21/02/2026
Say no to AI in the wedding industry 💜 an excellent piece by Edd ✨️
As you know, I work in the wedding industry.
Couples hire me to draw live caricatures of guests at their wedding receptions to entertain their guests.
I have to say that it's crazy the amount of fellow wedding suppliers I've seen this week who have been sharing Ai generated caricatures of themselves all over the internet! Small businesses, big businesses, and all manner of other self employed folk who work in the wedding industry as well....it's bonkers.
They all say "it's just a bit of fun" which I suppose is kinda true because drawing caricatures is not their livelihood...
Thing is, it makes me think, that if they're happy enough to do this, then what OTHER Ai generated 'products' are they dabbling with and selling to the punters?
Any wedding suppliers jumping on this Ai 'trend' is a big red flag for me....
I mean what's next?
Celebrants using Ai to write their speeches and sermons? Is that where they will get their 'patter' from?
Will photographers use Ai to manipulate photos?
Will graphic designers use Ai to pass off stationery and signage work as their own?
Why hire a band or DJ when Ai can create and perform a wedding playlist for you?
Can Ai photo booths to steal your images and manipulate as they please, then reuse, and reuse? Of course they can.
Environmental issues from Ai power generators that are harmful to the planet?
Screw that, it's only a bit of fun!
Pornographic images, deep fakes, pictures of children, fraud, fake news, cyber crime, hateful political agendas, all coming from Ai generated sources? Yeah, sure, "it's still just a bit of fun."
And are people aware that the individuals behind these big tech Ai companies are despicable; fascist, planet wrecking, billionaire nonces such as Trump, Elon Musk, Greg Brockman, etc who use it to spread misinformation and hate?
I wonder...
I've already seen souless looking Ai generated caricatures and table placemat illustrations being advertised for sale on Facebook wedding group pages this week...
And so it goes, on and on...
Why pay any supplier at all for these services when anyone can do it for themselves? Ai is freely available after all.
Why are so many wedding suppliers happy to support and blindly follow unethical Ai 'trends' I wonder ?
What if Ai does you out of a job...Will you still see it all as "just a bit of fun?" I'd imagine it might hit a bit differently if it's your livelihood that's at risk.
And to engaged couples - how can you be sure you're getting something totally unique and original for your wedding day, that hasn't been artificially generated by ripping off existing work already? Are you happy to get the same things as everyone else? Don't you want something truly unique, special and one-of-a-kind?
Rest assured, I CAN offer you 100% authentic artwork, drawn by me - an actual real life human artist- on your wedding day! Absolutely NO Ai garbage and none of the negative damaging impacts that come with it.
I draw with passion from the heart. Unlike ai caricatures, no two drawings from me will be the same. I'll interact with your guests of all ages and give them a truly unique, fun and memorable experience! Ai may attempt to take my job away, but it will never be able replicate the fun, the chat and joy of real art being created by a real artist (with talent) in front of a fascinated crowd! The drawings I do give your guests something real, personal and totally unique to take away with them. Nothing artificially generated which is vapid, souless and bland… so please think twice about jumping on the Ai trend.
And if you know someone who’s in the wedding industry , who’s been proudly sharing their AI caricatures all week, feel free to share this post with them.
Sometimes it hits differently when it’s your own industry on the chopping block, y’know?
I write this post in solidarity with my fellow working artists and creatives whose livelihoods and industries are being impacted by this Ai garbage. Hang in there.
Keep it real.
- Edd Travers
Feb 2026.
