The art of simple black portraits from paper has a long and interesting history in England, but is rarely heard of today. Booking a silhouette artist to entertain your guests will add a unique, artistic touch to your special day. Weddings do, in fact, offer a great challenge for our artists. With a wonderful array of hats, and family profiles to compare, there is never a dull moment!

Charles speaks on "Entertainment at Weddings" (video interview)

To see how silhouette cutting could work at your wedding we recommend you view this video interview of Charles in action, made at a wedding in Buckinghamshire.

This interview is a clip from the "From This Day Forward" DVD by Galaxy Videos.
Why not see the whole DVD?

The Silhouettes

If you're planning a wedding you probably have a thousand questions. Take a look at our weddings FAQ on this page to see if any of them are answered there. Then you can call us and ask them all again anyway if you wish!

Cutting full length silhouettes of the bride and groom has become something of a tradition when Charles attends a wedding. This classic and unmistakable outline makes a wonderful alternative wedding photo, and are definately among his favourite subjects!

Take a look at these hats!

Silhouettes at weddings FAQ

1. How long does it take to cut a silhouette?
   Not very long. Anywhere between 60 & 100 seconds! Very complicated hats may slow us down a little...
2. My wedding will be in Timbucktoo! Can you help me?
   Yes, certainly we can. Although based in the South of England we do travel, and have attended events as far afield as Dubai, Edinburgh, Berlin & Marakesh! (You may have to consider travel costs.)
3. Can we have more than one copy of each silhouette?
   Yes. By inserting a second sheet of paper the artist can cut two copies at once. We call this "cutting duplicates", but it does slow us down a little.
4. How long will you stay?
   Usually from 2 - 3 hours. Most people book us for the reception and "wedding breakfast", but silhouetting also works well as an evening entertainment.
5. How many silhouettes can one artist cut?
   Anywhere from 40 to 80 silhouettes. This means silhouetting about half the guests at an average size wedding (if there is such a thing!) We find this works very well from an entertainments point of view.
6. Can't you simply "DO" everybody?
   For small events, yes (up to 60 people). For larger events, if you feel it's important that all your guests be profiled (for instance if you want duplicates to compile a complete record of the event) you may need a second artist.
7. Can you frame duplicates on the day for us?
   We can, but there will be an extra charge to cover the costs of an assistant & a suitable frame. Most people opt to have the duplicates unmounted, ready for them to sort and mount in a book at a later date.
8. Does it cost extra to have the full length silhouettes?
   No. We usually make them as a "special" for the bride & groom, but we can do everybody this way if you wish! This works well at smaller events.
9. Can we put our names on the silhouettes?
   Yes. We can print a "silhouette-mounting card" with your names, the date of the wedding, and even your own silhouettes if you wish! There is a small extra charge to this, to cover artwork and the cost of printing a 'short run'. We do reommended this for weddings, but if you opt to do without we will supply our standard mounting card free of charge. Samples of both these cards can be sent on request.
10. Are you available?
    The big question! You can check our web-based calendar, or just enquire!
11. How do I book you?
    Make an enquiry & we'll send you a proposal. We'll also send a PDF booking form which you can print out and post to us together with a deposit to secure the date. If you need time to consider things please let us know so we can pencil your date in the diary. The diary can change alarmingly quickly sometimes, and it's always a shame when people miss out because of a few days delay.

Call: 0118 947 6637

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©Charles Burns/www.roving-artist.com/The Edo Barn Site/charles@edobarn.demon.co.uk/This page was last updated May 2007