Painted Wedding and Reception in Glyndon, Maryland, June 7, 2014

Wedding and Reception, Glyndon, Maryland

Patricia Bennett painting live in Glyndon, Maryland, photo by the Loop band

Congratulations to the couple!!  I had the privilege of painting their wedding June 7, 2014.  I think that the word fairy tale describes it.

Most of the painting was done on location and some was done in the studio.

How the painting was created: People like to know how this was done, and if it was prepared in advance.  So, I'll briefly describe the process.

I arrived at 3:30 pm with a blank 2x3' canvas, and saw the venue for the first time.  I met with the planner (Stephanie Bradshaw) and couple earlier and heard it described.

It was an enormous green lawn with one space for the wedding ceremony, and another lower space with an amazing tent, complete with 12 chandeliers and an grand entrance for the reception.  At the ceremony space, I chose a location that had shade.  Then, I walked to the tent and talked to the planners about where to set up there.  It was crucial that I have access to electricity b/c when the sun goes down I need light.  Luckily, there was a free 50 foot extension cord connected to the generator.  Next, I drew simple sketches in a notepad to design the painting.  Then I covered the canvas with the lovely view: the green grass, the blue sky, the clouds, the trees, purple flowers.  After this preparation, the event officially began, and it was an intense 30 minutes of capturing the ceremony...  This is my favorite part, and most importantly painted the beautiful bride as she stood next to her future husband.  After the ceremony ended, the guests moved to the pool house for cocktails, and I carried my easel, tables, etc... over to the reception tent to begin painting the tables and flowers and chandeliers.  The flowers were breathtaking, especially the blush peonies next to the blue hydrangeas.

How to combine both the reception and the ceremony into one painting, and indicate the amazing tent.  A few strips of drapery over the sky worked well.  Then, I painted the reception below the ceremony, scaling fairly accurately.  The closest tables got the most detail because I literally cannot see other tables when people are sitting down.  I made sure to add the fabulous band.  And the final part of the wedding, the sparklers at midnight, I put in the upper right corner.

There was a moment when the planner rescued me: it was dark, and the extension cord didn't work!  She tracked the cord over to the generator and plugged it back in.

The band, the Loop, was awesome.  Stephanie Bradshaw and her girls were fabulous, and the band was fabulous.  The catering staff was great, and they brought me coffee at the end when I was exhausted.  I make it through the last couple of hours on coffee:)  And I wish the couple every happiness, they are so charming and lovely:)

List of the Vendors mentioned:

Event Planner: Stephanie Bradshaw
Band: The Loop