Canvas Keepsakes

Written by Cori Burcham

The memory of your wedding day can be as ephemeral as the flower petals in a bride’s bouquet or as delicate as the tulle lining of a wedding gown. It’s for that reason that couples hire professional photographers to capture the event in real time, make mementos such as custom champagne flutes inscribed with the day and year, and fill empty guestbook pages with heartfelt messages from their loved ones in attendance.

While each of these souvenirs are as pragmatic as they are poignant, there’s another service in which couples can commission a keepsake that fully captures the emotional core of the day, by preserving a meaningful moment in a newlywed’s journey with nothing but paint and a blank canvas full of possibilities.

Combining the live performance aspect of a street painter with the expertise of a studio artist, live wedding painters are hired to attend a wedding in person and paint a memorable moment — often a milestone such as the first kiss or the bride walking up the aisle — that the couple can hang in their home and treasure for a lifetime.

The idea of hiring an artist to paint a family portrait instantly brings to mind austere images of a bygone extravagance that only the wealthy could afford. But today, the live painting experience deliberately aims to illustrate the feeling of celebration and costs between $3,000 and $5,000.

Two live painters who service weddings along the East Coast shared with Delaware Seaside Bride their stories and the founding of their own separate live painting businesses.

Andy Greenlee of Celebration Paintings in Pennsylvania entered the live painting scene eight years ago, after her mother-in-law, a former live painter herself, suggested the vocation as an alternate career path. With both a bachelor’s degree from Cornish College of the Arts and a master’s in art education, Andy had a storied career as a costume designer in the film industry and art teacher prior to discovering her new passion.

Brittany Branson, a self-taught painter and eponymous owner of By Brittany Branson, based in Maryland, exchanged her day-job advocating for artists as a community and legislative affairs assistant in Washington, D.C., to explore her own creative pursuits in 2015.

While the former designates her style to be post-impressionistic, and the latter as colorful and whimsical, each live painter has their own preferred medium and unique artistic perspective, which makes researching an artist’s work ahead of time an important first step for couples.

Commissioning an artist’s live services begins with an informal call that tends to lead to a lengthy, professional friendship.

For Andy, that first chat is when she shares her creative process, becomes enchanted by the couple’s love story and discusses the available options, such as canvas size, their preference of watercolors or oil, and if they’d like a single piece or two. During the final weeks leading up to the wedding, there’s a second concept meeting via video-chat in which all of the details — including the special moment the couple wants depicted — are finalized.

On the actual day, Brittany prefers to arrive a few hours before the big moment to compose the painting’s background in her chosen medium, acrylic paint. After the artist spends hours painting and connecting with the guests, the heirloom painting is often completed in one sitting and displayed by the end of the night, depending upon the amount of detail requested.

When Brittany collaborates with her couples on the details, rarely is the painting required to reflect the exact reality of the proceedings, but rather what the couple wants to remember most.

“Many of my couples love their venue’s ceremony space but ultimately want their first dance painted. And so I’ll often paint them in a first-dance pose, but within the ceremony space,” said Brittany. “That way, both elements that they love are cohesively captured together.”

Referencing photos, Brittany honors the memories of loved ones or pets that have passed on by carefully adding their likenesses in the painting, joining in on the celebration despite not being able to attend in person.

Apart from their ability to render a beloved memory on canvas, live wedding artists are hired as an alternative, unexpected form of entertainment for the guests. While the dance floor is often the cornerstone of the reception, watching a live artist perform their craft throughout the night is a great way to engage the guests who aren’t interested in dancing or would like a temporary breather from the festivities.

“Kids will hover all evening, asking clever questions. Guests will share their own art foibles and triumphs. And, overall, people are just absolutely astounded and enchanted, and I’m always humbled by this attention,” said Andy.

When it comes to a gratuity, the artists said they appreciate when their hard work is recognized through tips from the guests, but it is never a requirement.

While every live wedding experience is customized to the couple, Brittany and Andy said they always attempt to evoke a sense of love and fun in each piece, which they consider themselves lucky to witness firsthand.

“So many wedding vendors contribute to a couple’s special day, but they have to drop off their product and leave. I actually get to celebrate with them! And I have the honor of producing an heirloom that they’ll treasure forever and hopefully pass on to others one day,” said Brittany.

To commission Andy or Brittany’s live wedding painting services, visit www.celebrationpaintings.com or www.bybrittanybranson.com.