The Most Meaningful and Unique Gift I Could Give My Bridesmaids on My Wedding Day

Since officially setting up my pet portrait art business in 2021, I made myself a lasting promise, and that was not to draw for my friends and loved ones just because I can. That meant that every birthday, Christmas and celebration, they were never expecting a piece of art to land in their laps.

Why would you do this? I hear you ask. Well, the main reason is that I have never wanted my artwork to lose its spark, that special meaning behind it, and become another ordinary gift. This is a promise I have managed to keep over the years, only gifting my artwork for very special occasions.

Being a bride in 2026, I spent a lot of time sitting on local and nationwide Facebook wedding groups, looking at what other brides were gifting their bridal parties. From personalised glasses and hangers to more personal gifts such as perfume, there were so many ideas being shared. Yet I had never seen a bride gift a drawing of their pets or loved ones. I didn't want to gift something that would eventually end up in a drawer or a memory box. I wanted something special, something that would be cherished for years to come. So what better than an original pencil drawing for each of my bridesmaids, featuring something that meant something to them?

I ended up leaving it until around four weeks before the wedding to choose all the reference photos I wanted to draw from, as I wanted to make sure each piece was incredibly special to the person receiving it.

Personalised pet portraits for my bridesmaids

For my friend Nic, I created a coloured pencil drawing of her two cats. I started with her black cat first, which may surprise you with just how much colour is actually in their coat. Black cats are made up of blues, greys, browns, reds and purples before I even pick up a black pencil!

Once finished, I moved on to her ginger cat, whose coat was made up of browns, creams, pinks and oranges.

For my friend Becks, I created a coloured pencil drawing of her red eclectus parrot, who she had lost many years ago. Bea had meant so much to her, and I wanted to bring that beautiful little bird back to life on paper. I absolutely loved using all the reds and pinks in her feathers.

For my friend Imke, I created a coloured pencil drawing of her cat, who she had recently lost. I knew that gifting this would be incredibly emotive for us both, so I picked a reference photo she had taken of Tiggy sitting on her fence. It was a beautiful image and really showed off all her colours.

For my maid of honour and sister-in-law Katie, I knew exactly what I was going to draw for her. I chose my favourite medium, graphite, and a photo I had taken of her and my niece when she was only a few months old. We were sat on the sofa and they were cuddling. Katie looked down briefly, and I captured the most perfect photo. It took me a long time to find it on my phone! Drawing two people I love so much was emotive but incredibly special, and I loved every second of it.

And finally, for my friend Gemma, this was probably my most difficult choice. I have known Gemma for over 10 years, and in that time, we have shared so many memories. I wanted her piece to be something that connected us in some way. I spent many hours going through photos of us on her social media, trying to find the one that would jump out at me. I even started two additional pieces featuring different subjects because I truly couldn't settle on the one I wanted. Then one day, I was sitting discussing these drawings with my husband, and he randomly mentioned the lorikeets Gemma and I had worked with together. That's when it hit me! A little bird named and numbered "No.10" was one we had hand-raised together, and we were both incredibly fond of him. I had so many pictures of him, and I knew the exact one I wanted to draw. So Gemma received a coloured pencil drawing of a rainbow lorikeet called Number 10.

Presenting the drawings as special wedding gifts

After all the drawings were completed, I had them mounted and backed. I decided not to have them framed, as frame colour and style are such a personal choice, but making sure they were beautifully presented was really important to me. I have worked with my framer at Terrafusion for six years now, and he had them all finished just two days before our wedding! I then wanted to make sure they didn't look like drawings when I gifted them. I didn't want to ruin the surprise, as I had never gifted so many drawings in one go before. I bought oversized gift bags, stuffed them with pink shredded paper and wrapped each drawing in tissue paper.

Once they were all dressed and had reluctantly had their makeup done (I wanted to gift these before makeup, but that didn't quite work out!), they all opened them at the same time.

Every single one of them lit up when they realised what I had done. They knew the amount of work, time and effort that had gone into each piece. There were tears all round, and I knew I had hit the nail on the head with every drawing. I know they are all incredibly loved.

Why a personalised pencil drawing makes such unique bridesmaid gifts

Gifting personalised pencil drawings to your bridal party is one of the most special and emotive gifts you can give the girls who will be such an integral part of your wedding day and your life.

Whether it is a custom pet portrait of a much-loved dog or cat, a bird that holds special memories, or a graphite drawing of a loved one, it gives you the opportunity to choose something completely personal to the person receiving it.

As an artist, I know how much time and care goes into creating a realistic animal portrait. Every piece starts with a reference photograph and gradually develops through layers of pencil, building up the details, colours and textures that bring the subject to life. For me, these weren't simply five drawings. Each one represented a friendship, a memory and something special that connected me to the person receiving it. If you are looking for unique bridesmaid gifts, personalised wedding gifts or something meaningful for your maid of honour, a bespoke pencil drawing could be a lovely way to give them something they can treasure long after your wedding day.

My animal portrait commissions are created from your own photographs, allowing you to commission a personalised piece of artwork featuring the animals or memories that mean the most to you. Whether you are looking for a gift for your bridal party, a birthday or another special occasion, you can find out more about my pencil drawing commissions and how to book your own portrait here: Animal Commissions