Painting a Dream Wedding in Hawaii
Oh, how I would have loved to paint this portrait in person!
This Hawaiian micro-wedding was very small and private on Oahu island, overlooking Sherwood Forest Beach. It's hard to imagine a more magical place for a wedding.
The bride contacted me about a month after her destination wedding. She discovered my work on social media and had a special project in mind that she wanted to commission me for.
The couple wanted a one-of-a-kind painting of their Hawaii wedding to remember their special day. The wedding took place during the end of the COVID-19 pandemic, which is why they kept things small for their destination wedding, with only around a dozen guests in attendance. The limited attendance didn't stop the couple from making the most of their wedding day.
They sent me their gorgeous posed photo on Sherwood forest beach with the beautiful Hawaiian mountains in the background, all they wanted was for me to showcase the crystal clear waves and emerald green mountains in their wedding portrait.
The couple also requested a second custom painting from me as a gift for the bride's mother.
The story behind this painting is unique and heartwarming. The bride's grandfather had passed away before her wedding, and in honor of his memory, the bride's mother had a beautiful tradition. She had his ashes placed inside a teddy bear so she could take him with her to all the exotic locations he had always wanted to visit.
The bride knew that their trip to Hawaii would be the perfect opportunity to create an unforgettable memory for her mother, so she asked me to do a painting that incorporated the grandpa’s teddy bear. She told me her Grandpa was known for his tye-dye shirts and asked that the bear be wearing one of these shirts in the photo. The final tribute was to superimpose the grandfather's old fishing dock onto the Hawaiian beach.
All of these elements made for a beautiful and personal scene of the happy couple, along with the bride’s parents, honoring the memory of their beloved family member.
This was such a special project to be a part of, and as much as I would have loved to attend their Hawaiian wedding myself, I was so glad to help them create this precious gift to remember.
We do not regret this gift to ourselves at all!!!! Heather was absolutely amazing to work with. She was kind, responsive, and made sure we were both included every step of the way! We eloped in Hawaii so unfortunately we did not have her as a live wedding painter but I do not feel like that put us at a disadvantage at all. The photo still came out exactly how we wanted (even better if I'm being totally honest)! She sent multiple videos, pictures, and text to make sure we were all on the same page and we were liking the direction the painting was headed. I loved being able to text her questions/ideas and her willingness to adjust and add without making us feel that we were being "too much" or annoying. I can not recommend her enough! My wife and I life in another state and we were SO happy to hear that she ships!! Seriously do not look any further. I loved working with Heather and we will definitely be commissioning her again in the future Aside from being extremely talented, she is such a kind and wholesome person. You will not regret commissioning her I promise.
—Kimberly G.