Live Wedding Painting
There’s no better way to commemorate your wedding day than with a gorgeous painting of the reception! A professional artist will travel to your location and paint the lovely wedding scene as it unfolds. The artist will draw inspiration from the guests, decoration, music, and of course, your unique love story. The night will end, but you’ll look at the lovely painting and remember your wedding with fondness! The painting will take between 3-4 hours, but timing can vary based on commission and size of canvas.
The process
Pick your backdrop
Inside, Outside? Ceremony or Reception?
Select Your Moment
There are so many special moments on your wedding day that happen all too fast! Choose the moment to be captured that is
right for you.
1. Contact me...
Click on “get started” below to contact Bella for a free customized price quote. Please remember to include your event location, date and time so Bella can make sure she is free to paint for you! The price for a single live painting usually ranges between $1,600-$2500 and varies based on size, location (and travel expenses involved), time of day/year, and the extent to which you want the painting touched up after the event. All price points include high quality art materials and insurance, and a detailed consultation approximately 1-2 months before the event to make sure the final painting meets your vision. You will be able to request specific details of your venue, decor, and attire to emphasize in the painting.
2. The day of the event...
On the day of your event, Bella arrives up to 2 hours early to start painting the background, so that she can focus on adding key people during the party. With every painting, she aims to capture the specific mood, lighting and color of a space, an intimate portrait of the most important people, and a slightly more impressionistic background featuring the most important people and details of your party, while interacting with your guests as they watch the scene unfold on canvas.
3. After...
Even if a venue does not allow the artist to arrive early, often 90% of the painting is complete by the end of a 4-hour party, for guests to admire on their way out. However, Bella offers touch-up work (usually about 5-10 hours total) at no extra charge to make sure you are completely satisfied with the final product, as well as free delivery anywhere in Brooklyn or Manhattan and Connecticut usually within 8-12 weeks after the event. For out of town events that require overnight stay, the painting is normally complete by the morning after the event.
4. Add ons
Get started here
Pricing
Standard Package
Sizes
16” X 20” or under: $1300
18” X 24”: $1500
20“ X 24”: $1700
22” X 28”, 20” X 30”, 24” X 30”: $1900
24“ X 36”: $2000
Larger sizes i.e. 30” X 40”, 24” X 48”: $2500
** Higher rates apply for July 4 and Holidays
** Peak Saturdays (May-October) and holiday
weekend dates (occurring on Memorial Day, Labor Day, July 4, Thanksgiving and Columbus Day weekends) require booking a package of $1800 and up Included:
• Painting live at an entire 3-6 hour event
• Arriving onsite up to 1 to 2 hours early on the same day
to do preliminary sketches/background painting.
• Initial planning with client by phone/email (in person
meeting also available upon request!)
• Materials fee (quality acrylic paint, canvas, brushes)
• Touch-up work including up to 2 rounds of minor revisions, to make sure you are completely satisfied with the final product (though the painting will look nearly complete by the end of the event)*
• Hand delivery of finished painting to client anywhere
within Connecticut and New York City (including boroughs), if completed after the event (delivery by mail requires an additional
shipping/handling fee)
• Artist’s travel anywhere within Connecticut and New York City**
* If Client agrees to take painting at the end of the
event without touch-ups, Artist can take $200 off all
sizes 22” X 28” and up. Client may also request
refined portraits of guests, and/or a higher level of
detail overall, for an additional $200.
** An additional travel fee ranging from $50-$200 will
be added for events that require travel outside of
Connecticut and NYC. For events that require air travel and lodging, expenses will be calculated accordingly.
Coverage of up to $1,000,000 in liability insurance
FAq
Q: What type of paint/materials do you use?
A: I paint with high quality water-based acrylic paint on pre-stretched canvas. The paint is non-toxic and extremely quick-drying, allowing for easy clean-up and transport of the painting after an event.
Q: Does the painting come framed?
A: The painting is on a stretched canvas which can be hung right away without a frame.
Q: What type of set-up or materials does the event site need to provide?
A: The setup is minimal and usually does not require assistance from event staff. I supply my own portable easel. The site only needs to arrange for a small painting area in advance of my arrival, which need not take up more than approximately 4′ X 6′, inside or outside, and a small table to hold the painting supplies. The site also needs to have a nearby power outlet for my lamp, and water source and place to dump paint water such as a slop sink or bathroom. I need to set up in a spot that gives me a good view of whatever scene I am painting.
Q: My venue will only let you start setting up an hour before my party. Will you have enough time to set up?
A: Though arriving 1-2 hours in advance is ideal, I only need about 20 minutes to get everything set up to start painting. I have been able to produce finished-looking paintings over the course of a 4-hour party with less than an hour to set up. However, if I can arrive earlier, then guests will be able to see a background that is close to finished by the time they come into the room, and I will be able to focus more on adding the people during the party. Anything not completed at the event will be finished in my studio.
Q: My ceremony is only half an hour long–can you still paint it live?
A: Since ceremonies are so short, I like to arrive as early as possible to paint the background before the ceremony. I usually paint as much as I can during the ceremony itself but also take photos for reference. Then, I like to stay during the reception and finish my painting working from my photos, so that guests are able to watch the painting of the ceremony progress while they’re enjoying the party! If I cannot stay for the reception, then I will finish the painting in my studio based on my photos.
Q: My venue is requiring liability insurance from all vendors. Do you have proof of insurance?
A: Yes, Event Painting by Bella has standard liability insurance covering up to $1M.
Q: Where are you based geographically? Are you willing to travel to paint an event in a different city?
A: I am based in New Haven, CT but frequently service Philadelphia, Massachussets/New York and New England areas, and have painted as far away as Brazil. I require that clients cover travel costs such as airfare and hotels. Out-of-town events under 2 hours driving distance from NYC (most places in the Tri-State Area) do not usually require overnight stay, but a travel fee between $50-150 will be reflected in your total price quote.
Q: What if my event has already passed? Can I still get a painting from photos?
A: Yes. In the past, however, I have created many customized paintings based on photo or video documentation of an event. This also allows me the flexibility to not just copy directly from one photograph, but collage multiple memories from your event, and even other times in your life, into the same painting, similar to the fine art paintings I create from photo references.