What is needed to book your services?

In order to secure me for your wedding, I will provide a contract with all details of the event for both of us to sign. I also require a 30% downpayment which will be subtracted from the final total owed 7 days before your ceremony.

What do your services typically cost?

I’ve seen so many wedding painters online charge copious amounts for subpar work. I take great pride in my art and my talents, but I also understand the importance of financing a wedding. My base price for a wedding is $2,150, this includes the size starting at of 16” x 20” gessoboard on which your painting will be captured. Depending on size, travel time, etc, we can discuss prices and work best with your budget to make sure you are left satisfied with my work.

Do you travel?

Yes! I am based out of Chicago, though I have traveled within the midwest as far as Milwaukee, Indianapolis, Plymouth, Cincinnati, etc. If your wedding is outside the city of Chicago, travel costs will be discussed and included in your proposal (including airfare or mileage, hotel accommodations 2+ hours outside Chicago, and a rental car if necessary). If the commute is greater than 1.5 hours by car, additional fees for an extra night may be requested.

What do you use to paint with?

I work exclusively with oil paints. In order to rapidly set up my work in so little time, I will use both colored pencil and a tonal acrylic paint to simply map out the painting ahead of time. All colors and brush strokes seen in the final painting will be high-quality oil paints protected by a clear varnish to enhance clarity. I also work solely on a type of surface called a gesso board, which is essentially a smooth, flat, thin piece of wood. I find the smooth texture of the surface much easier to work on as opposed to standard stretched canvases (which have a textured grain that can at times hamper finer details and can also lose tension and begin to sag with time). All paintings can be easily shipped and framed with much more ease than canvases, as gesso boards will fit into all standard sized frames. As I work with oils, the painting remains wet for a week or two after the ceremony, so unfortunately I cannot have guests touch it.

How long do you paint for on my wedding day?

I will typically arrive approximately 1 hour before your ceremony to set up and get acclimated to the space. Unlike other artists you see, I do not begin to paint the background or prime the board ahead of time - I want to capture a single moment and focus on that individual snapshot. Sometimes it can be stressful to have a pure white board when the guests are coming in for reception, but I love to see the quick turnaround time and the magic of a painting coming to life quickly! Typically, I will begin painting just after the ceremony and will wrap up my work 1-2 hours before the reception ends (or when the dance floor starts popping) - usually around 6 hours of work time. At the end of the evening, I will have a ‘very-close-to-done’ rough draft that you and your guests can enjoy on display while I allow guests to admire and slowly wrap up!

How long after the wedding will I receive my painting?

I will take the painting back to my studio to fine tune details and make sure the painting is to my liking. I will have the painting completed, dried, and varnished for you in approximately 16-24 weeks following your wedding, at which time we can arrange a pick up or shipment. On average, I tend to complete paintings within 1 to 2 months, but given the busier wedding seasons as well as my personal want for the best final product - I kindly request patience while I finish your painting! It will be well worth the wait.

How do I know what moment you will capture?

We will have a phone consultation 1 month prior to your wedding date, at which time we will discuss your vision, the idea for the painting, as well as iron out any questions or concerns you might have. I typically enjoy painting first looks or the kiss, but whatever you imagine - I can do! If time allows, I prefer to do a QUICK photo shoot just prior to the ceremony so we can best capture your vision without worrying about missing any moment during the ceremony.

As I work from a single reference photo or two, I usually advise against a first dance or reception moment for my personal style. There simply isn’t enough time from that moment to the end of the night to complete a draft - of course we can discuss capturing photos ahead of the ceremony and more fully discuss your vision and how to best capture it.

Is painting your full-time job?

I wish!

I’m also a full-time nurse that works in downtown Chicago. Painting fills much of my free time, not due to commitments, but because I have always found it to be an incredibly therapeutic exercise for me, and I always love to push myself towards higher standards. Even before weddings, if I had free time, i was likely painting something.

Wedding paintings bring me so much joy by allowing me to rapidly and creatively continue to expand my talents and abilities.

Do you offer any discounts?

Unfortunately no!

However, I have a running 20% discount towards all LGBT weddings, with 10% of the final total being donated to the Trevor Project, a non-profit focused on suicide prevention and crisis intervention for LGBTQ young people.