It’s likely you have heard of Live Wedding Painting before. Perhaps when you were scrolling on Tiktok or Instagram, you came across a video of an artist painting the newlywed couple or their guests live on the wedding day.

Or maybe you were lucky enough to attend a wedding where a Live Wedding Painter was present and went home holding your very own special guest painting! Either way, Live Wedding Painting has become a very popular and in demand part of a wedding day, and many couples are desperate to have their own unique masterpiece to remember their special day by.

As a concept, Live Wedding Painting has been around for hundreds of years. With members of the royal family and the aristocracy having their portrait painted to cement their union as a newlywed couple. However, these days, employing an artist to paint you and your guests live on your wedding day is now something that everyone can enjoy, and thankfully is not only reserved for the elite!

My name is Chloe Sami, I am a Live Wedding Painter who paints both newlyweds oil paintings on canvas and also paints guest illustrations for unique wedding favours and entertainment!

Being half South Asian myself, I know all about the many different elements and sections of a South Asian wedding day. These often differ from western weddings, and after painting at many South Asian weddings over the years, I have found that Live Wedding Painting works perfectly for the South Asian wedding day.

Here are some reasons below that outline why having a Live Wedding Painter is perfect for your South Asian wedding day!

Reason 1: Indian, Pakistani & Bangladeshi Wedding Ideas 

Whether you’re having an Indian, Pakistani or Bangladeshi wedding, there are often many different parts to a South Asian wedding day. Having a Live Wedding Painter gives your guests an activity to interact with in-between ceremonies and sections of the wedding day. South Asian wedding days can often have different religious ceremonies and non religious parts to the day with lots of changeovers and transitions to the day. This often leads to guests waiting for extended periods of time with nothing to do. Having a Live Wedding Painter to paint the couple on the day gives the guests an amazing form of entertainment, where they can go up and see how the painting is coming together, chat to the live painter, and have something to look forward to and capture their attention while waiting. 

Reason 2: Show Off Wedding Lehengas and Sarees!

It's no secret that guests love to dress up and go all out at South Asian weddings! It’s a great excuse to buy a new outfit and to try out the newest hair and makeup styles. So having a Live Wedding Painter to paint individual guest portraits is a very popular choice. Whether they are dressing up in their most elegant lehenga choli, their best saree or their sharpest shirwani, guests love watching the live portrait come to life and having their special outfit immortalised in paint. For this reason, the queue for live guest illustrations fills up very quickly and it's always a big hit at weddings!

Reason 3: A Perfect Live Wedding Painting Moment Under Your Mandap or at Your Nikkah

Having a Live Wedding Painter paint an oil painting live on canvas is such a beautiful and unique way to immortalise your special day. The live artist will be there on your wedding day to soak in the atmosphere and infuse all of the joy, excitement and love in the air into your Live Wedding Painting. You will usually chat with your Live Wedding Painter before the day, and decide on a pose or moment of the wedding day that you would like to be featured in your painting. This can be a moment under your mandap, a part of your Nikkah, or even your first dance at the reception. Your wedding painter will also be able to take inspiration for the decor, flowers and architecture they see around them to inform how they paint your one of a kind piece. Each time your family and friends come over to see your wedding masterpiece hanging in your home, you can all be reminded of the laughter, happiness and special memories of your wedding day! Many couples have also told me that they were looking forward to having their Live Wedding Painting as an heirloom that they can pass onto their children and future generations through the family, that will last for years to come. 

Reason 4: Have Live Guest Illustrations and a Live Wedding Painting on Canvas too

When couples are in discussions about having a Live Wedding Painter, they often think that they have to choose between having a Live Wedding Painting on canvas of themselves, or only having guest illustrations. Although it’s true that not all painters offer this, some Live Painters like myself do offer both services on the same day! This means that you can have a stunning oil painting of canvas of you as a couple on your special day, and also have guest illustrations for family and friends too, without having to choose one or the other. The guest illustrations are amazing for special wedding favours that guests will never forget. At many South Weddings I have painted at, the couple have asked me to paint a specific list of their close family and friends, to ensure that those closest to their hearts receive a wedding favour that is memorable and unique as a gift.  

Reason 5: Provide Amazing Wedding Entertainment For You and Your Guests

We all know how busy South Asian Weddings can be, with a lot packed into one day! Couples often ask me if they or their guests have to stand still when being painted, and the answer is - no they don’t! I’m sure this comes as a relief to many of you, as most couples need to be moving through their wedding itinerary of the day and definitely cannot be standing still for long periods of time. The same goes for guests, who would much rather be having fun on the dancefloor of the reception, rather than standing in a long line to be painted. That’s why, as a Live Wedding Painter, I work extensively from photographs. I take a photograph of the couple during their ceremony or the part of the wedding that was discussed, and use that to work from whilst I am painting. All of the exciting floral displays and beautiful decor choices around me are used in the painting and don’t require me to take any photos, as I’m painting live at the wedding venue itself. When completing guest illustrations, I also take photos of guests and tell them when to come back to see their guest painting. This allows the guests to go off and have fun at the wedding, or watch me paint while they are waiting for their unique wedding favour. Family and friends love chatting to me and watching the easel as the piece comes to life before their eyes! 

Chloe Sami is a Live Wedding Painter and Event Artist.

To book Chloe for your Wedding or Event, you can go to her Contact Page Below!