For couples and lovers all around the world, a wedding is more than just an event. It is a journey of a lifetime that starts with a flicker of love, develops into mutual admiration, progresses to meeting the parents, which moves to wedding shopping and spending hours selecting the right outfit, and finally, taking their pheras or saying ‘I do’.
A wedding is an event where every detail is carefully planned to create memories that last a lifetime. From the bridal attires to the carefully chosen flowers for the decor, everything takes months of planning to make the day special for the couple who start their life together. And the beauty and emotions that fill the space are simply surreal.
The common rituals
Weddings across cultures have a set of rituals that add meaning to the occasion. In India, for instance, we have the Haldi ceremony, the Mehendi night, and the sacred pheras. There is also the Walima ceremony, the exchange of vows, the first dance, tossing the bouquet, and much more. And in some way or the other, there is a sense of art and culture in it all. Be it the elaborate decorations for the Pheras, or the carefully organised flowers of the bouquet, everything is made possible for the couple.
New wedding trends
And in between the many different rituals, there is now a fusion of old and new, and new trends are making their way into the tradition. Things like destination weddings in exotic locations, personalised wedding themes, crotched varmalas, matching outfits during the pre-wedding functions, and the likes have made their way into people’s heart. In fact, even sustainability has become a focus during weddings with couples opting for eco-friendly decor, digital invitations, and minimal waste celebrations.
Among these evolving trends, live wedding paintings have emerged as a unique way to capture the feeling, love, and beauty, of the day.
The trend of wedding paintings
Live wedding paintings basically have an artist who capture the scene from the wedding in real time, often using oil or watercolor on canvas. Unlike photographs, which freeze a moment in time, a painting can really breathe life into the scene, blending colours, emotions, and movement. The painter is usually standing near the venue, either near the seat where the couple sits and poses for pictures, or near the sacred fire where they take the pheras.
And the duo who created the masterpiece for Prajakta Koli and husband Vrishank Khanal on their wedding day, Varsha and Vivek, talked about the experience of making live paintings. On the reactions Varsha remarked “Once we start we have people staring and side eying not understanding whats going on. Kids line up thinking it’s a tattoo stall. A little into the painting we get lots of crowd. People keep coming back every 10mins to watch the progress. Usually they eat n leave a wedding if it isn’t a close friend or relatives wedding..now they stay till the end to watch the result and to see the couples reaction once we reveal.”
Image: whartever/Instagram
Sanya Kapoor for example, a bride who decided to get married on Valentines Day, 14 February 2025, also commissioned a live wedding painting on her wedding day. The couple instructed the artist to capture them during the post Varmala rituals, and the result they got left them awestruck. The artist painted them looking at each other, with a priest sitting on the side, and their hands locked into each others.
Live wedding paintings is unique not just for the couple who commissions it, but also for the guests who get to see the magic happening in real-time. The painter and artist make their artwork between people and the wedding guests get to watch the artwork before their eyes. And in numerous videos doing rounds on the internet, guests can be seen squealing in surprise or being completely awestruck when they look at the painting.
Aashi Jain, a famous wedding painter says, “To see those precious expressions on the faces of bride and groom and their families is the best part of live wedding painting. They get so emotional seeing this important part of their life being captured forever on canvas.”
Talking about how well the relatives and the couple take the final creation, she remarked that “I always end up receiving so many heartfelt blessings from both the couple and their relatives. Also they are enchanted by the whole process till the moment painting is complete.”
Be it capturing the couple’s first dance, the exchange of vows, or a candid moment of laughter, these paintings become a work of art that show love in the purest form.
Aashi creating a live painting (Image: _jain_aashi_/Instagram)
Live paintings across weddings
The trend of wedding paintings has found its way into not just high-profile weddings, but also people who have low-key, minimal weddings decide to have a live painter for the ceremony. Quite recently, childhood lovers Prajakta Koli and Vrishank Khanal got married, and they too had a live wedding painter in the ceremony.
And as in India, grand weddings include elaborate decor and artistic elements, making live painting comes as a natural fit. The vibrant Indian weddings, with colourful attire and grand rituals, are painted beautifully onto canvas, making it a popular choice.
Varsha and Vivek, talking about what attracts couple’s towards live wedding paintings said “It’s a crowd entertainment and keeps a life time memory of the most beautiful moment of their life created in real time..most clients are NRI they have seen this concept Abroad. And now since Celebrities are getting it done too everyone is attracted to this concept.”
Another bride who got a live wedding painting as a gift from her groom chose to stay anonymous, but explained how beautifully the artist had painted and detailed her lehenga, the outfit she had cherished and how she will continue to cherish the gift as well.
An ode to love
Art has always been a way to express love, and wedding paintings are an ode to the couple’s journey. Unlike photographs that can be stored and forgotten, a painting will always catch people’s attention. When kept in the couple’s new home, it will be a reminder of the beauty of not just the painting and its artist, but also the beauty of their love and the moments they shared together and will be etched in their heart for a lifetime. The brushstrokes, the carefully chosen colours, and the little details captured in the painting are a complete dream for many.
And overtime, one of the main reasons couples will opt for live wedding paintings will be the emotional value they hold. A painting might be a little blurry, or it might not capture the bride’s eye makeup as well as a photograph would, but it will capture what was felt. The slight nervousness before saying “I do,” the joy of the first dance, or the playful teasing during the wedding rituals, with the little smiles and the twinkle in eyes, wedding artists will be able to do it all.
Will the trend sustain?
As with any trend, the common question is if it will fade away like the many others that came before, like the bridal dance in entry, the glass walking path, the showering flowers on the couple, and the likes. Many people might think – ‘Will live wedding paintings remain a cherished tradition, and will the paintings stay with us forever?’
While the popularity of wedding photography and videography remains the same, live paintings have carved a niche that appeals to people who want something truly unique and artistic in their wedding ceremony.
When asked if she feels wedding paintings will go away with trend, Aashi says “No one can really say that, but I am sure it will also evolve with time and become an indispensable part of the wedding celebrations.” And to this duo Varsha and Vivek remarked “Hope it stays. It has been there for year in the Europe and the US…I guess it’s here to stay.”
And especially for people who love arts, customisation, and personalised gifts, the live painting will be a delight all their life.
