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Painting love — live
on your wedding day
From initial call to final brushstroke
YOUR STORY IS AT THE FOREFRONT
After painting 400+ weddings, we know how to capture the you-shaped story you want the painting to tell. You’ve spent hours planning each and every detail for your wedding details, from the location to your bouquet, and everything in between.
We partner with you to cover every detail.
Our creative process begins with intentional planning
how this works
We begin with the moment Ben will capture and talk through who and what details are most important to you to include. We care about even the littlest details like guest attire, rain plan, and even ask to see sneak peeks of your gown. Our planning allows for Ben to use his day-of painting time efficiently and focus on composing all the details to make a great live wedding painting.
"The whole experience was just magical..."
My experience working with Ben Keys and his wife Jen was one of my favorite parts of planning our wedding. They both were such a pleasure to work with, and the whole experience was just magical. The painting turned out beautifully and ended up capturing the feel of our wedding perfectly. We now have our painting hanging in our living room, and it is the first thing you see when you open the door. We plan on having this as a keepsake from our wedding that will stay with us forever.
"He truly captured the joy and the love..."
"Every bride should know about Ben Keys and his amazing talent! Ben did a live painting of my first dance under our tent, while the band was playing and our guests were celebrating! His artistry was such a unique surprise and a treat for all of our guests to witness. Everyday I will admire his work, as it takes me back to that very special moment! He truly captured the joy and the love surrounding the wedding. I feel so lucky to have found him."
The Creative Call:
Each live painting starts with a plan. We plan a Creative Call one month before the event to walk through the key people and details to include in the painting.
Your Wedding Day:
Ben will arrive 2-3 hours early to set up and begin the painting live. As guests arrive, they see the beginning stages of the sketch and watch the painting come to life. The biggest crowd forms around the easel the moment Ben adds you into the painting!
Back to the Studio:
After the wedding, Ben brings the painting back to the studio for finishing touches. As an artist first, he values this time refining the detail in natural studio light. (And this is usually when he adds in the pups!)
Delivery:
The best part! We send a digital preview of your finished live wedding painting 8-10 weeks after the big day. Once we hear you love the finished piece, we arrange to have the painting shipped or coordinate local pickup.
Style Your Painting:
Pop the bubbly … or Bourbon, it’s time to find the perfect all in your home to style your live wedding painting.
ben's approach
painting style
Ben’s style is impressionistic, filled with color, and aims for a balance of brushwork and fine detail to capture the joy of the moment. Learn more about what it’s like to create live wedding painting together. Ben and Jen collaborate to provide a seamless client experience and an heirloom art piece to be treasured for generations.
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See Ben's Work in real Life
framing & Prints
learn more details
To complement your original wedding painting, Ben Keys offers additional canvas prints, stationery, and framing options. These optional enhancements are exquisite ways to showcase your original piece.
artistic integrity
As a professional artist, Ben ensures canvas prints and stationery are high-quality reproductions of the original work to main the artistic integrity of each piece. Frames have been carefully selected and assembled with professional framing techniques to display your artwork.
- How soon should we book our date?
Our couples book as much as 10-18 months in advance. His calendar fills quickly due to the amount of travel and limiting his weddings to one out-of-state-weddings. - How much space does Ben Require?
Ben is flexible and adaptable to work within your event floor plan. We recommend setting aside a 10x10ft area for guests to comfortably gather to view the painting throughout the night.
- Will Ben need an additional table or chair provided?
We love keeping Ben's setup minimal. Ben actually prefers to paint standing and his easel holds everything he needs to create the painting. No additional table or chair is required for a live wedding painting. - Can you travel to our wedding?
Yes! Passports and travel easel ready! For the last 10 years, the majority of our weddings have been out-of-state. True Story: Ben can breeze through TSA faster with a paint kit than Jen can with her makeup bag.
- What medium does Ben paint in?
Ben uses acrylic paint for his live wedding paintings. They are fast drying, odorless, and so vibrant in color! - Does Ben offer finishing touches?
After each wedding, Ben brings the live painting back to our studio in Charleston, SC, for finishing touches. - How is the painting shipped?
We use a local shipping company that specializes in packaging fine art for the premier Charleston art galleries. The paintings arrive to you "ready to style": stretched, wired, and ready to hang!
- Can we gift a live painting as a surprise?
Yes! Could there be a more special wedding gift for a newly married couple? We love sharing successful SURPRISE live paintings pulled off over the years! - Can we choose which guests and family are included in the painting?
Absolutely! We want to capture the most important details and people of the day whether that’s including your full wedding party, immediate family, and/or just the two of you!
- Will we need to purchase a frame?
Framing is completely optional! The painting arrives "ready to style" with the canvas edges painted and the back properly wired. Ben does offer a selection of Canvas Floater Frames that are available to purchase anytime before delivery. - When will we decide the moment to be painted?
Our Creative Call is planned about one month leading up to the wedding. We do not need to know the subject of the painting to book your date.
