Painter Leanne Larson ensures wedding celebrations are beautifully reflected through her art. Photo: Paint My Wedding Day
Painter Leanne Larson creates a unique, colorful memory of special celebrations.
Wedding days can be memorialized in countless ways, but paintings created on site have exploded in popularity as a unique way to commemorate the momentous life event. Leanne Larson, a Minnesota painter and founder of Paint My Wedding Day (PMWD), has captured couples’ special occasions for 15 years, including several in the Lake Minnetonka area.
PMWD offers more than a finished work of art; guests can observe much of the painting’s progress in real time throughout the day and evening, and Larson becomes part of the occasion as an entertainment component as well as an artist.
PMWD offers several packages, including the popular traditional and luxe portrait collections. The traditional collection offers an oil painting of the ceremony, reception or cocktail hour on an 18-inch by 24-inch linen canvas in Larson’s trademark impressionistic style. The luxe collection additionally sharpens the features of the couple. The storytelling collection highlights special moments throughout the day on the same canvas in a cohesive narrative. “What I love about it is I can capture so much more than just their ceremony,” Larson says. “I can capture their first look. I can capture putting an earring on in the dressing room in the morning or all the way through to their dance or a cake cutting or a Champagne pour.”
Caroline Byrd and Ryan Riebling hired Paint My Wedding Day to capture memories of their Lake Minnetonka reception. Photo: Ellen Gustafson Photography
Caroline Byrd and Ryan Riebling chose PMWD because of Larson’s impressionistic style for their reception on the shores of Lake Minnetonka at Caroline’s parents’ house, receiving the traditional package from Caroline’s mother, Joyce Byrd. Because the couple’s reception was separate from the ceremony, they wanted a final product that not only focused on them but captured the essence of the entire night in a single image. One element of the painting Caroline fondly recalls is the subtle tribute to her late father, David Byrd, which Larson suggested, with references to him in the constellations.
“Her warm, energetic [personality] is part of the business,” Caroline says. “She’s just so easy to talk to … She was part of the atmosphere and environment and was chatting with people, and I think that played into what we got out of it. You could tell she understood and knew what we were looking for.”
Larson started her painting experience in 2010 after giving one as a gift to a friend. Today, though she’s painted upward of 72 weddings in a year, she focuses more on client experience than the number of bookings, averaging around 50. “I love to hop on a call with them right away,” she says. “I love to hear their vision. My biggest thing is I want to hear their story. I just think that really builds trust, and I’m a big part of that day. I am right there; I’m capturing all these moments.”
Paint My Wedding Day
Instagram: @paintmyweddingday
