In the world of weddings, where every detail is orchestrated to reflect love at its most intimate and elevated, there’s a quiet moment that escapes the lens but not the brush. For Brandi Salmon, that moment becomes a masterpiece.

An artist, storyteller, and live wedding painter, Brandi brings a singular kind of magic to the celebration of love. With each stroke of her brush, she captures more than a pose — she captures presence. Her journey began in country Victoria, shaped by a childhood of creative curiosity and a self-taught devotion to painting, sparked one evening by a documentary on Rembrandt.

“His use of light, depth, and emotion moved me,” she recalls. “I sold some of my belongings on eBay to buy oil paints. I’ve been painting ever since.”

*“Each moment is fleeting. My job is to catch it before it disappears.” – Brandi Salmon*

But it wasn’t until Brandi discovered the world of live wedding painting that her two great loves — art and romance — truly collided. A chance TikTok scroll introduced her to Rebekka Lord Johnson, The Wedding Painter, and with that, a new path opened.

“I messaged her and she was so kind. That was the moment I knew this could be something more.”

Now, as one of Tasmania’s few live wedding artists, Brandi is pioneering a niche that’s growing fast — and with good reason. Her wedding paintings are immersive, expressive, and deeply human. Each one is a love story told in oil, unfolding in real time on canvas as the ceremony takes place.

Capturing Love as It Lives

There’s something inherently performative about painting live — guests gather, comment, connect. But for Brandi, the heart of the work remains still and sacred.

“There’s a moment during the ceremony, usually during the vows, where everything softens. You feel the energy shift. I respond to that with paint.”

She collaborates with couples beforehand to discuss colour palettes and compositions, but the real inspiration strikes in the moment — in the glance, the lighting, the unspoken language of connection. “It’s not about capturing a posed likeness. It’s about the atmosphere, the way they hold each other, the warmth in the room.”

Brandi arrives hours before the wedding, sets up her easel, and begins sketching as guests trickle in. By the end of the night, a romantic, expressive rendering of the couple is already taking shape — one that she’ll later finish in her studio with delicate, painterly care.

Heritage in Two Worlds

As a proud Wiradjuri and Tongan woman, Brandi’s identity informs her art in nuanced, powerful ways. Through her other practice, Brandi Salmon Art, she explores themes of cultural storytelling, Country, and belonging.

“That’s where I go deeper into my roots,” she says. “My wedding paintings are more about capturing the universal — joy, connection, presence — though of course, everything I am comes through in some way.”

From Icons to “I Do”

While Brandi has painted works gifted to stars like Lorde and Olivia Rodrigo, it’s the intimacy of weddings that continues to captivate her most.

“To be present on such a personal day, creating something that becomes part of a couple’s story — it’s a true honour.”

And sometimes, that story includes a surprise — like the time a group of wedding guests secretly commissioned a painting for the couple.

“We had to loop the bride in at the last minute because of logistics, but she was blown away. It was beautiful.”

What’s Next

Between her first solo exhibition in Naarm/Melbourne and murals in both Hobart and Launceston, Brandi’s star is rising. But her heart remains with the quiet, romantic moments — the ones lit by vows and velvet dusk.

“One day, I’d love to paint a wedding in Italy or Greece. The history, the architecture, the light… it would be like painting in a dream.”

And while the trend of live painting is only just catching on in places like Tasmania, Brandi sees it blooming into something much bigger. “I believe it’ll become a wedding essential. It’s a living memory, unfolding before everyone’s eyes — and lasting long after the last dance.”

everAFTER couples, take note: if love is art, Brandi Salmon is your artist.

Visit - brandisalmonart.com.au/