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About

Bring some extra fun, sweetness, and playful vibes to your reception by charming your guests with hand-drawn portraits. When guests sit at Karlee's table, they get fun banter and an illustrated portrait including a surprise caption from the conversation.

As an added keepsake for newlyweds, Karlee also offers the option of an illustrated guestbook that includes digital copies of each portrait along with messages from guests compiled into a hardbound coffee table book.

"Bad Portraits" is a playful and lighthearted name for this service that's just as much about the experience as the final result. This memorable and interactive exchange celebrates the presence and personality of your guests. Each portrait session, lasting 5-15 minutes depending on the number of guests included in the drawing, produces a hand-drawn and totally unique party favor.

Choosing to include Karlee as your portrait artist will leave your guests with a sweet memory and a wedding favor to cherish forever.

Services Offered

Portraits at Parties offers hand-illustrated portraits of guests as wedding favors. Each portrait features a quote from the portrait subject, whether it is a bit of advice for marriage or the perfect spontaneous sentence that's too good not to write down.

Choose from 3 packages:

- Live portraits as a fun experience and party favors for guests

- Live portraits for guests + an illustrated guestbook for you and your partner

- Live portraits for guests + an expanded book that includes elements of your love story

More about the Illustrated Guestbook (examples shown in photos)

In addition to portraits as wedding favors, Karlee will create an illustrated guestbook for couples using digital scans of their guests' portraits. These memorable guestbooks include personal messages and portraits of family and friends, as well as illustrations based on scenes from the celebration, all collected inside a hardbound book. The guestbook serves as a great way for couples to look back on their wedding and remember the loved ones who shared their special day.

  • Woman-owned
illustration popular

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Frequently asked questions

Which of the following does your starting price include?

Prints

Which of the following does your most popular package include?

Flip Book
Prints

What photo booth items are available?

CD/DVD of Images
Flip Book
Prints

Reviews of Portraits at Parties

A
Ashley Sent on 11/02/2021
5 out of 5 rating

My favorite addition to our wedding day!

I found Karlee's work on The Knot only a few weeks before our wedding but instantly knew I HAD to have her be a part of our day! Her sketches are so fun and I loved her guest book that added guests' advice and the sketches she did of the wedding day. Karlee quickly become one of my favorite people because she is so kind, engaging, and genuinely loves having conversations with and getting to know all people. If you don't hire her, you're making a mistake- too many good things to say about Karlee AND her portraits. Seriously.
D
Di Schisler Sent on 06/24/2020
5 out of 5 rating

Professional and Fun

Karlee was amazing...we were lucky to snag her for our Camp Colton wedding with about 30 day notice...She is incredible. Everyone loved her work.
H
Hannah Sent on 12/08/2019
5 out of 5 rating

Karlee is the best!

We found Karlee through a social media post and absolutely fell in love with her style. Her drawings are simple but still contain a lot of detail. We contacted her immediately for our wedding and all of her communication was prompt and professional. All of our guests raved about her friendly personality and loved their personalized portraits! She was so easy to talk to and can relate to anyone. The guest book was delivered within a few weeks of our event and it was so fun to go through all the drawings and special notes from our friends and family. Our only wish was that we hired more Karlees to draw everyone!
Michelle
Michelle Sent on 11/18/2019
5 out of 5 rating

What a fun idea!

Karlee was a last minute addition to our wedding and we are so happy we did! Karlee was not only professional, she was really fun! She chatted with our guests and everybody really liked getting their portraits done by her. I wish we could have cloned her so we could have 2. We weren't able to get all the guests drawn but that was really on me for not calculating the amount of time we would need. She also mailed us a book with all the drawings with additional details and messages from the guests! It was so fun to look through them. I would definitely recommend Karlee again...oh and she's an amazing dancer! She came danced with us for a little bit after she was done drawing. :)
Kimberly
Kimberly Sent on 11/06/2019
5 out of 5 rating

Bad Portraits, the most unique and amazing experience for yourselves and your guests

Karlee is out of a dream. I searched for 6 months for someone like her and miraculously found her just in time! Not only is Karlee's artistry and creativity apparent, but her personality and energy inspire joy and calm into the couple and all of the guests that sit down and have their portraits done as they're magically put at ease while chatting with Karlee. Her professionalism and responsiveness does not leave anything to lack, and she kindly offers her assistance freely. She also drew us ahead of time, which of course we incorporated into a few darling DIY projects. And the guestbook at the end, with not only the portraits and messages from your loved ones, but also depictions of the day. Karlee is a gem, and if you're looking for something unique and memorable to gift yourselves and your guests, she is the way to do that.
K
Kelly Sent on 04/27/2020
4.8 out of 5 rating

Marlee Was Amazing

Karlee was amazing at our wedding. The guests loved her, we loved her, and she added so many personal touches to her work. Not only did she draw our guests and give them a keepsake to take home, she saved copies of her drawings and put together a book of them with life advice and quotes from our guests. She even used lines from our wedding ceremony! it made both my wife and I tear up when we went through the book. Overall, Karlee was amazing and we cannot say enough good things about her. Really, if you check out her website and like her art, book her now.
We're all about trust. Our community relies on honest reviews to help you make those big decisions with ease.

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