FAQ about live wedding painting
This one’s for all the nearlyweds out there, and their family and loved ones, who are looking for a very personal wedding gift.
With live wedding painting, you’ll be getting a unique heirloom art piece that’s created (usually mostly) right there on the spot, during the event, in real-time.
You will find some of my answers to the most frequently asked questions; colleagues might answer them differently, of course. Feel free to check out my page about live wedding paintings for general info.
- What to expect? How does it work, when I want to hire a live painter for my wedding?
Of course, I can imagine that you’ve never hired an artist before. It might be good to know that I’d always do my best to see what is possible within the wishes of the wedding couple.
In most cases, the painting is completed on the spot. When your marriaged life together begins, the painting is created, as part of your wedding day. Whether the easle is placed in a corner, somewhere near the walls, on a stage, in the garden: we agree on beforehand where exactly I will paint.
On beforehand, we discuss which moment you would like on the canvas, and what your wishes are in terms of size, package, style and who/what can or can’t appear on it. We will discuss your day during a video call, after which I will write up an offer and contract. Your date is set after agreeing and paying the retainer (in 2024, this is 375,-). The remaining invoice follows after the wedding.
On the day itself, I will start by setting up my easle and workspace and sketching the background, before the moment of your choice. At said moment, I will take reference photos (sometimes videos), and at the end of the day I present how the painting turned out.
You don’t have to pose (for a long time): the moments themselves are shot. That’s why I take reference material. The important thing is that you enjoy your day! Some situations might require a little more time, for example, when you’d like a ‘dip kiss’. Those are great but you’d need to hold it for a few seconds extra to make sure the footage is usable. But you really don’t have to sit like a model for three hours, haha.
How long I work on your painting depends on which package you choose. I can spend up to 7 hours painting on the same day. With the premium package, if you’d prefer more people or details, I will take the painting back with me for studio touch-ups in the weeks after your wedding.
Some wedding couples prefer to come and take a peek from time to time during the day, and to be able to give feedback (if any), while others like to have a big surprise reveal at the end of the night. Both are possible, and in terms of feedback: I only listen to what the wedding couple wants (not all random guests ;) )
2. When should I book the live painter?
This obviously can vary from artist to artist. However, since the Covid dip, it has been incredibly busy (speaking as a Dutch artist). I also hear from colleagues that they often take bookings far in advance and are fully booked months in advance. Especially if someone’s specific style appeals to you, and you would really like to hire that person, be sure to be on time. Each artist is only one person and (unfortunately) cannot be at several weddings at the same time.
A good guideline might be: around the same time you book the photographer. I usually explain it gets tricky if you contact me less than 6 months in advance. Sometimes, there are last-minute options left, and I will indicate so on my contact page. But especially Fridays and Saturdays in the summer are popular. Some of the colleagues also state on their website and/or social media when they are taking bookings for what time period (e.g. that 2023 and early 2024 are full, but bookings for late 2024 and 2025 are open).
My offers are usually valid for 7 days. When another requests comes in for the same date, I will always be honest about it, and usually take it ‘first come, first serve’ in terms of which person I make an offer too first. If I am not available on your date, I can offer an studio painting based on one or more photos, made afterwards.
3. How much does a live wedding painting cost?
There are a number of factors that influence the price. And the market differs from country to country — for example, in the USA 2000 USD for a wedding painting is considered low. Some general points to consider:
- Which artists, what their experience is, their fame, style, demand for their work
- Size and materials
- Hours that someone puts into the painting
- Travel costs and possible hotel accomodation, parking etc.
- Any additional options (frame, art prints, extra studio touch-ups)
Of course experience, style and size influence the amount of hours that someone works on a painting, but some colleagues also specify the amount of people that are included in their packages. And what it would cost extra if you’d like to include 2 or 4 more family members and friends.
My smallest sized canvas in my Same day package (prices from 2025) starts at 1500 euros (including all costs within the Netherlands and Belgium). The largest sized canvas in my premium package is 3300+. I give a 100 euro discount if the wedding is on a Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday, and charge an additional 450 when the wedding is on Christmas or NYE.
I always include a calculation of the total price in my offers. My prices go up each year to reflect my artistic growth (and don’t forget inflation).
Should your own budget be very tight, a live painting is also a very nice and personal gift to ask. I often find that a painting is given on behalf of a group (e.g. on behalf of the parents, on behalf of the friends), with everyone contributing a part. And some artists offer payment plans.
4. Which moments can we choose for our wedding painting?
Basically, anything is possible! It’s your day, so you get to choose which moment of your wedding you would like a painting of. Or sometimes it’s possible to combine two moments. The ceremony is always a popular choice, as that’s where your mariage officially begins. Some suggestions:
- The first look
- Arrival
- Exchange of vows
- The first kiss
- Exchange of rings
- Ceremony exit
- Reception or drinks, toasting
- Dinner
- First dance
Of course, I am also open to traditions such as:
- Handfasting
- Walking around the sacred fire during a Hindu wedding (saat bhanwaar)
- Breaking the glass, a Jewish custom
On beforehand, we talk about which moment you’d like, but also about what perspective you’d like (zoomed in or zoomed out). What is important to you, can something be left out or added? For instace, I can also paint a deceased family member, or a pet that cannot be present, as if they were there after all, based on a photo. A bit of ‘photoshopping’ with paint ;)
5. What does the live painter require from the wedding venue?
This is more of a practical one. The most important bit is that the venue should be informed that someone will be painting live. This can be done through the wedding planner, or through the venue’s contact person, if it’s still a surprise for the wedding couple.
The ideal workspace:
- A few square metres in size
- With a good view of where the chosen moment takes place
- Under a roof or tree or parasol
- Not in the way of the catering staff
- Near an electrical outlet
- Where the painter can remain all day
- Has a chair
This is not always exactly possible like that. Sometimes the room where it happens is a bit tight, so I can paint around the corner in the next room and work from photos I take myself. Sometimes the dinner and party is in a different venue than where the ceremony is, and it’s nicer to relocate so the guests can see me paint the entire day. The exact location is always something I choose while consulting my client or the venue’s contact person.
During a ceremony, for example, I often stand on the side or behind the last chair, and I might walk to the front of the aisle during the chosen moment to take reference material.
Since I am often very focused on the painting, I am always grateful to the waitresses and waiters if they bring me icetea or water in between — otherwise I sometimes forget to drink all day ;) If I am busy around dinner time, I ask for a vegan vendor meal.
When I arrive at the venue, there’s usually someone I can check-in with. Who can point me to the exact room, tell me where I can put my stuff, etcetera. Sometimes that’s someone from the venue, sometimes it’s the wedding planner, sometimes the Maid of Honour. When I can’t park nearby the entrance, I prefer to be able to unload my easle and suitcase nearby and then park the car a bit further (heavy stuff, you know, can’t start painting when my arms are already tired from carrying it for a few miles).
I take all materials with me and tidy up afterwards. I place a rug or vinyl sheet under the easel, so no paint drops on the floor! I can also provide a document from my liability insurance, if a venue requires that.
6. How do you choose a live wedding painter?
I’ve actually dedicated another blog to this question, with seven points to take into consideration:
- Style
- How the artist works
- Price and budget
- Size of the painting
- Availability
- Location
- Personal connection
At the bottom of that blog, you can download a guide as a PDF that can help you gather your wishes and priorities, to be able to make a choice.
7. What styles can we choose? How would you describe your live wedding painting style?
Some artists try to push the realism, some work more illustrative or cartoony, or impressionistic or stylised. Some paint zoomed in portraits of just the wedding couple, some paint an overview of the entire wedding party, with faces that are just two blobs of paint, but you can see the sun and shadows and the venue and an impression of a lot of people.
Please consider checking different websites and portfolios to make sure you have the right match. It’s okay to ask a painter how willing they are to experiment a bit outside of their usual style, but please don’t approach somebody who works very differently than your reference picture and ask them to ‘make this’.
In general, I like to make paintings where the wedding couple stakes center stage: painted in more details than the rest. The paintings are fairly realistic (as far as that’s possible in the limited amount of time), some are impressionistic. For my smallest package, I paint very quickly and only the wedding couple, but you will still be recognisable.
In 2015, I graduated from Sint Joost Art Academy, in Breda, the Netherlands. I am one of the few courtroom sketch artists in the Netherlands, so I specialise in detailed portraits while under time pressure.
I can shift a bit in terms of style: a bit more rough, or with dots, slightly brighter colours, or pastel, or in a limited colour palette such as black and white. It can be a bit more dynamic or a bit calmer. But when you hire me as your live wedding painter, the painting won’t become abstracted, graphic or cartoony with thick lines. In terms of old masters, I learn a lot from Vermeer, Van Gogh and Monet.
In general, my canvases are a bit smaller than some of my Dutch colleagues, but larger than some of the American colleagues. I prefer to make a detailed keepsake rather than hurrying through large areas.
I am very happy with quirky wedding and people, fun themed days and in surprising locations that very much suit those individuals. Like blow for example, a wedding couple in a Viking-themed setting with animals, or these two grooms in a jazz club.
8. What kind of materials do you use for live wedding paintings?
The short answer:
- Acrylic paint on gallery wrapped canvas (can also be linnen)
- Several types of brushes
- Wooden easel
- Paint palette (I use paper plates of recycled material)
- Several devices
The elaborate answer can be found in this seperate blog.
9. How far do you travel for weddings?
Perhaps good to start with my own location, that’s Dordrecht, in the Netherlands (near Rotterdam). I travel to weddings all over the Netherlands and Europe. It’s great to paint at all kinds of beautiful and special venues!
The further away I’d have to travel for your wedding, the more convenient it is if you inquire early. Then there’s a greater chance that it can be planned (so that it fits in the schedule with travel time and accomodation considered).
Are you having a destination wedding, or do you live in a different European country, like France or Italy? Great! My preference is usually to travel by car or train, but sometimes a flight is the only reasonable option. Say your wedding is in Italy, then I’d travel to your region the day before, and travel back the day after your wedding. So that would include reimbursement of two nights in a hotel and travel expenses (like a per diem, maybe a rental car, luggage, food etc.).
If your wedding is a bit closer to my home, but on the other side of the Netherlands, or for example in Germany near the Dutch border, I ask for one night in a nearby hotel. It’s neither convenient or safe for me and other cars on the road if I’d have to drive for another three hours after a very intense day. The same applies if you’d like a moment in the evening (say, a first dance) and I paint until very late.
If your venue is reasonably close by and less than an hour’s drive away, or if I complete the painting early in the evening, then a hotel stay is not necessary. Just across the border in Belgium, for example, is also doable. I speak fluent Dutch and English, and reasonable French and German. My contracts and invoices are in Dutch and English.
10. How can we inquire for our wedding?
To see if I’m available on your date, I always ask people to fill in the contact form with some information. I prefer to meet my clients and have the check-in through video calls. We can also exchange images through such a call and talk over any questions you might have.
Filling in the form about my availability is non-binding (you’re not obligated to any purchase). But I can only hold your date for you for 14 days after the offer has been made. So it’s helpful if we can schedule a call quickly, more so if your date is coming up soon.
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Feel free to check out my page about live wedding paintings if you’d like to see more examples. Have I missed an important question? You can email or message me about it.
