Welcome to Silhouette Cutting!

Silhouette cutting has often never been seen before with only 6 artists in the UK!

Sarah can travel anywhere to create freehand silhouettes of your guests on your special day.

Each one is cut freehand just using scissors freehand and black paper in a matter of minutes. They results are stylish miniature profiles which don't show up grey hairs, wrinkles or double chins! Even the coyest of guests will be wanting one!

Benefits to having a silhouette artist are:

• They are rare, so not many guests would have seen them before.
• They are sustainable as Sarah uses high quality recycled card to present the silhouette in.
• They are individually personalised to the guest appearance and have a flattering resemblance that people cherish for a lifetime.
• They are created in a matter of minutes so more can be created than other sketch artists.
• They have the wow factor and are a great icebreaker for those moments of the day you want to keep guests entertained
• They are created in profile which allows guests to continue chatting if they wish to do making the day relaxed.
• Sarah’s wealth of knowledge at working at all types of events allows guest to feel at ease as she is happy to chat away whilst creating her silhouettes if the occasion arises.

Silhouette Art Origins

Silhouette cutting dates back to the 18th Century France. The name derived from Etienne De Silhouette who was the tax minister at the time. It became a popular way of creating someone likeness as painted miniatures were very timely and costly. Those that could not cut freehand created pseudo gadgets to cast and cut silhouettes such as the shadow graph and Physiognotrace. From this they discovered exposure through lens, which inspired the birth of photography. This saw a demise in the silhouette as people preferred the new photograph. Some artists continued on the tradition, notably the famous Augustus Edourt who created over 85 000 silhouettes whilst travelling from France, to England and the Americas. His work is worth a lot money.

Many would recognise silhouettes from cameo jewellery, the Royal stamp, Jane Austin's silhouette, to the recently acclaimed Lady Whistledown from the Netflix series Bridgerton. Yet the art of silhouette cutting has seen popularity throughout the ages for the simplicity and remarkable likeness of creating a solid shape of a person using nothing more than a pair pf scissors and paper. Infact you will start to see silhouettes everywhere from logos, to the James Bond's silhouette and even mystical Brothers Grimm. The silhouette conjures up a wealth of notable familiarities whilst remaining very much a niche which captures and delights those who are lucky to witness them being created live at a wedding and receiving their very own silhouette to cherish for a life time is truly a magical experience that will remembered long after your wedding day.

What happens on the day?

After the ceremony:

Silhouette Sarah will arrive at your wedding and liaise with staff to make sure she is ready and posed in the right place to start cutting silhouettes of your guests straight after your ceremony. Creating a buzz around the drinks reception she will make sure the guests are happy by chatting and creating their silhouettes.

Drinks Reception:

After your ceremony, Sarah roams around the drinks reception (as her materials are kept in her belt and bag) to keep guests entertained cutting silhouettes whilst you are off having photographs taken.

Not to disappoint or prolong guests going into dinner, Sarah will continue to cut silhouettes in between courses at the wedding breakfast.

Wedding Breakfast:

This is the prime time to do the happy couple and top table. She can also make sure to get around guests she may have missed while they are all seated.

How many silhouettes can she create?

This is a guide and depends on other elements of the wedding.

Guests Hours

20-30 2

30-50 3

50-70 3-4

70-90 4-5

(SECOND ARTSIST CAN BE BOKED TO COVER LARGER WEDDDINGS)

Sarah usually works on average 3 to 4 hours at weddings to cover the drinks reception up to the end of dinner. If the wedding is delayed, or she has a few remaining guests she often would stay on longer if possible to accommodate this but it is not guaranteed. If you were keen to have ALL guests receive a silhouette you many need to book in extra time especially if you have over 70 guests as Sarah may have another event to attend after your wedding.

If it is an intimate wedding with 20-30 guests Sarah would only charge you for 2 hours.

If there are up to 50 guests she would still require the full 3 hours.

Silhouette Sarah’s Ethos:

Unlike other silhouette artists, Sarah includes a duplicate copy of everyone’s silhouette she has cut that day which the happy couple gets to keep. Her main aim is to always try and cut everyone’s silhouette if possible as she realises that this is a special day and keeping silhouettes of close family and friends makes a lovely keepsake for the happy couple. Guests are also keen to take away their own silhouette.

Sarah is very used to immersing herself into a wedding party, but is always tentative when doing the happy couple on their special day as she is well aware that emotions are high and they need time to absorb the day. Therefore unless the occasion arises to say hello, she will not address the couple until the sit down meal.

She will look after herself on the day and if anything is needed she will speak directly to the either; the wedding organiser, catering staff, or a close family member/Bridesmaid/Groom who are coordinating.

What is included in the fee?

• Travel/accommodation if necessary
• Performance time
• Standard materials such as; paper, standard mount cards, adhesive
• Inclusive duplicate silhouettes for the happy couple
• No vat costs! Silhouette Sarah is a sole trader so there are NO hidden costs

Fees vary on location and timings. Within 1 hour drive of Reading including Central London, Surrey & Oxford prices for 3 hours are £650.00. 2 hours are £550.00. Further distance or additional hours are variable.

Special additions:

• Special Mount Cards

These are designed to suit your wedding theme and you can include a special message. The fee of £120.00 incudes a design and print service where you will get to proof read the design before going to print. This can be decided after making the initial booking. Sarah will need time to design the mount card ideally within 2 weeks prior of the wedding date.

• Special Emblem

A silhouette of the happy couple can be made before the wedding from profile photographs. You can send the photographs by email or whats app. Sarah will create the silhouette, scan it and tidy it up in photoshop. With the small fee of £20.00 You can use this emblem on any stationary you may like. Some happy couples have used them for;

* Stationery * Invites *Thank you cards *Table names *Centre pieces *Table layouts *Canvas for guests to sign *Puzzle that you can sign *Canvas that you can sign…. and even on wedding favours such as * M&M’s!

Why not use your silhouette emblem as a 3-D print as a cake topper?! You can save it and frame after the wedding! (Sarah can arrange for 3D printing which costs starting from £40.00).

• A2 prints

Not sure what to do with the duplicate silhouette copies? Rather than having them loose at the end of the day, Sarah can take them home and scan them and shrink them to fit on to an A2 poster with the date of our wedding and title. Perfect for framing so you can always see your family and friends and remember yoru special day. The fee for this including printing and sending is £175.00.

• Guest Book

Sarah often gets asks to stick silhouettes in to a guest book. There are many reasons why this is difficult to do on the day of our wedding. Sarah will always try to accommodate though and has come up with a way of not wasting time sticking them into the book and waiting around for guests to sign it. You can either pay £150.00 for an additional assistant to be in charge of the book/sticking/signing. Alternatively, Sarah can stick the duplicate copy onto attractive paper slips (designed to suit your wedding) that the guests get to write and attach the slip into the book in their own time. This minuses the cost and extra time taken to do mange the guest books on the day.

• Full length silhouettes

As the 1st Year Anniversary is paper! Many happy couples decide to have a full length silhouette created of them in their wedding attire. This is created after the wedding form photograph and is sent to you in the post on A4 card. It is the perfect reminder of your special day. They also make wonderful designs for thank you cards. The fee for this is £120.00

Silhouette Sarah – The artist

Silhouette Sarah loves working at weddings as she wants to make the day extra special. Being a well-established entertainer since 2000 she also works at all types of events:

• Birthdays/Anniversaries
• Christmas/Summer Balls
• Exhibitions/Trade shows
• Charity events
• Bar mitzvahs
• Military functions
• Launch parties/Networking events
• Award ceremonies

Silhouette Sarah is a unique wedding service based in Reading in the Berkshire region of England. She travels everywhere and has worked in weddings abroad such as in Lebanon, Poland, and Lanzarote to name a few! She has also featured on BBC 2 The Ultimate Wedding Planner where she got to meet Sara Davies (from Dragon’s Den), Fred Sirieix (from First Dates), and Raj Somaiya (from Silver Fox Events). She has also had the pleasure of working for King Charles’ Christmas party at St James Palace, Princes Beatrice’s 18th birthday at Windsor Castle, Dawn French’s birthday in Fowey, and Goldie Hawn’s Foundation at Annabel’s… to name a few!

Sarah discovered this rare art form after obtaining a BA Hons in Art & Design. She was hired to work in a shop in Henley-Upon-Thames. On her first day she was in awe by the array of silhouettes all over the walls. The owner was an American silhouette artist who cut a silhouette of Sarah. Sarah cut one of her and she was impressed enough to invite her to attend her first-ever event cutting silhouettes with other artists for 1000 guests at the Grosvenor House in Mayfair. This was the start of her career as a silhouette artist as she received more and more inquiries. Sadly there is no silhouette school and there are only 6 silhouette artists in the UK who all meet annually and often work together for larger functions.

Reviews:

Please take time to check out some of the reviews on Hitched.

You can also see Silhouette Sarah’s work at:

Website: https://www.silhouetteartist.co.uk

Tik Tok: https://www.tiktok.com/@silhouette_sarah

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/silhouettesarah/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarah-head-088910133/

Face Book: https://www.facebook.com/SilhouetteSarah/?ref=settings

FAQ’S

Weddings

THE ROMANCE & NOSTALGIA OF A SILHOUETTE ARTIST AT YOUR WEDDING IS A RARE & UNIQUE FORM OF ENTERTAINMENT TO BE ENJOYED BY ALL

WHAT HAPPENS ON THE DAY?

• Silhouette Sarah brings all her own equipment;: paper, carded mounts , & scissors
• And is present at wedding drinks reception & / or around the wedding breakfast to mingle whilst cutting guests silhouettes with just scissors & paper
• Each guest silhouette is placed on high-grade recycled mounted cards as a keepsake

THE FOLLOWING OPTIONS ARE ALSO AVAILABLE UPON FURTHER ENQUIRY :

• Optional: A full-length silhouette of the happy couple created after the wedding from a photograph taken on the day
• Optional: Personalised mount cards that include your special messages or design
• Optional: Wedding couple silhouette cut form photograph prior to the wedding day to include as an emblem on your invitations, 3-D cake topper, & other stationery for your big day
• Optional: Duplicates of the Silhouettes of guests to be included in your guestbook

MAKING YOUR DAY EXTRA SPECIAL :

How Silhouette Sarah can make your Wedding Day that extra bit more special? Please contact Sarah me to discuss further.

Do all guests receive a silhouette ?

Due to Silhouette cutting being an unique art form and hand-crafted, the time taken to create each one-of-a-kind silhouette may vary, whilst other guests may be engaged in conversation meaning they cannot be disturbed. Silhouette Sarah can cointine to cut silhoeuttes and will always endeavour to entertain as many guests as possible

The approximate numbers are:

1 hour – 20 silhouettes

2 hours – 40 silhouettes

3 hours – 60-70 silhouettes

4 hours – 70-80 silhouettes

What is the standard length of performance ?

Approximately 3- 4 hours long, but Silhouette Sarah is able to accommodate more time priced at £100.00 per additional hour

You live in Berkshire & work in London, can you travel further afield?

Yes; Silhouette Sarah regularly works across the UK & Europe, and she has also travelled to the Middle East & India several times

How do you know who has & has not had a silhouette ?

Usually, when people see Silhouette Sarah at work they all want one & Sarah makes sure they all receive one. But more importantly, as a Silhouette Artist, Sarah never forgets a face, well a profile at least!

What kind of events does Silhouette cutting suit ?

Silhouette Sarah has been wowing guests with her Silhouettes at a wide range of functions across the country & abroad including high-end corporate events. Here are some listed:

KPMG, Google, Chambers, De Beers, Hyman Robertson, Michelin, Coutts, British APCO, Anderson Wise in Luxemburg, Sedna, Triland Metals, King’s Bench Walk, L’Oscar Hotel, Four Seasons in the Syechelles, Army Mess’ Christmas and Summer Balls all around the UK, The Royal Grammar School Guildford leavers ball, Eton School leavers ball, Masonic Ladies Events, Royal Ascot, Elemis workshops at John Lewis, Midea UK, Inception Group, The Glassworks in Greenford showcase, Alzheimer’s Dementia Support, Longmore Solicitors, The Lawn Tennis Association, Law Net Ltd, Simply Business, Surrey County Council, Reading Buses, Thames Water, HSBC, Crimson tide, Baldur’s gate, Genesys, Manhattan Associates Limited, Oxford Population Health, Cambridge NHS, Hampshire Heritage Trust, Lansdowne Club, London Land Group, CH & Co Catering, Brighton Dome, Chesterton’s, Congress Works LLp, National Gallery, Rathbone Brothers Plc, The BCI, TSL Ltd, Kent Law Society, Fairmont Windsor park, Zedra, Burgess Hodgson, The Honourable Society of Gray's Inn, Lulu Guiness Ltd, Kaleidoscope, Newbury Soup Kitchen, Battersea Dogs & Cats Home, Shopper Stop in India, Regency Ball at Laughing with Lizzie, Glam Slam Ltd, Glam Slam Ltd, Searcys, Merlin Events, The Adelphi, Bedfont Scientific, Cox Herring, Kenneth Green Associates, Magdalen College Commemoration Ball, Seddons, Aramco, The Honourable Society of Gray's Inn, Condenast, Promontory Ltd, Home Instead, Hinduja Global Solutions Limited, MTravel Solutions, Craneware Group, Glance Group, 12 King's Bench Walk, EBSCO, DB Construction, Kenneth Green Associates, Queen Anne School (QASPA), The Lost Estate, Whitchurch Silk Mill, Culture24, Torchlight Heritage, Fronius U.K. Ltd., Club Class UK, SoftServe, Rare food, JTI, Ocado Ltd, Lions Club, DDG Smart Marketing, Fisher Productions, Bamford, Davies group, THIS™, The print Show, LABC, Harrington Starr, Thames Quarter, University of Oxford, Contour Construction, Three, PMI Global Studios, Goldie Hawn Foundation.