Why a Live Wedding Painter Is the Ultimate Keepsake & Guest Experience with Brittany Branson

Kevin Dennis (: 00:38

All right, folks, welcome to another episode of Now That I'm Engaged, How Do I Get Married? And we have the one and only Brittany Branson with us. And she's very famous in the wedding world. She's a live painter, and there's not many of them out there. So we are very lucky to have her on the show today. So Brittany, tell us a little bit about yourself and how we got you here today.

Brittany Branson (: 00:56

Oh man, okay. So hey everyone, I'm Brittany. now, I live in the greater Washington DC area, but I am a destination live wedding painter. I especially work a ton from like the Richmond, Virginia up to Long Island corridor or completely out of state, which is super fun. I'll probably get to talk about this a little later, but I am on a mission to live paint at least one wedding in every state. So I'm...

Kevin Dennis (: 01:23

I was gonna make sure you brought

that up, so I'm glad you said I was like, yeah.

August Yocher (: 01:26

What? How cool is that? Do you have like a little map right now where you're like checking them off or coloring it in?

Brittany Branson (: 01:34

Yeah, I just got ⁓ some new like branding photos done and some new web copy. So once all of that goes out, I do have a cute little map to instead of just relying on whenever I can verbally bring it up, it'll be, you know, visual and on the site. So actively working on that. my gosh, what else? I've been live painting weddings for 10 years now. So I'm not quite

August Yocher (: 01:52

Mm-hmm.

Brittany Branson (: 02:01

The OG OG, there's a handful of amazing people in my life whom I now know have been doing this for longer, but you know, I'm like baby OG, which has been so fun. ⁓ And I'm married to my best friend, Tim. He is a pilot. We have two amazing rescue dogs and rescue dogs are super important to me in my business. I use my business to give back to them. And how we got here, I'm quite sure it's...

the goddess herself, Megan Ealy of OFD Consulting, and then I got to finally physically meet Kevin at a few conferences after for a few years hearing all about him. And then I finally got to physically meet him.

Kevin Dennis (: 02:29

You

Yeah,

all the bad stuff, I'm sure. So and we got to sit on a panel together. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, we got to over in Fort. Where were we? Fort Lauderdale? Trying to even. Yeah, I'm like, where were we? We were somewhere where the convention center was under construction and it was a pain in the butt to get in and out of. So that was a very. Yeah. Yeah. Uber was like impossible to get. And I foolishly.

Brittany Branson (: 02:44

It was not bad. It was just funny. Yes, we got to do the panel. That was awesome.

Lauderdale, yeah.

is ⁓

and find an Uber.

August Yocher (: 03:02

Well,

yeah.

Brittany Branson (: 03:06

my gosh.

Kevin Dennis (: 03:07

waited to book my hotel for that trip and I was at a hotel closer to the airport. So I had definitely an Uber trip ahead of me every time I wanted to do anything. anyway, we're not. go ahead.

Brittany Branson (: 03:15

Yeah. ⁓ gosh. Yikes.

August Yocher (: 03:18

Well, and

I just wanted to say really quick, because I don't know if we've ever talked about Miss Megan Ealy on this podcast, but for our listeners, mean, we like to call her Kevin's publicist, but also Kevin's sister. So they have a very fun, fun relationship. So.

Brittany Branson (: 03:32

Pretty much.

Kevin Dennis (: 03:35

Yeah, will

go and yeah, we instantly we will have not seen each other for months and we instantly go into picking on each other mode and brother and sister. Yeah, it's like it's inevitable. It is is what it is, but.

August Yocher (: 03:46

It's a fun dynamic, yeah.

Brittany Branson (: 03:48

yeah, especially

to watch it as like the third person stepping back and just being like...

August Yocher (: 03:51

⁓ yeah.

Kevin Dennis (: 03:52

And you would

think we were together and do that all the time, but we aren't. anyway, that's all another that's a whole nother podcast for another day. But all right. So we're not here to talk about our wonderful trip to Fort Lauderdale or our friend Megan Ely there. We're here to talk about the benefits of hiring a live wedding painter and finding ways to incorporate art into your wedding guest experience and unique favors. So I there was nobody better to talk about this than you. So I think

Being from California, I'm going to be honest with you, I'm starting to see live painting come around, but it's like once, like maybe three, four times a year of all the weddings that we do. So it's not a very common thing. And I think every time we do it, it's such an amazing guest experience, which I don't think people realize when they do this. One, you're going to get a keepsake at the end, but two, the guest experience for it. So.

Brittany, before we go any further, think we should talk about, for the couples who may not be familiar, what exactly is a live painter and how does it work on the day of the wedding?

Brittany Branson (: 04:53

Yeah.

Yeah, first what I always love to say is ⁓ basically to go off of what you were just saying, I feel like in the Western wedding world, live wedding painting is relatively new, and I'm putting new in air quotes. ⁓ I had an amazing live artist when Tim and I got married 10 years ago. So I'm very lucky. I get to have a painting. But actually what people don't...

realize is that it's actually probably one of the oldest vendors. ⁓ I mean, if you think about the marriage of Queen Victoria and royalty, the only reason we all know what these weddings looked like was because of plein air artists, you know what I mean? So I feel like it's just, yeah. So I just feel like it's new in the modern sense, but we're actually a very, very old service. ⁓ But for those who may not be familiar,

Kevin Dennis (: 05:34

Mmm.

August Yocher (: 05:41

That's fair.

Brittany Branson (: 05:54

As a live wedding artist, I literally physically attend your wedding and over five to seven hours, I craft a heirloom canvas painting of a moment of your choosing. So especially right now, most of my couples are opting for first kisses or walking back up the aisle moments. First dances are super popular to capture and then especially for couples who have very, you know, scenic physical.

Venues, even just a lovely pose kind of outside their venue translates really well into a canvas. But just as Kevin was saying, it's this wonderful kind of two-parter service of yes, you're going to get literally a physical, tangible heirloom that cannot, you know, it can't hide on your computer. It can't hide on a file drive. It has to be displayed proudly in your home or your space. And you're going to be able to have that forever.

but it is a non-musical form of entertainment. I always tell my couples, ⁓ even though I'm super busy and focused, in my periphery there's always a handful of super fans who every 20 minutes, they're coming by to check on the progress. And then of course I have my bingo sheet of the common questions and stuff that I get from guests every wedding without fail.

Kevin Dennis (: 07:11

well,

we're going to have to get in the bingo seat. Well, yeah, way, way before we do that, I'm going to say from my experience exactly what Brittany said. People get enthralled with watching this come to like watching the painting come to life. And like you said, it's about every like they're on a rotate. They constantly going back. And I see people even taking photos of it and going through the process like they were. Yeah. Yeah.

August Yocher (: 07:13

Do tell! Do tell! What are the questions?

Brittany Branson (: 07:15

Hahaha

Yes.

yeah.

Kevin Dennis (: 07:38

It becomes

Brittany Branson (: 07:38

Like even-

Kevin Dennis (: 07:39

the superstar of the wedding, it really does.

Brittany Branson (: 07:42

think so. like, you know, guests are amazing. Even ⁓ this past wedding I did on Friday, two guests in particular emailed me and then texted me photos of me at work that they captured because and that means a lot that you were excited enough to like want to take photos of me in progress and you're like, you know, they're like, ⁓ would you like to have these for your own purposes? And that that means that means a lot.

Kevin Dennis (: 08:00

Yeah!

Yeah, I agree.

August Yocher (: 08:10

Well,

yeah, and you get your own content too, so you can use that on your own Instagram, you know, so...

Brittany Branson (: 08:13

Yes.

Kevin Dennis (: 08:13

Hehehe.

Brittany Branson (: 08:17

Absolutely, I'm very appreciative. They're awesome.

Kevin Dennis (: 08:21

Alright, the bingo card, you gotta spill.

August Yocher (: 08:23

Yeah.

Brittany Branson (: 08:23

gosh, okay, so it's, ⁓ do you know Bob Ross? You know, or that guy. ⁓ without fail, multiple people without fail. Do you know Bob Ross? Or they ask me like, who was that guy with the fro, with the happy trees? Bob Ross. And then especially if it's a heterosexual wedding or two grooms, the groomsman without fail will come up and be like,

Kevin Dennis (: 08:28

Yes. ⁓ they ask you that? What?

August Yocher (: 08:28

⁓ wait!

Kevin Dennis (: 08:41

my God.

Brittany Branson (: 08:51

the groom isn't that handsome. You painted him too well. ⁓ He doesn't have that much hair in real life. You really gave him a lot of hair. good for you. He's too slim. You need to fatten him up more. You know, stuff like that.

Kevin Dennis (: 08:55

⁓

You

⁓ my

god.

August Yocher (: 09:05

Damn, they're coming at their boy like that? That's crazy!

Kevin Dennis (: 09:07

Of course. I'm

not shocked at any of that, to be honest with you. Yeah.

Brittany Branson (: 09:11

No. Oh, they add,

like, and then of course there's always the, uh, can you add me? Like, how much do I have to, can I slip you a 20 to, you know, in the window? Oh yeah, and then of course, like, later in the night there's always the token for you who are like, can you paint me, like, like one of your French girls, you know, in Titanic, essentially nude? And I'm like, oh boy, here we go.

August Yocher (: 09:19

Are you serious?

Kevin Dennis (: 09:29

⁓ my god.

I love how often and how often do we get bingo at a wedding? Is it pretty regular?

August Yocher (: 09:34

Waaah

Brittany Branson (: 09:36

They're cute, they're cute.

⁓ every,

August Yocher (: 09:41

you

Brittany Branson (: 09:43

it's, it's a game we've all created and we always win. ⁓ Everybody.

Kevin Dennis (: 09:47

I love it.

August Yocher (: 09:52

Well, yeah, very, very fun for the guest experience too. And like we have a couple, I mean, like Kevin said, we don't have a ton out here, but there are a couple of life painters near us. And, you know, sometimes they'll post videos of, you know, people walking by and looking at the art and asking, asking questions like that. So it's very fun for them, I'm sure. What are like some of your reactions like you get from the couple though, not just from the guests, like?

Brittany Branson (: 10:14

yeah.

August Yocher (: 10:21

What kind of typical reactions do you get?

Brittany Branson (: 10:24

man, I really do my best to film the reaction. ⁓ back in the day, used to, like, I've actually gotten requests to bring this back, because I feel like I was one of the first to really do it, however many years ago, but I used to mount my iPhone, you know, kind of like this part of the easel, but facing behind me. But now, because I often need the phone for reference, but now I've got the meta glasses.

Kevin Dennis (: 10:29

⁓

August Yocher (: 10:44

Yeah.

Brittany Branson (: 10:50

So I just usually just keep them running so that even if the couple sneaks up on me, the moment I turn around, I've got that footage. But, ⁓ man, I mean, I have some amazing reaction footage of couples literally collapsing to the floor. Like, and it just means the world, you know what I mean? ⁓ Like, and especially the few that I can, that really stick out, it was often because either something went wrong

Kevin Dennis (: 11:06

no way. Yeah.

Brittany Branson (: 11:20

during the wedding day, usually with the weather or some logistical thing impacted the day, but that's the fun of the painting, right? It doesn't have to impact the painting. So the number of times where the weather has just been atrocious and that was the original vision for the painting, you know, let's say an outdoor ceremony, but the painting will always reflect your original vision if you'd like. And so when they see that, they get very emotional that like,

there it is in a living thing, their original vision or adding people into the painting who've passed on and when they get to see their portraits or likeness, they get very emotional. ⁓ So yeah, I've got, I'm very blessed. I've got some wonderful reactions.

Kevin Dennis (: 12:08

love that. All right, so I'm big on guest experience and we kind of touched on it earlier. So how can, you know, doing live art at a wedding add to guest experience?

Brittany Branson (: 12:20

Absolutely. So I mean, kind of like what we were talking about is your it's I hate the expression killing two birds with one stone. I really don't want to kill animals like this. But you really injecting art into your big day really kills those two birds. You get something that you can physically keep without sacrificing guest experience, providing them another form of entertainment. Even if you have the world's greatest DJ like Kevin.

August Yocher (: 12:29

Peace.

Mm-hmm.

Brittany Branson (: 12:49

Everyone needs a restroom break. Everyone needs to just take a breather. And the fact that that energy level that someone like Kevin is creating, you add me into the mix. You don't have this, this like slump, you know what I mean? They can just transition to watching something else that's cool and then get right back onto the dance floor. And then also considering your, the personalities or the ages of your guests. If you have an older crowd.

they may appreciate something a little bit more tamer, ⁓ or even like live painting has been great for very intimate weddings and events where maybe it doesn't make sense to have a DJ for 20 people in a restaurant, but you can still provide a lovely entertainment and some sort of focal point. So that's how it's been working really well.

August Yocher (: 13:32

Mm-hmm.

Thank

Brittany Branson (: 13:41

But that's the painting. But for me as a live artist, especially in the last year and a half, I've had to now offer the live guest fashion. Well, I call them fashion illustrations, which are for me five by seven, very quick illustrations of the guests themselves. And that acts as their favor that they can take home. And it's a favor you won't toss. You know what I mean? ⁓ So that like, I would say 50 % of my booking upcoming bookings are

Kevin Dennis (: 14:05

Yeah.

Brittany Branson (: 14:10

we're moving into that, ⁓ which is super cool, super fun. ⁓ So those are sort of like the big two, but I do have to give a shout out to, ⁓ there are some amazing art and unique artists out there. I know of a sand artist, excuse me, sand artist where she has a table full of, you know, like sand from the beach and she'll have a camera mounted over her shoulder.

Kevin Dennis (: 14:13

Mmm.

August Yocher (: 14:27

Wow

Brittany Branson (: 14:38

And as the ceremony's happening, as the toast, she will quickly, like with her finger, create drawings in the sand of that moment and what she's seeing and hearing, but then she'll wipe it away

and move on to something new. But then the couple will have that video montage of everything to keep after. So like, yeah. ⁓ yeah. And it's like, again, if everyone's different in terms of

Kevin Dennis (: 14:56

Bye!

August Yocher (: 14:58

⁓ I've never ever seen that, that's so cool.

Kevin Dennis (: 15:00

I heard of that.

Brittany Branson (: 15:07

there, you know, how, what's the word I'm looking for? You know, some people get a little bit more philosophical than others, but especially for couples who kind of appreciate the fact that a wedding day is made up of so many fleeting moments. And that's is, that's sand, right? Like sand on the beach, sometimes it's there the next day, the tide washes it out. And...

Kevin Dennis (: 15:23

Mm-hmm.

Brittany Branson (: 15:31

you know, if you want to get that emotional and philosophical, that's a beautiful art form. That's deep. It's deep. It's not for everyone, but it like for the, know, you will always find someone that values what you value. Right. ⁓ so I've seen that. And then I feel like I'm seeing live illustrators who maybe started in the corporate space where they're attending a keynote lecture and they will live illustrate the like big points that the speaker is making.

August Yocher (: 15:33

Wow, very deep, yeah.

Kevin Dennis (: 15:35

Yeah.

August Yocher (: 16:00

Mmm.

Brittany Branson (: 16:01

you can translate

that to a wedding, like, they'll listen to everything verbal, the vows, the speeches, and then live illustrate, like, the key important points. ⁓ So that's really cool, too.

Kevin Dennis (: 16:14

That is cool. And it's funny that you mentioned the sand, because anytime we go to Hawaii as a family, and the kids will make this big sand castle, and that's their thing. They like to go back the next day to see if it's even there. That's their favorite thing. They love it. Yeah, so it's kind of funny. I was like, wow, what a way to get creative.

August Yocher (: 16:16

you

Brittany Branson (: 16:24

Yeah!

August Yocher (: 16:25

Yeah.

Brittany Branson (: 16:30

Yeah, absolutely.

August Yocher (: 16:33

yeah, and then kind of in the same breath, like, I don't know if you've seen this or it seems like you have a lot of ⁓ other friends in the wedding world who do incorporate different kinds of art, but do you have any other like creative ways you've seen couples incorporate arts into their wedding?

Brittany Branson (: 16:51

Yeah, I mean, I feel like you can really start incorporating art from the get go and I mean, even just the stationary, I feel like that's a very, that's a very easy answer ⁓ from the save. Like even I like to tell my story, ⁓ because when when my husband and I got married, I wasn't quite ⁓ painting or doing anything wedding related. But I loved the wedding art. So I hired a

August Yocher (: 16:59

stationary, yeah.

Kevin Dennis (: 17:02

Hmm.

Brittany Branson (: 17:20

stationery company out of Ireland who specialized in like hand-painted scenes featured on the stationery. And so I worked with them to create a bifold kind of booklet invitation where on the front they did a painting of Tim down on his knee proposing to me, because he proposed to me at the DC Cherry Blossoms. So that was really pretty. then, yeah, but then you would open it.

Kevin Dennis (: 17:41

⁓

⁓

Brittany Branson (: 17:49

And the entire booklet was literally where our ceremony was on the Eastern Shore, including a likeness of Tim and I. It wasn't at all my dress. But what I liked about it, again, because I like the deep stuff, it was literally the story of us. Like, here's the beginning, the proposal. And then when guests opened it, they were being invited to the very spot where we were going to say I do. And, you know, I have the original.

Kevin Dennis (: 17:54

Mmm.

That's awesome.

Brittany Branson (: 18:18

paintings before they scan them in and everything. So yeah, you can start incorporating art from the get-go. You can have a lot of fun using art for signage, of course, I feel like is a very ⁓ easy answer. You can have fun with guest books. You can make them super interactive. Or back in the day, I would do a lot of hand-painted venue illustrations and then provide a framing mat.

August Yocher (: 18:45

Hmm.

Brittany Branson (: 18:47

for guests to sign around it so they didn't touch the art. Yeah, ⁓ so you can really do a lot. And I've had a few opportunities in my career to be with my couples from the beginning to end, like from Save the Dates through invitations, through Day of ⁓ Signage to Life painting. And that's awesome because then we're telling a very cohesive story.

Kevin Dennis (: 18:50

⁓ yeah.

and for branding purposes it must be beautiful. It's so much better than just your generic stuff that you see all the time. It's it's so personal and so intimate and more about the couple. yeah. All right. So what are some unique ways you've seen couples use their finished wedding painting after their big day? Have they done anything fun and creative with it?

Brittany Branson (: 19:25

I think so. I think so.

I I think I work with them to, if they want to do thank you notes, which I think I feel like is number one, because, you know, just the timeline of the day, a lot of guests do end up leaving before, you know, the whole, the end. so, excuse me.

August Yocher (: 19:49

Hmm.

Kevin Dennis (: 19:59

The end.

They

get their cake and they go. ⁓

Brittany Branson (: 20:05

Exactly.

And so if they didn't get to see the finished product, the thank you note is a wonderful way to get the image back in front of them. ⁓ And then I've definitely worked with a couple I didn't I provided them the correct file. I think they ended up printing their painting on like a throw blanket, which I thought was really, was really cool. ⁓ yeah, so I feel like

August Yocher (: 20:07

you

Kevin Dennis (: 20:14

I love that.

wow.

Brittany Branson (: 20:31

And so long as I give them a quality digital file, when you think of, well, what can you print on? I feel like my couples have done that. But I personally think the thank you notes or then providing a print of the completed painting to both sets of parents, if that's applicable, is like the top two.

Kevin Dennis (: 20:52

Hmmmm

August Yocher (: 20:53

Hmm.

Kevin Dennis (: 20:56

Hmm. I can see that.

Brittany Branson (: 20:59

Yeah.

August Yocher (: 21:01

Yeah, well, okay, so I guess just to kind of get the the entire picture, so to speak, what is the process? Yeah, no, for real. What does the process look like from beginning to end? So like when the couple first comes to book you, they're expressing interest. Can you walk us through the process with your couples?

Brittany Branson (: 21:08

Yeah! But I'm pshhh

Yeah, sure. So I always say every artist is different. But for me personally, what happens is they come to my website, they inquire. I really work with them to create the painting they want. It's something that lights me up as an artist and it's something I thrive on to not let the logistics of the wedding affect the painting. So.

What that can ultimately look like is a couple comes to me and they say, hey, we really love the idea of us being captured in like a first dance pose, but we really selected this venue for the ceremony spot. Is there a way in the painting we can merge the two? love, I love, yeah, I love doing that. Or now a lot of, ⁓ I love it.

Kevin Dennis (: 22:02

Mm.

⁓

That seems hard.

Okay.

Brittany Branson (: 22:16

I

love it. And that's the thing, like I have a lot of artists friends who are very traditional plein air artists in that whatever moment they're painting, they have to be there. They have to have a clean line of sight. ⁓ And that's okay. Like, you know, so long as everyone is upfront about their own processes and how they work best. And if couples are cool with that, like that's awesome. I'm not for everyone and that's totally okay. But I thrive on that. ⁓

creativity challenge of merging your favorite elements into the painting. So we will either via email or discovery call brainstorm those ideas. We move to booking, problem. So then about a week before I send out a pre-painting questionnaire, which is how I just collect the basic, you know, the not so sexy logistics of like, how am I gonna park?

Kevin Dennis (: 23:12

Yeah.

Brittany Branson (: 23:14

Like, what time does everything start? But then on the big day, I usually love to arrive about an hour and a half before the start of the ceremony, regardless of what moment they're having painted. And that's just because I found over 10 years is that if guests arrive to where I am and they see a completely blank canvas, they get confused very fast about like, why, you know, why is this?

Kevin Dennis (: 23:38

⁓

Brittany Branson (: 23:40

woman here, what's all this gear, but if at least like the background and stuff is starting to go in, they can connect the dots and they get a bit more excited. So I like a few hours of time prior to when we're physically in the same space to get that going. And then I'm there through until the end of the evening, because it's very important to me that this is a non-musical entertainment. Up until now, I've been offering

August Yocher (: 23:58

Mm-hmm.

Brittany Branson (: 24:10

⁓ different composition options, but moving forward, especially into next year, I'm just gonna be booking what I call the Just the Two of Us, which is just the couple and their pets if they'd like in a scene. That's just how I thrive. And it's absolutely a painting I can complete by the end of the night, which is super important to me. So that's what's gonna happen moving forward. But for now, regardless of what kind of comp

complexity of composition they booked, I wanna ensure that the painting is like 95 % done by the end of the night. So the couple, scenery, pets, ⁓ I don't, and again, every artist is different. I personally believe a solid life painter should get to that stage of finished by the end of the night. ⁓ Otherwise, I feel like the wedding is just treated as like a session, know, of a plein air,

August Yocher (: 24:47

Yeah.

Yeah.

Brittany Branson (: 25:09

artists and sometimes plein air artists need multiple sessions. ⁓ So that's just my own philosophy.

Kevin Dennis (: 25:10

Yeah.

August Yocher (: 25:17

Well, I mean, I feel like it's kind of, I don't know, like if I were hiring a wedding painter, I feel like I would want to see it on the day of my wedding while we're there at the venue. Like when everything is at peak excitement, that just totally elevates the entire experience.

Kevin Dennis (: 25:17

I love it. go ahead.

Brittany Branson (: 25:34

Yeah, I think like, and I'm always honest with couples. ⁓ You know, sometimes I like I take the painting home most of the time, more so to just ensure that they don't have to worry about it, especially after a few hours of drinking and partying. But sometimes, yeah, taking it home to my studio to especially work on maybe faces and stuff. Like sometimes I need that. Like sometimes the environment is just not conducive to me like getting in there.

Kevin Dennis (: 25:49

Yeah.

Brittany Branson (: 26:03

really well and doing a face that is maybe the size of my pinky tip. ⁓ But my couples have always been super cool and understanding about that.

Kevin Dennis (: 26:03

Yeah.

Yeah, and I'm sure they wanted to look the best at the end. So, all right, so you mentioned the form that you send out, but how do you ensure the painting reflects the couple's personality and style?

Brittany Branson (: 26:19

Yeah.

August Yocher (: 26:19

Mm-hmm.

Brittany Branson (: 26:27

That's a great question. So I I do have a clause in my contract where Whether you read it or not you signed off on That states like by signing this contract you have spent enough time Examining my very extensive portfolio you understand my style therefore You sign off on this like you understand what you're gonna get

August Yocher (: 26:36

you

Thank

Brittany Branson (: 26:55

⁓ When I was earlier in my career, started, I essentially offered revisions where I would send an image of the completed painting to the couple via email. But I found that that just invites all sorts of, sometimes nitpicking, you know what I mean? Like ⁓ that can sometimes open up a can of ⁓ just like getting into the cycle.

where sometimes no one ends up happy, if that makes any sense. Yeah. And so now I have such an extensive portfolio, like the type of venue, the type of couple, the pose, the moment. If you're envisioning it, I have it, and I probably have multiple examples of it. And so if by then you're not ⁓ in a place to really trust

Kevin Dennis (: 27:28

Yeah, no, ⁓ 100%.

August Yocher (: 27:28

Right. No, totally.

Brittany Branson (: 27:55

the potential outcome, you know, maybe we're not a good fit. And again, totally okay. There's artists out there for everyone, but I am now in a place where this is it. And that's sort of the beauty of it. Like this was created live with very minimal post touch-ups. Like this was it. And I think there's something really beautiful and special about that.

Kevin Dennis (: 28:22

I agree. think it's instead of you being in a studio painting something over months, this was created in a short amount of time and in that moment while the wedding was going on. So there's a lot that makes it really special.

Brittany Branson (: 28:36

Yeah, and I.

August Yocher (: 28:37

Well yeah, and I think

that's the appeal, like you're saying.

Brittany Branson (: 28:41

Yeah, and I think this is also why I have really, I'm not a hyperrealist and I don't pretend to be a hyperrealist. Your portraits in the painting are very impressionistic-y likenesses, but I've come to like that because you're hiring a photographer and or videographer to capture reality. I'm capturing feeling, I'm capturing essence. And so I just never,

August Yocher (: 28:55

Thank you.

Kevin Dennis (: 29:05

Mm-hmm.

Brittany Branson (: 29:10

again, want to get into this space where I make you unhappy because I can only see what I see and replicate what I replicate. And if we just get in this cycle of, you know, like how I see you is so different than how you see you, I would never want to make you upset or self-conscious or angry. So yeah, I'm in this place where when I send the painting back, this is it.

Kevin Dennis (: 29:39

I love it.

August Yocher (: 29:41

So, ⁓ kind of, kind of on the same breath, but are there any other, like, misconceptions that couples may have about live wedding paintings that sometimes you might have to educate them on?

Brittany Branson (: 29:55

Yeah, absolutely. think probably the number, the biggest one is I cannot replicate someone else's style, if that makes sense. And maybe this is, I can't, and especially like, I wouldn't be able to do that in the calmness of my studio over months. I'm certainly not gonna be able to do that in five hours in a very hectic environment. ⁓

August Yocher (: 30:06

Mmm. Yeah, totally.

Kevin Dennis (: 30:07

Mmm, yeah.

Bob Ross, you can't do Bob Ross.

August Yocher (: 30:21

Yeah.

Brittany Branson (: 30:24

Like I don't blame couples at all because I feel like we live in an era of filters where we can all take the same photograph and just apply certain editing soft, know, softwares and filters to it. And so sometimes I think that mentality shifts to, you know, hand painted visual art and it's just gonna leave everyone just sad and disappointed and frustrating. So that's a big, that's a big misconception

I maybe not any longer again because my portfolio is a bit is really extensive and my style is ⁓ kind of concrete now, but maybe at the beginning of in the middle of my career, that was interesting to navigate more. But also one thing I talk a lot about is and this I think applies to any vendor and is certainly any couple ⁓ listening is

Couples truly sometimes don't know what they don't know. And by them going to the internet, let's say in the live painting example, finding a live painting by another artist that they like and bringing it to you, sometimes that doesn't necessarily mean they're expecting you to replicate it. They just don't know how to articulate what they like about it, if that makes sense. And I, yeah.

August Yocher (: 31:47

Mm-hmm.

Kevin Dennis (: 31:49

Yeah, total.

Brittany Branson (: 31:50

And I've learned that the hard way over many years of it, it's on us vendors to just ask better questions ⁓ and to not, and I know a lot of live artists, sometimes they get very offended very easily when couples are sourcing inspo and it's paintings by others. When I, most of the time, I don't think they're asking you to replicate this style. There's something about the painting that they really love and they're resonating with.

August Yocher (: 31:55

you

Kevin Dennis (: 31:58

Mmm.

August Yocher (: 31:59

Yeah.

Brittany Branson (: 32:20

ask the questions, get to the meat of it so that then you can provide that to them, but of course in your own style, in your own way.

Kevin Dennis (: 32:31

love that.

August Yocher (: 32:31

Yeah, and I'm sure that was that hard for you at first to kind of draw those conclusions from an inspo picture. Like, is it the colors? Is it the, you know, I don't know. I'm not a painter, so I'm not sure, but...

Brittany Branson (: 32:46

Yeah, no, I mean, I think it was, but I think I've always had it a little bit easier in that regard because I come from an arts management background. That was my career before becoming an artist myself. I worked for the DC government as a legislative and community affairs assistant for the arts branch. ⁓ I interned for both the National Endowments for the Arts and Humanities in

White House and Congressional Affairs roles. And then even finally this past May, I finally graduated with my master's in arts management. Thank you. So I feel like when I started my business as a painter, I came with all of that like philosophical book nerd stuff in the back of my brain, ⁓ where we take entire classes in school about how to

Kevin Dennis (: 33:19

wow.

August Yocher (: 33:38

Mm-hmm.

Brittany Branson (: 33:46

dissect all different types of art. So I was, I think I had a little bit easier that I was able to apply that even though I was the painter now and I wasn't the painter's advocate. ⁓ So yeah, that's always, the arts managers always never went away when I'm interacting with couples.

Kevin Dennis (: 34:06

I love it. All right. Do you have any tips for couples who want to surprise their guests with a live painting experience?

Brittany Branson (: 34:13

Yes, okay. So first and foremost, ⁓ check with the venue. Like, if you're able to be, you know, sneaky about it, just make sure that everything on the venue's end is fine. I have been in situations where I was hired as a surprise, it caught the venue very off guard, and then it created a little bit of a headache.

Kevin Dennis (: 34:21

⁓

you

Brittany Branson (: 34:43

on my end and whatnot because ironically mostly at museums, mostly at art museums.

Kevin Dennis (: 34:49

I was gonna say, yeah, because you probably, they don't

want you to reflect the art in your art.

Brittany Branson (: 34:56

Or just they're so worried about spills too. know, yeah, like historic properties and stuff. So.

Kevin Dennis (: 34:58

Yeah, I didn't even think. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, okay. Yep. Yeah, and

in DC, there's so many museums. They're, I feel like it's a museum capital of the world there.

Brittany Branson (: 35:06

Yes.

⁓ I was just talking with my planner friend about that last night about how I was kind of looking at my career and how I don't work in like downtown DC a lot because there's so many historical properties that are so hesitant about artists or if they allow an artist I have to be outside which isn't always great with temperature and weather and stuff. So my biggest thing is please before giving anyone your money

Kevin Dennis (: 35:31

No.

Brittany Branson (: 35:38

Contact the venue. The venue is usually super great about acknowledging surprises and not letting that slip. Make sure your artist has a certificate of insurance for whatever that amount is. And then also, if you do have trusted people within that circle surrounding the couple or whoever you want to surprise, check with them that someone else isn't doing the same thing. It has not happened to me yet, but I do.

Kevin Dennis (: 36:07

Could you imagine?

Brittany Branson (: 36:09

I do

have artist friends who they've showed up to a wedding and there's another artist, which I kind of think is cool because it's like, yeah, yeah. But like, you know, again, creatives can get very passionate very fast about their craft. So it has not happened to me, but if you are in a position to kind of like on the down low, feel out this idea, just, you know, make sure you're not replicating the idea.

Kevin Dennis (: 36:14

I do too now that you think about it, but I'm like, whoa.

Well, yeah, and I didn't even think about the spills when it comes to these museums and stuff. yeah, because I when we were in Fort Lauderdale together, I went to a class and the girl worked at the Spy Museum there in DC. And I was like, who the hell even knew there was one a spy? You know, like, how cool is that? Yeah. And then and then she was talking about how all the rules and you have, you know, like to get

Brittany Branson (: 36:39

Ha ha.

Yes. Yeah.

Yes!

it's so good.

Kevin Dennis (: 37:02

have an event there, get married. And so I would imagine you really, really have to check with the venue to make sure everything's copaesthetic to me. Yeah.

Brittany Branson (: 37:09

⁓ like, yeah,

like my planner friend and I were just talking about another historic DC venue. They won't allow cocktail sauce with shrimp or ⁓ they won't serve Aperol because of the dye and the color, let alone, like I'm lucky, I work in acrylics, which are water-based. So when things, if things spill, I'm actually very good, knock on wood, ⁓ they will come out with soap and water.

August Yocher (: 37:20

⁓

Kevin Dennis (: 37:22

Yeah.

Yeah.

Brittany Branson (: 37:37

But for like, you know, oil painters, that's a whole other ball game. It's a whole thing.

August Yocher (: 37:40

Yeah.

Kevin Dennis (: 37:44

I love it.

Brittany Branson (: 37:45

Yeah!

August Yocher (: 37:45

Yeah, that's ⁓ a big obstacle I would not even have thought of, so that's crazy.

Brittany Branson (: 37:50

Yep.

August Yocher (: 37:55

Alright, so I guess I think we just have a couple more questions for you. ⁓ But what advice would you give couples who are trying to decide between a live painter and other keepsake options? Like what sets you apart?

Brittany Branson (: 38:00

Sweet!

I mean, I think what immediately sets us apart is the entertainment aspect. You're kind of getting, you know, two for the price of one, especially. I would say ⁓ like right off the bat. That's really, that's key.

August Yocher (: 38:18

Mm-hmm.

Kevin Dennis (: 38:18

Hmm.

August Yocher (: 38:22

Yes.

Well, even like the, you know, what did you call them before? The individual, like smaller portraits for the guests to take home. Like, what a cool experience is that? I mean, I'm sure you do start during the cocktail hour and just kind of work your way through the event.

Brittany Branson (: 38:37

Yes.

Yeah, it depends. So I now have two options depending on ⁓ guest count and logistics. excuse me. And so one option is, ⁓ well, let me back up and say I personally offer a full evening experience. And that's probably a a new educational component that a lot of us, like fellow live illustrators are gonna start having to ⁓ tackle is,

August Yocher (: 39:04

Mm-hmm.

Brittany Branson (: 39:15

Sometimes couples think we're a photo booth in terms of the instantaneousness of the favor. And so I get a lot of inquiries where they're just interested in hiring an artist maybe just for cocktail hour. I'm like, I'm like, when you think about how a cocktail hour works by the time guests mosey on in, discover me set up somewhere, we go through the whole thing and then the time it takes me to paint.

I'm gonna barely be able to serve someone in one hour. So I've moved to offering a full day service where I'm ready to go after the ceremony and I'll be there all evening. so option one is I create a signup sheet with the number of illustrations I know I'll be able to complete by the end of the night. Guests fill it in and then once it's all filled in, like that's it. I have to cut myself off and the service ends at the end of the night.

Kevin Dennis (: 39:49

Yeah.

Brittany Branson (: 40:15

But then for larger guest counts, I offer the option to basically ⁓ have a few more hours in studio to complete them. So I either bring an assistant who takes photos of the guests and that develops my queue and I just go down the line. ⁓ If I'm not able to have an assistant, I have an automated texting system which invites guests to text me a full body image of themselves. And then, you know, that develops a queue.

August Yocher (: 40:31

Yeah.

Brittany Branson (: 40:44

And any illustrations that I'm not able to finish, I complete them at home, get them back to the couple, and they're great since you have to send out thank you notes anyway. They're great to just add into the thank you notes. ⁓ So that's just now how I've learned to operate. But I feel like these guest illustrations are sort of the new frontier in terms of education and

August Yocher (: 40:54

Yeah.

Kevin Dennis (: 40:55

⁓ yeah.

August Yocher (: 41:03

Thank you.

Brittany Branson (: 41:07

If the filter mindset to style was for live painting, I think the instantaneous photo booth mindset is the new thing we have to tackle for the live illustrations.

Kevin Dennis (: 41:17

I got it.

Yeah, because that's what...

August Yocher (: 41:20

I think in

general people's attention spans are getting shorter, so yeah, more unique ways to manage that.

Brittany Branson (: 41:24

Yeah.

Yeah, absolutely.

Kevin Dennis (: 41:29

Love it. All

right, so as we wrap up, I want to ask you, how can couples incorporate their pets, which is something you're very passionate about, or other meaningful details into their wedding painting, even if those elements aren't physically at the event? So how does that work?

Brittany Branson (: 41:36

Yes!

So pets, feel like, ⁓ that's so easy for me to go off on. ⁓ I mean, I feel like for a few years now, naming like the signature cocktails after their pets has been super popular. And so that's where you can come to someone like me to like hand paint or hand illustrate the pet. And then you've got the file. So however you need to print it on napkins, on signage, whatever. And then of course you get the original, you know, I always send the original painting or illustration.

Kevin Dennis (: 41:58

Yeah.

⁓ yeah!

Brittany Branson (: 42:15

back to them to keep. Like incorporating them into their stationary. I do a lot of ⁓ watercolor wedding crests where know, pets are super popular to incorporate along with other motifs that are super popular. But I would say the vast majority of my couples request that I add in their pet into the painting, even though a lot of venues don't allow the pets to physically be there. But you know, they're part of the family.

Kevin Dennis (: 42:41

Yeah.

Brittany Branson (: 42:43

They're part of this little unit you're creating and saying, do too, and they deserve...

Kevin Dennis (: 42:47

It's usually the. Well, I'm gonna say it's

usually the first thing they do before they decide to have children. Can we can we keep this you know dog cat whatever the animal that they can we keep it alive as as as a couple? Can we you know and then they move on? Yeah.

Brittany Branson (: 43:02

100%. And

I've had some fun over the years with like, of course, dogs tend to be number one, but I've had couples who've had, you know, parrots, you know, can we incorporate those into the painting? Lamas, there's been llamas involved, horses, definitely. Oh yeah, like it's so fun and their family. And pets are super important to me. I donate a portion of the proceeds from every painting I do, not just live.

Kevin Dennis (: 43:18

Oh, jeez. horses are a big thing.

Brittany Branson (: 43:31

⁓ to local and national animal rescues, especially the one where we rescued our two dogs from. ⁓ So for anyone listening, if you have a heart for your pet, like I'm your girl, I get you. And then what was the second question, Kevin? I'm sorry.

August Yocher (: 43:38

Yeah.

You

Kevin Dennis (: 43:46

Or just

even like other like family members or you know or any other element they may not physically be at the event.

Brittany Branson (: 43:53

Yeah, I mean, it's quite, I wouldn't say it's popular as pets, but over the years, I've had many a couple ask me to add in a parent or a grandparent who's passed on, because you're not going to get a physical photograph of them there at the wedding. But again, like I was saying earlier, the painting is an opportunity to kind of create a new reality. So that's been really lovely.

So couples usually just send me their favorite images of their loved one. We just have a conversation about what they probably would have worn that day if they were with us. So that's really meaningful. ⁓ But yeah, kind like what I was saying earlier, I really thrive on the creativity. if, ⁓ I mean, even just an example, like if I am hired to paint an outdoor ceremony in the middle of

Kevin Dennis (: 44:30

Hmm.

Brittany Branson (: 44:52

January or February where it's not at all lush, we can make that space look lush. You know, if the trees, the leaves are gone, ⁓ if the, ⁓ many a time the sunset isn't as impressive as on other days, but we can make the sunset really impressive. ⁓ So there's really not a lot we can't do. ⁓ or a big, another one is if a couple is getting married in like a church or a synagogue and that's what they want the painting to reflect.

Kevin Dennis (: 44:58

Yeah.

Brittany Branson (: 45:21

I make that work even though I permanently set myself up over at the reception space. ⁓ If I'm able to attend, I like to attend or I'll work with your photographer who have always been awesome about texting me or emailing me images. Yeah. So I'm very much a whatever the logistics, whatever you want the painting to reflect, like I'll bring it to life. Like that makes me really giddy.

Kevin Dennis (: 45:27

Yeah.

getting you an image, yeah.

Before that was our final question, but I have a little follow-up because all of a sudden guests or couples are incorporating cars. Have you ever had to put a car into a painting out of curiosity? Because cars are becoming a thing here all of a sudden.

Brittany Branson (: 45:58

Yes, have.

Really, they're not. Well, I feel like we've always had the like getaway car. ⁓ So yeah, in the past, I have a handful where if they had like a nice rolls or something like that, I incorporated into the painting. ⁓ But I have to say my couples in particular that hasn't been the focal point of the painting, but they've definitely had a cool car.

Kevin Dennis (: 46:03

Yeah.

Yeah.

August Yocher (: 46:14

you

Kevin Dennis (: 46:18

Yeah.

Yeah, it's just all of a sudden, like they're incorporating some family car or something that means something to them. it's something, yeah, it's like a newer thing that I'm starting to see more and more. anyway.

Brittany Branson (: 46:33

That's awesome.

I've painted a few times, now that you say this, ⁓ a remote control car with either a dog or a baby in it.

Kevin Dennis (: 46:46

⁓

that's cute! And... Yeah!

August Yocher (: 46:51

Like what they do for the introductions, like the grand entrance.

Brittany Branson (: 46:53

Yes.

August Yocher (: 46:54

They're writing in them. Yeah, yeah.

Brittany Branson (: 46:56

Yes, yep. That's made it into the painting a few times.

August Yocher (: 46:58

That's so funny.

Kevin Dennis (: 47:02

love it. All right, so as we wrap up, Brittany, I just want to ask you, like, what is your favorite part of a wedding?

Brittany Branson (: 47:11

wait, I had, you know, I had a thought about this. I'm so sorry, Emily. I know, damn it!

August Yocher (: 47:13

Hehehe

Kevin Dennis (: 47:17

And then we got you talking about what you love to do and then we

threw you off.

August Yocher (: 47:21

Mm-hmm.

Brittany Branson (: 47:23

Oh man. Okay, wait. I'm, no, no, no, wait, okay. This is a moment so much as the opportunity I usually have. So I would say probably me, someone like the DJ, we're one of the very few vendors who get to hang out in the reception space before the madness. And I always love listening to like the gossip from the catering staff, or sometimes if it's the

Kevin Dennis (: 47:25

We don't have to.

Uh-huh.

You

Brittany Branson (: 47:53

You

know what I mean? Or like if it's the band or there's a DJ team, am I allowed to say a curse or something? Okay, I love to hear fellow industry professionals like shooting the shit before everyone has to be on and people come in. The sound, the sound of the staff filling water goblets, you know, there's a very particular sound.

Kevin Dennis (: 47:58

No, you could say you could curse all you want.

August Yocher (: 48:01

yeah.

Kevin Dennis (: 48:07

Yeah.

Yeah.

Yep. Yep.

Brittany Branson (: 48:21

So I love that solid like half hour where we've got a half hour left of cocktail hour. Everyone who is, you know, in this space is just like chicken with their head caught off sometimes. They're telling stories about like, this guy is such an asshole. I did this amazing. Like, just love, you know, people forget I'm there or they think I'm so focused. So I just, I love hearing that. It makes me.

Kevin Dennis (: 48:45

Yeah.

August Yocher (: 48:49

Thank

Brittany Branson (: 48:50

No, just makes me smile.

Kevin Dennis (: 48:53

It's funny you say that

August Yocher (: 48:53

No.

Kevin Dennis (: 48:54

because I work a lot at venues up in a scissor lift and when we're setting up the lighting and chandeliers and stuff. So you're above everyone on this platform and they don't even think you're there, but you hear all the conversations and it's like sometimes you get, I get all the gossip that way. It's like they don't even, they don't even know I'm there. It's so, or they, I mean, they forget I'm there because I'm all the way, you know, I'm 15, 20 feet in the air. So it makes me laugh. So.

Brittany Branson (: 49:02

Yeah!

my gosh, no!

August Yocher (: 49:12

you

Brittany Branson (: 49:15

All the good stuff.

And

just for couples, it's actually, no one's actually talking about you, the couple. It's actually just like us, you know, just to make everyone feel better. It's not gossip about the families or anything. It's just like within the industry. And it just makes me laugh. Precisely.

Kevin Dennis (: 49:27

You know.

No, it's usually, yeah, and it's about one vendor that did something stupid and then, yeah, yeah, yeah.

August Yocher (: 49:39

Yeah, no, you're seeing,

you might be seeing someone you haven't seen in a while and you're catching up and yeah, like you said, shooting the shit like in, in a fun way. But yeah, I get it, if you like, you're around vendors you don't know very much and they think you're in the zone. It's so fun to just pick up on that.

Kevin Dennis (: 49:44

Yeah.

It's great. All right. Brady, we'll have this in the show notes for everyone. But how can folks get in contact with you to hire you to bring? I know you've been to California, so we can't check you off the list here in California. maybe we have listeners. I know you'll come again, but maybe you'll leave. And we have listeners from outside the state. So maybe, hopefully, it's a state that you've never been to.

Brittany Branson (: 49:57

You don't even know! ⁓

again. I love California.

Uh, I have not been to Oregon. I don't know if that's close enough.

Kevin Dennis (: 50:25

Okay, there you go.

August Yocher (: 50:25

Mmm.

Kevin Dennis (: 50:27

It's to

the north of us.

Brittany Branson (: 50:30

Um, oh, so how to most everything is oh, I'm so sorry. I think my earplugs. Can you hear me? Okay, sorry, these died.

Kevin Dennis (: 50:35

⁓ yep, you're back. You're back. Yep, you're back.

August Yocher (: 50:42

Yep.

Kevin Dennis (: 50:43

No.

August Yocher (: 50:44

no, that's good. That's good.

Brittany Branson (: 50:46

My, I feel like everything is by Brittany Branson. So bybrittanybranson.com. Instagram, I'm the most active on, bybrittanybranson. I do have a TikTok that I peep in every once in a while. That I think is live underscore painter underscore Brittany, but mostly Instagram and website. Come say hi.

Kevin Dennis (: 51:08

Yep, send DMs, hire her, bring her to a state she's never been. We gotta help get some of these states knocked off ⁓ your list for you. So, can't thank you enough. I mean, you're such a wealth of knowledge and I feel like after listening to this, folks are gonna wanna hire you and bring you out or even another live painter, because you can't be at every wedding, but get it. Yeah, support them as a group and get them out, so.

Brittany Branson (: 51:11

Thank you.

Bye!

August Yocher (: 51:15

Mm-hmm.

Brittany Branson (: 51:28

Just support us, yeah, thank you.

Kevin Dennis (: 51:34

Thank you so much for being here and folks, thank you for listening to another episode and now that I'm engaged, how do I get married? We'll see you next time. Bye.

Brittany Branson (: 51:40

Thanks.

August Yocher (: 51:41

Bye.