A New Year's Eve Wedding

My sister was commissioned to do a live event painting for a New Year's Eve wedding. The venue was the Park Plaza Hotel in Boston. The Imperial Ballroom to be exact.  She would paint the festivities from the opera box or balcony above the room.

She usually takes a few reference photos as she can not paint all the goings on in one night.  She always finishes the painting in her studio.  For this wedding, she hired me to take the reference photos. She said her little point and shoot camera's flash would never be strong enough to record the action down below the opera box.

The ballroom was very impressive and looked like a winter wonderland.  The chandeliers were massive and exquisite!

Here's a view of the opera boxes. I took this shot before any wedding guests arrived.

With purple uplighting, the entire room was transformed into something magical and elegant.

The cake was topped with a glittery C for Caroline and Charlie, the bride and groom. The chairs were silver as were the tablecloths.

The bride and groom got a sneak peek at the room before the guests arrived and I got my first look at the dress. It was beautiful, flouncy and feathery looking. 

The bride smiled throughout the night. I don't think I have a single picture of her where she isn't smiling. As it should be, right?

Many of the tables had illuminated trees as centerpieces. It was tasteful and elegant.

The cake had center spotlight and it was a beauty.  Tiny "pearls" decorated each layer.

Again the cake. I do not know what flavor it was but it looked yummy. The cake is an important feature of the wedding painting so my sister asked me to make sure I got some good shots of it  for her reference.

Of course, the dress is also important so I took lots of pictures of the bride. I was also supposed to take shots of people doing things like dancing and clapping. And shots of people who were smiling and happy.

Mission accomplished in this shot. I think these two look very happy! They were so cute!

Most of my sister's customers want the first dance of the bride and groom as the focal point of the painting.

The clergy man gave the couple a lovely blessing. I used my zoom lens to get this photo.

The bride's dance with her Father was sweet. it looked like her dress had a crystal snowflake on it. Quite fitting for a winter wonderland theme.

My sister played catch up with the painting as we got stuck in a traffic gridlock on the way to the wedding. One of the streets was totally blocked off and traffic was being rerouted.

I took so many shots of people dancing and I used my flash to pick up the details since we were another story up in the opera box.

This wedding was a major dance party. The guests danced all night. I hardly saw anyone sitting at the tables.

People clapping and smiling just what my sister wanted for her reference photos. I can't wait to see the finished painting!

As you can see, we were pretty far removed from the wedding so I could snap away to my heart's content without interfering with the official photographer. I took 700+ photos.

The wedding lasted into the New Year and there was a big screen TV so we could watch the countdown to 2013.

The wedding lasted into the wee hours of the morning. I was exhausted having working during the day at my regular job. At the end of the wedding, just as we were leaving, I got violently ill and I was thankful that the ride home was quick. We did have a bit of a wait for the valet to get our car because there had been a hit and run right in front of the hotel. There were police cars and an ambulance blocking the road. The EMTS were attending to the victim who was still in the middle of the road. Yikes!

It was quite the evening and a crazy start to the New Year!

Wedding Wow Factor- Live Event Painting

It occured to me that I have not posted one of my sister's live event paintings in a while.
This is the latest completed project.

For those of you who haven't read the other posts, my sister has a business as a live event painter.

She takes her easel and supplies and she paints the event as it takes place before her. She calls it the Wedding Wow Factor.

Most of her business is for weddings but she would also attend and paint at any type of special occasion.  As you can see, she not only paints the bride and groom but the surroundings as well. She tries to get as much done as possible at the event and then puts the finishing touches to it in her studio.

I really like the cake in this painting. Imagine painting all the guests! She spends time making sure she has added all the minute details to the painting.

Many of her clients are family members of the bride or groom who wish to give a unique gift to the couple. And it is very unique, there are not many artists who do this type of work.

If you would like a live event painting for your special event, you can email me and I will pass on the inquiry. I like to keep track of the inquires received from my blog posts.

And I will be in touch with my creative side tomorrow as I have been hired to photograph a First Communion in East Boston and the reception afterwards in Cambridge. I am looking forward to it.

  

It's so Random!

What do you do when you have some random things to blog about but not enough to fill an entire blogpost? You do a random thoughts post!

I discovered a new coffee shop in Melrose last week and I've already been there twice! Coffee. Tea and Me is located on Main Street.  What a great place. there's quite the selection of coffees and baked goods too.  Last week, I tried an Iced Viennese and this week it was an iced mocha. Both of them were so fabulous I just know I'll be back. Check it out if you're in the area!

    

I am enjoying my little kitty pitcher, a recent purchase. Love it's irridescence and the kitty looks like my little Percy. And I am loving the fact that it's footed.

 

I just took photos of another one of my sister's live event paintings.  This is for the wedding of Michele and Brian.  They were married at the Copley Plaza in Boston.

Although Percy does not seem to mind the heat...

Oscar has become a complete slug! He just wants to chill out in front of the window.



And Percy can not understand.  Percy can go full speed all day long even in 90 degree heat.

Hope you all can chill out with an iced coffee, iced tea, or just in front of an open window. Get ready, Summer's coming!

Live Event Painting- A wedding in Newport, Rhode Island

Just thought I would share another one of my sister's live event paintings. For any of you who are new readers, my sister paints at events like weddings and parties.

She paints most of the event as it is happening and then puts the finishing touches on it in her studio. The recipient receives a painting depicting their wedding, party, etc.


This painting portrays the wedding of Serena and Jonathan, a young couple who got married in Newport, Rhode Island last Fall. I took a shot of the entire painting so you can see all the goings on at the reception.



This style of painting is not supposed to be detailed. But as you look at the various sections of the painting you will see many details. Look at the clothing.
the glasses of wine, food on the plates.



I like the blond woman's hair and the man next to her. He was looking down when my sister was painting the guests at that table.



The bride and groom dancing their first dance as husband and wife.



And a man tries to capture the moment with his camera. Nothing escapes my sister's eye or paintbrush!




Even a waitress carrying plates is added to the scene.



One of the bride's sisters and her flowergirl daughters. I love how my sister captured the dress. You can see shadow and light, you can tell the bodice is pleated.




The band is, of course, in the painting.





And a closer look at Serena and Jonathan.



Another one of Serena's sisters and other family members.



A snippet of one of the tables.




A broader view.




And again, the finished product. To learn more or inquire about live event painting for your special event, please email me at chatelaine08@gmail.com .

Live event painting

I mentioned back in April that my sister is a live event painter and most of her business involves weddings. She was hired by our friends Pauline and Scott to paint their reception.

Pauline and Scott happily posed with the finished product.



They had fun looking at each section of the artwork. Scott pointed out Heather, the maid of honor.



And Pauline enjoyed remembering the day.



Here's the section with the bride and groom and the cake.




And in closeup! If you would like more info on live event painting, contact me via email and I'll forward your inquiry to my sister.