Want to gift a live wedding painting? Here’s what to consider
One of your children, best friends or loved ones is getting married. Maybe you’ve even been asked to be master of ceremonies or best man. How fun! You want to give a personal and memorable gift, and are considering a painting, made live during the wedding.
Right at the end of the evening, the newlyweds will have a physical reminder of their beautiful day (unless you choose a premium package for extra details afterwards). Imagine, every time they see it hanging on their wall they will think back to all those special moments (and be grateful to you for this beautiful wedding gift, haha).
Or maybe you are getting married yourself, and unfortunately hiring a live wedding painter yourself no longer fits your budget. Then you can suggest it as a gift and send this blog to your loved ones to drop that hint ;)
But what should you think about? As an experienced live wedding painter, I have several tips for you, whether you want to gift it on your own or on behalf of a group, and maybe even as a surprise for the wedding couple.
- What if you want to give a painting as a gift to the wedding couple?
First, there are two important points to consider:
- Does it suit the lovebirds in question?
- Would you like to gift the painting on your own or on behalf of a group of people?
I’ll go into the practical points a little further if you want to organise it with several people, and what if you want to give a painting as a surprise.
A first important tip: be on time. Sometimes people knock on my door two weeks before a wedding; they have just now started looking for (or are still orientating on) a beautiful gift. But often I am fully booked months ahead. I can understand that you don’t think about the wedding until later than the wedding couple, who have had their special day in mind for a while, sometimes two-three years in advance. Choosing a date, planning, looking for a venue and vendors, drawing up a guest list. Is the date already set and the venue booked? Then this is the time to contact the live painter, for a greater chance that the one is available.
Finding it hard to choose what the wedding couple would like? Instead of booking an artist in advance, you can also specify a budget and suggest two or three colleagues to the lovebirds. Which examples from the portfolios appeal most? Everyone works in a different style, and tastes differ. Here, being on time is also useful, then you have a greater chance of still having artists to choose between.
I also sometimes have double videocalls, that I do the practical and financial dealings with the person(s) giving it, and then talk to the nearlyweds purely and simply about what is important to them, who/what can/can’t be on the painting, what style they want, in what composition and so on.
Some of my clients like to do the reveal or handing over at the end of the evening with me, holding the painting together as we turn it over. Sometimes I also paint the person giving the wedding gift in it (if it is one or a few persons and the chosen package allows extra people).
Of course I sign each canvas, but I can write the names of the person(s) giving the painting as a wedding gift on the back, ‘with love from’. That way, even ten years from now when the painting moves with them to a new home, the couple can see again which lovely people gave them this painting.
A practical point for finalisation: logistics. Think about where the painting will be at the end of the evening. Who will take responsibility for taking it with them? What if the wedding couple goes straight on their honeymoon, or do family members make sure all the gifts end up at their home? Sometimes all the items can stay at the venue for a night. Just make sure that the painting isn’t left behind and that it will fit in the car.
2. What if you want to gift it with several people?
I can imagine that hiring a live wedding painter on your own is a somewhat large gift. It is often given on behalf of a group. Are you drumming up more people? Let the painter know who is participating. Then when other guests ask who is giving it, the person can say so. It doesn’t have to be a list with all the names (I’m not very good at remembering those either haha), but for example ‘on behalf of the parents’, ‘on behalf of the study’s group of friends’ or ‘on behalf of the master of ceremonies and witnesses’.
I can help with the practical, financial arrangements. For example, in the administration of the total amount. I can split the invoice into two or three parts, or send several payment links. Are you inquiring for a booking, and you don’t know yet how many people will participate, so no idea yet how much budget there is in total? I have sometimes included three formats in the contract as options. I can also imagine that there are different sizes of wallets within such a group; not everyone has the same amount to spend. I like to think along with you about what is possible.
The most convenient thing is if there is one contact person for me. That the communication does not get mixed up and the wishes are collected by one person.
3. What if you want to hire a live wedding painter as a surprise?
Reels and Tiktoks in which a painting is revealed as a surprise, and the wedding couple stands there, mouth wide open, looking at what beauty has been created, do well on social media. They are lovely to watch, full of emotion. But an important consideration to make: are these lovebirds people who like surprises?
Consider the right time to announce the surprise, and to what extent your loved ones still have a choice. Some wedding couples prefer a bit more control and like to arrange everything to perfection themselves. Fortunately, with live wedding paintings, you have choice in terms of degrees of surprise:
A) Surprise the wedding couple just before the wedding — for example, during the bachelor party or during the preparations. I (the artist) am already booked but the nearlyweds can still give me their wishes in terms of size, proportions and colours. I can also send a mini canvas of a few cm by a few cm that you can give as a kind of gift voucher.
B) Announcing it at the beginning of the wedding — for example, I was recently a surprise and we had agreed that the master of ceremonies would reveal it during the ‘first look’. Now, this bride had already dropped hints a few times that she would really like a painting and had even mentioned in the preparations that the ceremony would be a great moment for it. So we were already set in terms of planning. In order not to overload the wedding couple with too many options, I had just two questions for them:
- Would they want a canvas in portrait or in landscape mode? Considering I attach a wire to the back in advance, I had prepared two canvases (one with the wire on the long side, one with the one on the short side)
- What moment or setting from the ceremony would they like? Sitting, standing, first kiss, putting on rings, etc.
C) Surprise during the wedding, halfway through — for example, during a speech. The rough outline and initial details are already painted by then. Little input from the wedding couple is possible anymore, only room for small feedback points.
D) Only reveal at the end of the evening — biggest surprise! Top secret, haha. But no more input possible from the wedding couple, because it’s finished. I would have to practise my poker face if I were to do this again, though.
Tip: nice to call in the wedding photographer and/or videographer at the announcement and reveal, to make sure that the moment is captured.
For C and D, I would go undercover, for example pretending to be the photographer or videographer’s assistant, and work on the painting in another room, based on the photos I take. But then, during (part of) the wedding, you don’t have the extra entertainment where the wedding guests can see the painting being created. However, it is possible to watch the process back on a video if your artists makes one (I usually do). Make sure to discuss which room would be available and suitable for this.
If you want to give a painting as a surprise, make sure the venue at least knows about it. Ideally, also involve the wedding planner and master of ceremonies (if any) in the plot if you can. Also double-check that not someone else is already gifting a painting as a surprise.
I once had a family member hire me last minute as a surprise and he didn’t consult the wedding planner. On the day itself, she got quite stressed when I mentioned what I was going to do (I don’t want to do that to other vendors either) and there was no good spot for me nearby. So I stood at a distance for more of an overview painting and not so much a detailed portrait of the wedding couple (which is now my specialisation). At least I was able to paint the church on it, which the couple also liked.
With a surprise, try to get an idea of what they like. What kind of taste does the wedding couple have? Maybe you can peek, deduce something from their interior. A bit more modern or classic? Is the interior mainly in pastel shades, does it contain a lot of greenery, or silver? Do they have a lot of space on the walls or does a small canvas fit better? Tip: during a conversation, casually bring up the subject of art. Are they fans of Vermeer, Van Gogh, Frida Kahlo, Karel Appel, Alfons Mucha? More interested in Expressionism, Cubism, Impressionism or Realism?
Tell a bit about the nearlyweds to the artist, so we can think along about options, what time and setting might suit this couple. Are the nearlyweds romantic people, traditionally minded, animal lovers, party animals, extravagant, religious? For example, I sometimes ask if the couple has children; at the weddings I have painted where children of the wedding couple are present, it was always appreciated if they also got a place in the painting.
Did the invitation include a dress code, theme or colour palette? Let the artist know this too. Personally, I always try to match my clothes and workplace to the colours and decorations. And sometimes favourite colours also say something about what the wedding couple likes, and themes say something about their interests.
When people book my middle or largest package, I ask for a vendor meal. But this often is handled by the wedding couple; sometimes, with a surprise, it is difficult to arrange food for me (and I am a somewhat difficult eater, prefer a low-salt vegan meal). Please indicate if this is the case, then I’d prefer to bring something myself.
And my final tip: just to be safe, ask the artist not to share anything on social media yet like ‘I’m painting at this beautiful venue tomorrow’. I don’t do that these days if it’s a surprise, but I’ve forgotten that once. And who knows, a wedding couple really hoping for a live painter may already be following a few colleagues on instagram.
I wish you a beautiful day with your loved ones, and lots of pre-wedding fun! And if you’re looking for a personalised wedding gift, feel free to take a look at my page about live wedding paintings.
