There are some wedding days where the weather becomes part of the story.
My summer wedding at Eaves Hall was definitely one of them.
It was a proper heatwave day - the kind of day where everyone is grateful for a cold drink and a bit of shade - but it made for an incredible atmosphere.
Eaves Hall is a beautiful wedding venue in West Bradford, near Clitheroe, and was the setting for a six-hour live illustration booking for Abbie & Jordan.
Six hours of live wedding illustration
For this wedding, I was booked for my six-hour package, giving me plenty of time to create illustrations throughout the celebrations.
A six-hour booking is a great middle ground for couples who want live illustration to be a significant part of their wedding entertainment without necessarily having an illustrator there for the entire day.
It gives guests plenty of opportunities to come over throughout the reception, while allowing the artwork to fit naturally around the day's other plans.
A wedding venue with incredible staff
One of the things that really stood out to me at Eaves Hall was the venue team.
As a supplier, you notice these things.
A wedding day can involve an enormous number of moving parts, and having a venue team who are organised, helpful and genuinely lovely to work alongside makes such a difference.
The staff were incredible throughout the day, and it was one of those venues where you could tell there was a real understanding of how all the different suppliers needed to work together.
Live illustration during a heatwave
The weather definitely added another element to the day.
When you're illustrating live at a wedding, you're constantly aware of what's happening around you — where guests are gathering, where people are sitting, what's happening next and where you're going to get the best flow of guests.
On a particularly hot day, that becomes even more important.
Guests naturally move between indoor and outdoor spaces, looking for shade and somewhere comfortable to enjoy the celebrations.
It meant the day had a lovely relaxed summer atmosphere, with people moving around and enjoying the sunshine between all the usual wedding moments.
Why Eaves Hall works so well for wedding illustration
Eaves Hall has that classic country-house wedding feel, which gives couples plenty of options when it comes to styling their day.
And for live illustration, I think that flexibility is really useful.
Your illustrations don't need to compete with your venue.
They're simply another experience happening alongside everything else.
Guests can wander over, have their artwork created and then head back to enjoy the rest of the wedding.
If you're getting married at Eaves Hall...
A six-hour live illustration booking could be a lovely option if you're looking for something to entertain guests during your reception while also giving them a personalised keepsake to take home.
And after working there myself, I'd be very happy to return.
