A Stunning Cheltenham Wedding | Live Wedding Painting for Kate & James

It has been a week now since I attended the gorgeous wedding of Kate & James, and I am excited to finally sit and talk about their day.

It began with a simple email from Kate wishing to have me at their day as their live wedding painter, yet their wedding was really close, and as a couple, they wanted to discuss the option of a payment plan so that they could still have me there while spreading the cost. We came to an agreement that we were both happy with, and I was very excited to be part of their day. They were getting married at the DoubleTree by Hilton in Cheltenham the day after a wedding showcase I had booked at the Granary at Fawsley, so I knew that if I got a good night’s sleep the night before the wedding, I could drive home safely. After the wedding showcase, I drove to Cheltenham and stayed in a trusted Premier Inn within a ten minute drive of the venue. On the drive down, I kept reminding myself to sort dinner and fuel before driving to the venue the next day, and as I turned into the hotel car park, not only was there a McDonald’s on the complex but also a petrol station - was that the universe answering my requests?

Travelling alone always makes me a little anxious, so I had brought along a universal door lock and an alarmed door stopper to help me feel more comfortable and sleep well. I am not used to travelling away from home yet, and as a lone woman it is easy to feel incredibly unsafe, so these items should have helped, right? Well, the door lock did not fit a Premier Inn door, which was really frustrating, and then as I put the door stopper in place, I realised it needed a battery. At least I tried, right? I still set them up for some peace of mind, even if it was mostly psychological. Sleeping wasn’t easy, as the room was either too warm or too cold at times, but the next morning I took it slow, enjoying a full English breakfast and a nice cuppa before grabbing fuel and heading over to the venue.

When I arrived, I met the wedding coordinator for the day, who kindly showed me exactly where to set up, which rooms I could use, where to store my trolley and equipment, and showed me around the venue for the wedding. That level of organisation made the start of my day so much easier, and prior communication really helped. I then headed up to see Kate as she was getting ready. We shared a big hug, chatted about the painting, and I went off to scout the perfect location for my reference photo. I set up in the bar, which was away from the loud music, and then took my camera to explore the grounds. As I walked toward a beautiful little bridge, I heard tapping on a window - it was Kate’s dad! We had such a cute conversation through the glass about the day, and I could tell they were both super excited. I explained I was the wedding artist, not the photographer, and pointed to the area we were considering for the reference photo for the piece. After a little chat, they continued to get ready while I returned to taking some test shots of the area.

I wanted to trial out throwing background colour on the canvas so that there was something more than just the bride and groom on there. Kate had told me in our pre-consultation that she loves autumn and wanted to capture that in the painting, as well as the little details that are important to them. When I saw the area, we had originally planned to take the image from the side as they stood on a little bridge, which was absolutely gorgeous. Yet when I stood facing it from the front with the gorgeous pillared planters, picket fencing, and surrounding trees, I knew that this was the backdrop for their autumn wedding painting, though it wasn’t my decision to make. I took a quick snap of both angles and asked Kate directly what she thought, including my preference, yet made it clear it was her choice. She agreed it was perfect, so I took the snap and headed straight to the canvas.

I began covering the backdrop of the canvas in greens, blacks, and oranges. Although the trees hadn’t fully turned orange, I knew I could make these changes easily through my painting process and, if needed, with Photoshop to add more oranges, reds, and yellows. I wanted something visual on the canvas in addition to when I would begin painting the bride and groom later in the day; I needed to wait until they were married to capture the photo.

As the ceremony was about to begin, I put my paintbrushes down and headed to watch the bride and bridesmaids enter the room. The atmosphere was electric, full of excitement, and it was so wonderful to be part of it. As the ceremony began, I set up my line art equipment and then waited for the big cheer to mark the end, watching the happy couple leave the room and head to the bar. I lingered in the corner while they greeted their guests before I moved over to congratulate them both. It was then that Kate turned to her photographer, who decided to stay back, and we left the hustle and bustle to get the perfect image for their day.

I helped Kate across the grass, holding her dress up so we didn’t get grass clippings all over her gown and lace. We arrived at the spot, and I styled them both in the setting and told them to relax and chat, as we would be there for a few minutes. I have to say, this is my favourite part of the day: a brief private moment with the couple, bigging them up for their first styled photos. We laughed and chatted as I made sure the little details were perfect, with the dress draped to the floor and the flowers held in the right position. Initially, we were going to go for a kiss-style painting, yet I captured this gorgeous moment between them as they smiled at one another - a little stolen moment that I realised was the perfect photo. I showed them both, and they instantly gasped and said yes at the same time.

We headed back to the venue, the dress once again gathered up across the grass, as we saw the family and friends perfectly lined up for a confetti shot. We diverted through the reception room, catching a glimpse of the gorgeous cake. It was a naked cake with a middle acrylic clear tier decorated with Marlon and Dory, fairy lights, and seaweed-like decorations to simulate Finding Nemo, with another tier of cake at the top. Honestly, it was gorgeous, and I wish I had taken a photo (noted for next time!). At this point, I should have left the couple to get on with the day, yet I decided to follow them around to their confetti shot. Before they stepped out, I stopped them both and fluffed out Kate’s dress before dropping back to my canvas to lineart the gorgeous couple. This part of the process took around 20 minutes, and then it was time to begin painting properly. I added a bit more colour to the backdrop, did a very light layer on the pillars, and then began painting the couple.

There are still areas for learning, yet this was my biggest canvas at 30x40 inches, so I knew I wouldn’t be able to do a huge amount of detailing as I simply didn’t have enough time. Yet as I started painting the couple, the guests were blown away. Prior to painting them, the backdrop looked completely abstract, and now they were seeing realism come into play - this was what they didn’t expect. Initially, everyone was like “oh, that’s nice,” which then turned into “wow” with shock and disbelief at how realistic Kate and James looked on canvas. This is what I love about what I do: from unsure feelings and uncertainty to seeing detailed realism emerge from paint. I even saw business cards leaving the table behind me, reminding me I had done the right thing stepping into this world. I can easily slip into imposter syndrome and forget that I am good at what I do, both in person and at home, but it is hard at times to stop that.

At the end of the night, knowing I had a two hour drive home, I invited Kate and James over to the canvas to see it for the first time since I had banned them from viewing it. Their reactions are unlikely to ever be forgotten: instant shock, and seeing their vision coming to life. I honestly left that night so happy that I was capturing what they wanted. It was a high that kept me going as the M25 decided to close the moment I got to it, sending me anticlockwise and adding an hour onto my drive. Yet it didn’t matter: I had finally ticked off driving the whole length of the UK’s biggest car park motorway, and the wedding was a roaring success, which was the important thing. Though my outfit was incredibly itchy - note to self to avoid that next time!

Congratulations, Kate & James, and thank you for trusting me to be part of your day and vision as their live wedding painter.

Now it is time to finish this in the studio!