On February 1st, I had the pleasure of taking part in Hochzeitschloss Bottmingen, a small and carefully curated wedding fair held in a romantic castle near Basel.
After exhibiting at the wedding fair in Zurich, I was asked whether I would like to join this more intimate event as well. I was happy to say yes. The fair in Bottmingen is smaller in scale, but beautifully set and thoughtfully organised, which immediately appealed to me.
As I do not have a driving licence yet, I travelled to Basel by public transport and brought only my samples rather than my full wooden stand. Everything I needed fit into one suitcase, which made the journey straightforward.
Arriving at Schloss Bottmingen, I was immediately taken by the location. The castle, surrounded by a water moat, is a truly beautiful and romantic setting. Inside, I was warmly welcomed by the other exhibitors, which made me feel comfortable and very much looking forward to the day.
My table was located on the top floor of the castle. I set up my samples and spent the day drawing live, as I often do at events. Alongside familiar works, I also presented a new sample for the first time: a hand drawn watercolour portrait of a wedding day scene. It was nice to see how people reacted to this new piece and to talk about my work in a calm and personal setting.
One thing I found interesting was how different the conversations were compared to Zurich. In Basel, people asked much more about my illustration courses and also about whether I am active on Instagram. This briefly brought up familiar thoughts about social media, a topic that has accompanied me over the past two years with many questions and changes. For now, I am trying to trust the way things are developing and not overthink it too much.
For those who may have missed it, I have written more about my thoughts and decisions around Instagram in a separate blog post.
Throughout the day, there was plenty of time to draw and talk. Two fashion shows took place during the fair, which meant short pauses in between and gave me the opportunity to sketch some of the models as they walked through the castle halls.
At the end of the day, I felt grateful for the many conversations, new encounters and for the simple joy of drawing. For the time being, this may have been my last wedding fair, as I am currently fortunate to have enough enquiries. However, if another opportunity for a fair, a market or a similar event comes along, I would certainly welcome it. These days remind me why I enjoy sharing my work in person.