Brushstrokes & VowsLive Wedding Painting · Madison, WI

How It Works

From handshake to heirloom.

A live wedding painting is part planning, part performance, and part quiet studio work. Here's exactly what happens between your first email and the canvas arriving at your door.

  1. 01

    The coordination call

    A 30-minute call to choose the moment we'll capture — first kiss, first dance, processional, or something more personal — and to talk through palette, venue layout, and what your guests will see.

  2. 02

    Reference & sketch

    Two to three weeks before the wedding, we share a quick composition study: rough placement of the figures, light direction, and color notes. You give a thumbs-up or send tweaks.

  3. 03

    Set-up at the venue

    Arriving 30–60 minutes early. We need a 6×6-foot area with clear sightlines to the moment we're painting. An easel, a small palette table, and protective drop cloth are all we bring.

  4. 04

    Painting live

    The background is blocked in early — venue, light, architecture. Once the moment happens, the figures and faces are added with the room watching. By the end of the night, the canvas is mostly complete.

  5. 05

    Studio finishing

    Back in the studio, the painting is brought to a final polish — refining faces, adding florals or guests requested after the fact, and balancing the color across the canvas.

  6. 06

    Varnish & delivery

    A final UV-protective varnish, then the canvas is wrapped and delivered (or shipped) within two weeks of the wedding. Optional framing handled in-house.

For Your Planner

What we need from you.

A 6×6 ft setup spot

With clear sightlines to the moment we're capturing.

Permission from the venue

Most venues say yes — we provide a one-page artist agreement if asked.

Final guest count (rough)

Helps us decide how many figures to render in the foreground.

Day-of timeline

So we can plan our setup window and the moment of capture.

we'd love to hear about your day

Tell us about your wedding.

Start the Conversation