meet the Glasgow illustrator making wedding guests feel like icons

Colleen, founder of That’s So Sketch, creates fluid, stylish sketches inspired by the outfits, personalities and energy of the people she meets.

Based in Glasgow, Colleen has built That’s So Sketch around her distinctive fashion-inspired illustration style, turning wedding guests into their own personalised artworks.

Rather than asking guests to pose for a formal portrait, Colleen captures quick photographs throughout the day before getting to work on the illustrations as the celebrations continue.

What is live wedding illustration?

While guests mingle, eat, drink and dance, Colleen sketches from the photographs she has taken. Each guest receives an A5 fashion-inspired illustration, ready to collect later in the day and take home.

The finished piece captures the guest as they were on the day, from their outfit and individual style to the atmosphere of the celebration around them.

And there’s an element of anticipation too. Guests can stop to watch Colleen work, return later to see if their sketch is ready and compare their illustrations with friends and family.

A wedding favour with a difference

Traditional favours tend to be something guests receive at their place setting or take home at the end of the night. Live illustration offers a different approach by making the creation of the favour part of the wedding itself.

It gives guests something to get involved with during the day, while also creating a personalised memento they can keep afterwards.

For couples, it can also be a way to add another layer of entertainment to the day, particularly during drinks receptions or quieter moments when guests are mingling between the main events.

Giving guests their own main-character moment

For couples, so much of the wedding planning centres around the details: the flowers, stationery, styling, venue and all the elements that bring the day together.

But there’s also a growing focus on creating an experience that guests will remember.

That’s So Sketch brings that idea to life by putting guests themselves at the centre of the experience. Instead of simply watching the wedding unfold, they get to become part of something being created especially for them.

And long after the last dance, the illustration becomes a little time capsule of the day, capturing not just the wedding itself, but what they wore, who they celebrated with and the moment they were in.

Meet That’s So Sketch at The Scottish Wedding Show

If you're interested in the idea of live wedding illustration, you'll be able to meet Colleen and discover That’s So Sketch for yourself at The Scottish Wedding Show at SEC Glasgow on Saturday 17th and Sunday 18th October 2026.

Find That’s So Sketch at Stand H35, where Colleen will be live sketching and launching her newly reworked wedding packages.

Introducing Sketch & Seek

In keeping with the interactive spirit of That’s So Sketch, Colleen is bringing something extra special to this year’s show: Sketch & Seek.

Hidden around the show will be That’s So Sketch’s signature pink envelopes, tucked away with other Scottish wedding suppliers.

Follow the clues, find an envelope and bring it back to Stand H35 to unlock what’s inside. Prizes will include money off wedding packages, extra live sketching time, venue illustrations, detailed married-couple illustrations and more.