Wedding portraits on canvas at Grand Velas resorts
If you’re looking at your wedding as a work of art, here’s an over-the-top detail that will not only add a dash of theatrics to your celebration, but that will live on for decades afterward. Mexico’s Grand Velas Resorts, upscale all-inclusives on both the Riviera Maya (Caribbean) and Riviera Nayarit (Pacific) coasts, now offer couples the option of having their wedding captured on canvas—while the wedding is taking place. You’ll meet with an artist beforehand to sketch out the details—style (Impressionist, abstract, surreal), shape and size of the canvas, oil or acrylic, which family and friends you want featured—and on the wedding day he’ll set up his easel with a view of all the action, unpack his brushes, and get down to business.
In the age of Instagram, such an analog approach to capturing memories might seem merely quaint, but the result is a piece of art heavy with emotion and significance. Chances are you wouldn’t want a four-foot wide photograph of your reception dominating your dining room, but when rendered in paint, wedding scenes take on a sense of history that demands a place of honor.
Grand Velas has teamed with the company Antologia by Fornari to produce the paintings; over the last 10 years, artists in the Spain-based group have captured the likenesses of presidents, royals, and captains of industry. Prices for wedding paintings start at $3,000; the cost is determined by how many figures are in the finished work. Click here for a YouTube video of how the magic unfolds.
