We are beyond excited to share Renee and Michael’s live painting from their Grove Park Inn ceremony. Their wedding day was overflowing with the most unique wedding ideas! I could write an entire blog post on all the unique wedding entertainment they hired!
One of our favorite surprises were the ballerina flower girls! Renee surprised Michael and their guests with FOUR ballerinas. The ballerinas processed just before Renee walked down the aisle. It was the most incredible surprise as they danced along the lawn. And of course, as flower girls, they sprinkled flower petals along the lawn so perfectly! Along with the beautiful Asheville landscape, the ballerinas set the stage of grace, love, and beauty for Renee and Michael’s wedding ceremony. Ben absolutely loved creating this live wedding painting for them! We are over the rainbow excited to share how their live painting went from one to three paintings!
Renee & Michael
The Omni Grove Park Inn
Asheville, NC
24 x 30 in. Live Wedding Painting
Renee is a dreamer and one of the loveliest humans you could ever meet. From our first Creative Call, she knew they wanted to capture the incredible view from the lawn of the Grove Park Inn. Their ceremony was the perfect moment for their live painting. From there, Renee couldn’t put her finger on it … but she said she wanted something unique and just really exciting … different. We knew she had spectacular and very unique wedding entertainment in store with her heart set on an aerialist and ballerinas.
Something we could never have planned for: A double Rainbow over their ceremony!
The weather forecast the day of the wedding was looking questionable, but Renee and Michael were able to move forward with their outdoor ceremony! And let us be the first to say, the ballerina flower girls brought such an incredibly unique experience to guests as they danced around the lawn! And as if this scene alone couldn’t be any more beautiful … cue a DOUBLE RAINBOW! We realize it sounds like we made this part up … but we have photos to prove that Renee and Michael indeed had a double rainbow painted in the sky the day of their wedding! This is the second time in 10 years this has ever happened! And oh my heavens, it was breathtaking! Little did we know, rainbows have always been a really significant spiritual symbol to Renee. It was truly spectacular!
How their live painting evolved into three paintings:
The original plan for Renee and Michael’s painting was to include the ballerinas alongside them during the ceremony moment. As their painting progressed that day, Renee and Michael were torn on whether to add the ballerinas because they loved the simplicity of the two of them. The question was if adding the ballerina flower girls would be too much for their painting. We agreed to wait on the decision until Ben was back in the studio and they could have time to think about the addition.
Back in the studio, Ben had the idea to add two more canvases to each side of the painting, with a ballerina tossing flower petals on each side. The truth is … their live painting was already perfect! This triptych concept basically allows the eye to make a seamless, longer painting, with the addition of two canvases! Renee and Michael immediately fell in love with this idea and oh my heavens … we are in love with how the paintings came together! This isn’t even close the original painting we planned on our initial Creative Call … but sometimes you have to let paintings organically take form and take on their own beauty in the moment!
Tips for hiring ballerina flower girls
Whether you’re getting married in a ballroom, cathedral, or a beautiful lawn, hiring ballerina flower girls is such a unique wedding idea that will completely wow your guests! And believe it or not, this is a REAL service that many dancers and studios provide!
- As with hiring any creative or vendor for your wedding day, we always recommend first asking your wedding planner or venue for recommendations. They may have worked with ballerina flower girls and can recommend a trusted studio or entertainment agency. Renee hired ballerina flower girls from Elevate Performs, based in North Carolina.
- Search TikTok or Instagram for ballerina flower girls! If you’ve spent any time on TikTok or Instagram, you may have already seen the fabulous Jewell Ballerina! She has brilliantly trademarked her business, Flowerina, and travels nationally to luxury weddings as a ballerina flower girl! Try using hashtags to search #ballerinaflowergirl! (This is actually how so many of our couples discover Ben’s live wedding paintings!)
- Contact a local ballet studio near you! This is a great last resort, but realize that it may be risky if the studio or dancers have never performed during a wedding ceremony. Ask if they have a few elite ballerinas that would be willing to perform as a unique experience for your wedding day. If you have your heart set on ballerina flower girls, it couldn’t hurt to ask!
Creative Team:
Venue: The Omni Grove Park Inn, Asheville, NC • Planning: Marie, Pri Productions Asheville • Photographer: • Videographer: Fesiuk Films • Florals: Pri Proudctions Asheville • Ballerina Flower Girls: Elevate Performs • Ceremony Music: Deans Duets • Reception Music: DJ Ben Felton • Cocktail Hour Arealist: Cirque Sarah • Live Wedding Painter: Ben Keys Fine Art • Cake: The Omni Grove Park Inn
