Bridal comish recap

Hello! A blizzard is coming! Let's cozy up with indoor activities and enjoy the hibernation. Here is a recap of some of my bridal commissions of the 2015 Christmas gifting season! Above is a bride and groom sketch, commissioned by their bridesmaids. They used this for their thank you stationery after their early December wedding. 

Next we have Katie and Kent. Picture perfect, aren't they? I love how her dress and hair and makeup are all clean lines and restrained elegance and then her bouquet is wild and oversized. This again was a gift from their bridesmaids. Bridesmaids are the best. 

This is a favorite of mine. Cody, the groom, commissioned this from me prior to their spring wedding. (ok so technically this isn't a christmas commission... it just took me six months to get this done. Sorry Cody...) Cody asked me to create an "i owe you" for Katie to open on their wedding weekend explaining to her that once the wedding was behind them and the pictures were ready, he had arranged for me to paint the above piece.

Awwww sigggghhhhhh... grooms can also be the best. Here's the cute note he had me create for her to read at the wedding: 

So many husband points and he's just getting started!!! 

Here's another, commissioned for the bride by one of her best friends. Little known fact: said friend was one of my bridal paintings from a few years ago, which was commissioned by her mother. I love this cycle of paying it forward that I see in my commission work. It creates a wonderful thread, woman to woman of giving and celebrating one another's milestones. 

Here's a more relaxed, casual composition to remind us that weddings are about family, not just about the day in your life when you wear the most expensive clothes ever. 

Another casual composition for you. This captures the pure joy of the proposal, painted from a picture snapped of the couple celebrating with champagne on a windy golf course where the groom asked the bride to marry him. I love the way just-engaged people smile. It's a smile you don't see to many other times in your life mirrored on two faces simultaneously. 

Here's one for fans of New York City Christmas Love. (who isn't a fan of that?!) Washington Square arch, the tree, he's down on one knee... love! 

Andrew asked me to paint this scene from his proposal last Christmas as a gift for his bride this Christmas. He's got this whole Christmas gift thing on lock, I'd say. 

Here's a gift from the bride's sister to the bride. Notice that her dress is very subtly pink and the headpiece being awesome. 

SISTERS! One of the most fun parts of a wedding is the sister bonding, this piece captures that joy. 

Flower Crown! There's a flower crown! Are we excited?! 

I loved the bohemian, carefree dress and bright flowers in this one. This was a gift from best friend to Bride. 

Ahhh this one. This has to be my favorite. Mainly because I was at the wedding and standing right here for this moment so it was easy to recall how much love was in the air. Maybe I should start insisting that I am invited to every wedding I have to paint from... wedding crashers, artist style. 

Well that about sums it up.

Let's end with the above family portrait. Look at that little guy! The little linen shirt and the baby-sized leather man-bracelet. Baby goals. 

Let this serve as a not-so-subtle reminder that first comes love, then comes marriage, and then comes commissioning me to create you with your baby carriage!