Plan Your Central Florida Wedding

What to Look for When Hiring a Live Painter

June 10, 2020 Orange Blossom Bride Season 2 Episode 29
Plan Your Central Florida Wedding
What to Look for When Hiring a Live Painter
Show Notes Transcript

Weddings have really changed over the past several years. Couples are stepping away from the traditional wedding atmosphere and really interjecting their personalities into their wedding celebration. 

One of the big trends that we have seen is creating a unique experience for wedding guests through live entertainment. There are so many different types of live entertainment that couples can have. However, in this episode, we are going to talk about one that allows you to have a keepsake after the wedding and that in live painting!

We have with us, Amanda Rainear who is the event manager for Event Painting by Jamie, which provides one of kind paintings of a couple's wedding day. 

spk_0:   0:00
if you're kind of like

spk_1:   0:01
I'm really

spk_0:   0:01
looking for that one extra touch that's gonna make my wedding be memorable. I'm gonna It's gonna memorable for me because I'm gonna, you know, have this unique thing that remember for my guests, you might want to consider live painting.

spk_1:   0:25
Welcome to the plan. Your Central Florida wedding Podcasts. I'm your host Manish Mint, editor of Greater Orlando's top wedding publication, Orange Blossom Bride. I'm sure when you said yes, you had no idea you were jumping on this roller coaster. That is wedding planning Goal of this podcast is to make the wedding planning process less stressful and more fun. We'll provide you with great tips and ideas along with expert advice from some of the areas Top wedding pros. So let's get started planning your Central Florida wedding. Welcome to the podcasts. Now, weddings have changed over the past several years. Couples air stepping away from the traditional wedding atmosphere and really interjecting their personalities into the wedding celebration. One of the big trends that we have seen is creating a unique experience for your wedding guests through live entertainment. Now there are so many different types of live entertainment that couples can have. However, in this episode, we're gonna talk about one that allows you to have that keepsake after the wedding, and that is live painting with us. We have Amanda Rainier, who is the event manager for event painting by Jamie, which provides one of a kind paintings, two couples on their wedding day. Amanda owns the business alongside her husband, artist Jamie Pogue. She oversees every aspect of event painting by Jamie outside of creating paintings from client communication to social media toe Web design. Amanda's also a certified wedding planner through the Bridles Society. So welcome, Amanda, thank you so much for having me excited to have you and congrats on the new certification. That's super exciting.

spk_0:   2:13
Oh, thank you so much. It's spent a lot, but that's, you know, that's aside from the painting stuff. So,

spk_1:   2:19
yeah, that's still a lot of fun. And you understand the wedding process, too. So that's really Oh, yeah, definitely. Let's talk about what live painting is now. This is something that we've kind of just seen pop up recently, and people may not know exactly what it is, so let's first talk about that and give us a little insight to what life painting would be at a couple's wedding. So we've actually

spk_0:   2:46
been we I say here, I'll

spk_1:   2:48
say

spk_0:   2:48
this before I get into that. This business is like more my baby than Jamey's. In some ways, I kind of like, encouraged him to do this. He did live painting for a really long time before he started branching out into this, and I kind of do everything but the painting as you mentioned. So if you hear me like kind of saying like I'm doing something, that probably is because I'm doing it, I just want to get that out of the way because people were like, Why

spk_1:   3:12
don't

spk_0:   3:12
we? Why are you there? Um, but anyway, so, um, we've been kind of doing this since 2015. It's it's We'd actually come from the Philadelphia area originally, and it's a much bigger deal there, Um, or it was, You know, it came onto the scene a lot earlier than its seeming to just come onto the scene down here, like in the past year or so. But up there it was actually pretty oversaturated with other painters already back back that for, um but basically what alive painter is, or you can call it a wedding pain or live event pain, or there's like 1000 names for it. Um, but basically what a live painter does is it's kind of in the name they paint live at your event, and people will get really confused like, Oh, you're actually gonna pay in front of people And it's like, Yeah, that's that's it's like you mentioned. It's an entertainment things. So, um, they'll come to the event. Usually I don't want to speak for every event painter, because I don't know, But what we will dio is, um, Jamie will be there pretty much from starts to strike. So, um, he will get there a couple hours before. If it's a ceremony, he'll get there like, you know, a couple hours before that, it was the first dance will probably get there during the ceremony. Um, well, set up his stuff. He will start painting, and he will paint throughout the event. And typically, um, people either choose the first dance or the ceremony. We actually have one coming up later this year. That I think is gonna be possibly a cake cutting some super excited for that. Just throwing that out there. If you wanna live painting of your first look or you know your dance with your dad or whatever you can do what ever seen you want but typically the scenes that he does our ceremony and first dance. And that's

spk_1:   4:58
kind of

spk_0:   4:58
that you kind of get a like you had already mentioned. Um, something I always like to tell people is it fills a lot of different roles at the same time. It's an entertainment thing. It is a keepsake thing, and also, I don't know too many other service is that you would get with your wedding. That can be an heirloom at the end of you know, not even the end of the day, like the end of you know, when you're old and you can pass it down to your grandkids and stuff. So that's kind of the very long winded overview of what life painting?

spk_1:   5:30
Just No. Yeah, it's a very new on the scene here, and like you said, probably in the last couple of years, it's been getting more and more popular. It's just a cool thing to do, and I know we'll be talking Maurin more in general. But one of the neat things that you guys are letting couples start doing this year was to add a little brush stroke to their painting to give that little signature touch, which is really nice.

spk_0:   5:57
Yeah, that's that's something that I don't remember who it is. I wish you could card at the person, but I saw another live painter doing that months and months ago. It was like, that is such a good idea. I want to do that and we will ask the couple. We just started doing it with our 2020 weddings. We'll ask. The couple beforehand is we've had a couple. People are like, Oh, no, no, no, no. I'm think I'm gonna mess it up. I don't want to touch it so you don't have to. But that's something that's been super fun.

spk_1:   6:21
So if couples are considering hiring a live painter, what should they consider? So the first thing which I

spk_0:   6:27
already kind of started getting into is the checking multiple boxes and some. I mean, if you're having a super simple wedding, you don't think you need entertainment. You don't think you need anything extra this is, like, probably not gonna check Every box is for you. But if you're kind of like

spk_1:   6:41
I'm really

spk_0:   6:42
looking for that one extra touch that's gonna make my wedding be memorable, I'm gonna It's gonna memorable for me because I'm gonna, you know, have this unique thing that remember for my guests you might want to consider Live painting is that is something that every time I'm at a wedding, I go to I'd say, like one in four of the weddings that he does just so I can, you know, kind of keep abreast of all the current comments that he's getting in questions that he's getting and do social media. So I'm I'm there every so often, And every time I'm there, we get the same comment. Oh, my God, this is I can't believe you can just do this. And it's so entertaining and it's so unique. And it's, you know, people are like you said, still kind of getting used to it. So it's not like it's gonna be, you know, a photo booth or one of these other things which are also awesome. I'm not saying those things are not awesome, but it's a little bit more of a unique, um, aspect if you're looking for that. And like I said already, if you're looking for a keepsake and entertainment and the same thing you're not gonna find too many other service is that couldn't do that for you?

spk_1:   7:52
Absolutely. And it's kind of, you know, well, it's not a photograph, but it stirs up the same feelings of photograph like when your friends come to your house and they see it on the wall or on display there like Oh, yeah, we remember when we saw them painting that, And so it really becomes a conversation piece is well

spk_0:   8:12
that I don't like what there's photographs, there's video and things like that. But they're I don't really know too many other things where, like, you were saying when it's hanging on the wall later, you could be like all I remember when he was painting in our dog Maggie or like oh, I remember when he was painting in the castle. We just we just did one Adam the Disease Wedding Pavilion, which was really cool. Um, so he got to paint the castle, and, um, that's there's not too many other things like your photos. You'll remember that moment, but you're not. It's like they're doing Polaroids and handing you the photo at that moment. So I don't know if that there's That's another thing. There's not too many other things that are created in front of your eyes. Like as the wedding's going on.

spk_1:   8:51
Absolutely. And we're gonna attach some of the paintings that Jamie has done. And we'll even put that Disney Pavilion one because we're both Disney fans and it's a soft spot, right, so there. So what else should they be looking for? So this is a

spk_0:   9:08
really, really, really important one that I really hope that anyone that's listening that's considered her live painter will keep in mind. And this, um, this might Siri away from our paintings, which is totally fine. It's It's just really important that you find someone that matches your style, and it's also before even go into that. Not all live painters have the same style. They're artists. They are not copying. You know anything there. They have a style like they you know, you're not going to see one person's life painting be like, Oh, I'm just gonna google live painting, and the first person that comes up can paint the same thing. For me, that's just really important to keep in mind. Most people are most artists I should say, can, you know, replicate someone else's style. They don't necessarily like to, but if you really feel like you found a mesh personality wise with someone and you're like, Oh, I really like their personality but maybe not so muster styled and maybe you can make that work. But I would really say that what you want to do when you're picking someone before anything else is to look at their gallery and see if you like their style, because I'm thinking off the top of my head of a couple of different life haters just in like Florida that I know of, and some are totally gestural and like watercolors like There's one all name her canvas and confetti. She has these amazing, gestural watercolors that she does it a really fun, and there's like some other painters that will do more portrait ce that are like, more close up, and, um, we tried it your way. I should say Jamie tries to take like a fly on the wall type of approach where you feel like, you know, you can remember that moment, but that's not necessarily for everybody. So it's kind of like picking a photographer on a much lower scale, obviously, because he's not gonna be doing 100 different paintings. But, you know, um, you really want to make sure that the painter that you like you like their paintings, which might sound obvious, But, you know, some people don't think about that. And some people just don't realize or kind of put two and two together that an artist is really just creating something on the spot. They're not a machine. So if you want something that's gonna look, you know, like their older stuff there gallery is the best kind of demo reel. I guess I should say, as a sw far is what you're gonna get on your wedding.

spk_1:   11:27
Well, and I mean, the end goal is to hang it up in your house. Right. So you want something nice that like, because I'm gonna be looking at it forever, right? When it comes to picking your painting and getting comfortable around your painter like should they be posing? How does all that work. That is

spk_0:   11:46
a really good question. That is the number one question that we get. So I'm really glad that you mentioned that because, um, that's something we hear a lot. We actually, we just had a consultation with someone. Um, that's for, um, Saturday. And she's I was overhearing the phone call, and she was saying something about, um should we, like, make sure to turn a certain way, Or should we be standing a certain way? They're having a ceremony painting, Don, Um and no, you really should not worry about your painter. You should not We, like, at least again. I will say this is what I know for Jamie. I can't speak for every life painter out there, but, um, he really is gonna be trying to get something that looks natural. And you don't need to worry about taking time out of your Your wedding ceremony is like I know every bride's heard this 1000 times. I heard it 1000 times and I was getting married, but it is really important. Your wedding ceremony goes by really quickly, and in my opinion, it's the most important part of the day. because you're you're marrying, hopefully your soul mate. And it's like this really special moment. So, you know,

spk_1:   12:54
same thing for

spk_0:   12:54
first dance, by the way. Like you shouldn't have to take time out of your first dance either to worry about getting a posed for a painting. Um, if for some reason he is not able to get the post that he wants or like, this often happens when he's paying in parents, because sometimes they're all over the place, and, um, we don't always get the best shot of them. But if for some reason he's not able to get your your, um, pose well, in the moment, he'll just pull you aside and take a photo. You know that that takes a couple seconds. That's really don't worry about that. And that brings me to kind of my final point on this, which is paintings, all live painters. Well, I would say all but least the ones that I know they will be taking a lot of photos. It's not like they can, as Jamie says this every consultation that I've heard him D'oh! I can't have you stand there for six hours in the same post So obviously, at some point he's gonna be working from a photo. So and I think that's kind of the case with most like painters. They work from photos and, um, kind of try to do both. I know for Jamie. He tries to get as much of the environment as possible, just based on site. And usually when it comes to things like facial features and stuff like that, he's gonna be using photos. So hopefully that answer that question. But that's a really good one. We get that all the time

spk_1:   14:13
in the You know the idea that while you don't want them rushing by rushing, they wouldn't be creating that experience for your guests, either to see them in action the whole time. So when it comes to finally hiring someone, what are some key things that couples need to look for? So as we mentioned,

spk_0:   14:32
definitely the style. But you, um, you know, you want to match your style with what you're looking to hang in her house, but beyond that, there really does need to be a personality mash their, um, we really like to encourage before you sign anything or decide you want a book or anything. We really encourage people. Thio Jamie will do a phone call totally free. He will just go over anything you want to know about the process. Or like, um, what you get on your wedding day or our packages or, you know, what have you, um, we really encourage people to take that opportunity tohave that phone call with him before you decide. Because we really like to make sure that there's a personality match there. And, um, you know, just like with any other vendor that you're hiring, you want to feel comfortable with these people kind of being a part of your love story, you know, to put it in, like, kind of a more grand context, but also just, you know, they're gonna be with you all day, and, um, especially with a live painter, it's very similar to a photographer. Um, you don't want to be with someone that you don't feel comfortable with because they're creating our of your wedding, and they're gonna be painting a likeness of you and potentially other people in your life. And your spouse. Of course. Um, so you really want to make sure that this is someone that you're that you, you know, beyond just liking the work. You want to like the person and feel comfortable, um, with them before you go ahead and make the commitment.

spk_1:   16:09
Yes. And that goes across the board with all your wedding vendors. I mean, as you know, with the wedding planning that you d'oh really important to be comfortable with all your vendors on your wedding day and with their service is and their personality. So if a couple is looking to contact you or to see more of Jamey's work, how can they do that? So

spk_0:   16:32
our website is super easy. It's event painting by jaime dot com, and Jamie is J A M i E. That is where you can see, um, are full gallery of past paintings. I put those on there pretty much as soon as they are finished and delivered. Um, that's

spk_1:   16:48
something else

spk_0:   16:49
I should mention really quickly that I don't know that all live painters do. This was something that we really like to do is if you're in, you know, Central Florida area, we're gonna be hand delivering the paintings. You even if it's like a two hour drive. It's just something that we like to kind of D'oh, um, to kind of elevate a little bit. And also you get one last chance. Ah, you know, talk to Jamie and you know, anything you want to say about taking care of your painting or anything like that. You kind of get that shot. And we kind of that's something we like to dio. Anyway, Um, everything is on the website from as the galleries I mentioned, but also there's a video demo one there. It's kind of an older video, but there is a demo of him painting a full painting on there. It's like a three minute long video. I think there's also, you know, if you want to contact us, you can do what they're there. You could also just send an email thio Hello at event painting by jaime dot com. That's newer email. We finally got that up and running, and it's going great so far. And also, of course, our instagram is just out of them, painting by Jamie that's going to give you the best kind of day to day. Look at what we're doing. We don't just post paintings on there. We also, um, we obviously do just post paintings on there, but, you know, it's not just weddings. It's, you know, we have a blogger, Thio, that we just started. That's we're gonna have another, um, entry for that very soon. Um, old, different kinds of stuff on there that, you know, if we get published, things like that are all going to be on there. So that kind of gives you the best minutes a minute workout, kind of what we're doing. And, um, I think that's I think that's all the main ways to get in touch.

spk_1:   18:26
We'll definitely go follow their instagram. It's great. You can see Jamie and Action and all of his pieces as well. We just love your instagram. Thank you.

spk_0:   18:37
Thank you so

spk_1:   18:38
much. Well, thank you so much for taking time talking with us today about this awesome way to include live entertainment in your wedding.

spk_0:   18:46
Thank you so much for having me. Thank

spk_1:   18:50
you so much for listening at this episode of the plane, your Central Florida wedding podcast. For more Orlando wedding inspiration and tips, head on over to orange blossom bride dot com. And if you're looking for amazing Wedding pros to help bring your wedding day together. Make sure to check out our wedding vendor directory until next time. I'm happy planning.