Live wedding painting in Parma and the castles of Emilia

On your wedding day in Parma and the castles of Emilia, Giulia Dal Bon sets her easel at the edge of the celebration and paints. During the cocktail hour, guests pass by, watch, come back: the canvas advances in front of them, and the moment you have chosen takes shape as the hours go. By evening, the painting is yours. Giulia is a painter, trained at the Brera Academy of Fine Arts in Milan. From 950 €, free quote within 48 hours.

Contact Giulia

Tell me your idea, and I will be glad to reply.

Giulia Dal Bon painting live during an event

Live wedding painting prices in Parma and the castles of Emilia

The wedding painting, made live
40 × 60 cm950 €
60 × 80 cm1,200 €
70 × 100 cm1,500 €
80 × 120 cm, full day1,800 €
Another size, a bespoke daybespoke quote

Giulia also paints live at concerts, festivals and company evenings.

Free quote within 48 hours

Travel and logistics are agreed together and priced in the quote.

Getting married in Parma and the castles of Emilia

Live painting facing the sea: at dusk, Giulia Dal Bon paints the sun’s reflection and red flowers close to the canvas.
At dusk, Giulia paints the sun and red flowers facing the sea.

Why do so many couples marry in Parma and the castles of Emilia?

Parma and the countryside of the old Duchy of Parma and Piacenza host weddings in their castles, some twenty of them linked in a circuit, between the Po plain and the hills. Couples marry in a moated fortress or a fortified village on its hill, and the table is that of the land of Parma ham and parmesan.

Why does a painter love Parma and the castles of Emilia?

In 1524 the young Parmigianino painted a small room of the Rocca Sanvitale in Fontanellato in fresco: the myth of Diana and Actaeon, beneath a vault painted as a pergola open to the sky, with putti playing among the leaves. The room is still open to visitors, at the heart of the castle surrounded by water.

What does the painting show?

The moment you choose: the ceremony, the exit, the first dance, the cocktail hour with the guests, or the venue itself with the couple in the foreground. Giulia prepares the composition beforehand from your photographs and images of the venue, then paints on site in Parma and the castles of Emilia. You know what you will get before the day itself.

Does Giulia know the area?

She comes to Parma and the castles of Emilia and travels across seventeen European countries. She speaks Italian, French, English and Spanish, and she looks at the venue before painting: the brick of the towers, the water of the moat, the hills at the hour of the ceremony, and what you have chosen to show.

The wedding venues in Parma and the castles of Emilia

Giulia travels to the villas and reception venues of the area: Castello di Tabiano, Rocca Sanvitale (Fontanellato).

At the Rocca Sanvitale, on the canvas you can see the four crenellated towers reflected in the moat. At the Castello di Tabiano, the castle on its hill and the old village at the foot of the walls come into the painting, with the plain in the distance.

She also works in Fontanellato, Soragna, Busseto, Salsomaggiore Terme, Tabiano, Fidenza, Colorno, Torrechiara, Langhirano, Collecchio, Sala Baganza and Montechiarugolo.

Does Giulia work in the great villas and estates?

Yes, and she adapts to the house rules of each venue: she stands where she is least in the way, protects the floor around her and leaves with her equipment the same evening. Simply let your venue and your wedding planner know. She also works with agencies and provides a detailed quote that drops straight into a budget.

What is the best season in Parma and the castles of Emilia?

The season runs from April to October, and the hills of Parma stay green into autumn. Giulia is available all year round, winter dates included.

What do we need to arrange on site?

A space of roughly two by two metres, away from the flow but visible to the guests, a power socket and light if she paints in the evening. Giulia brings her easel, canvases, acrylics and brushes. That is all the venue needs to know.

Can Giulia paint in a castle courtyard?

Yes. The courtyards of Emilia’s castles are made for receiving guests: Giulia sets her easel under a portico or against a wall, out of the sun, and paints the façade, the towers or the table laid in the middle of the courtyard. She needs a space about two metres by two on flat ground; the castle shows her where on arrival.

Giulia also paints commissioned murals in the area: see murals in Parma.

Music at your wedding in Parma and the castles of Emilia: the piano and painting show

For your wedding celebration in Parma and the castles of Emilia, Giulia also offers the piano and painting show. Orlando plays a neoclassical repertoire, in the line of Ludovico Einaudi or Hania Rani, and Giulia paints while he plays, before guests who take the time to watch and photograph the canvas. On the last note the painting is revealed, and it is yours to keep. The show is prepared with you and your wedding venue, on request.

Live painting in Parma and the castles of Emilia, for another occasion

Giulia also paints in Parma and the castles of Emilia beyond weddings. Tell her what you have in mind, even loosely: she suggests a format, adapts it to your evening and your room, and you approve it beforehand. A festival that wants a second stage, a venue looking for a finale, a company hosting its clients: the shape is built with you.

A concert or a festival in Parma and the castles of Emilia She paints to the music, from the first note of the set to the last, and the canvas is revealed to the audience. From 400 €.

A company evening in Parma and the castles of Emilia The painting of the evening, made in front of your guests and kept by the company, invoiced in its name. From 900 €.

A private party, a birthday, an opening She paints through the evening, and guests leave with their watercolour portrait. From 400 €.

Your questions, before booking

How do I organise live painting for a wedding in Parma and the castles of Emilia?

Tell Giulia Dal Bon the date, the venue and the occasion, and she brings your idea to life with you. She offers you a free quote within 48 hours. Before the day, you choose the size and the subject together, and she prepares the composition if needed. On the day, she paints in front of your guests, in Parma and the castles of Emilia, and the signed painting is yours that same day. Live painting for a wedding starts at 950 €.

Which artist paints live during a wedding in Parma and the castles of Emilia?

Giulia Dal Bon, a painter trained at the Brera Academy of Fine Arts in Milan. She exhibits her paintings in galleries, paints murals in seventeen countries, and paints live on stage and at celebrations: at the Fabbrica del Vapore in Milan, and at the Festival Gaber in Camaiore on 6 July 2017, alongside the guitarist Gianni Martini. She speaks Italian, French, English and Spanish, and comes to Parma and the castles of Emilia as she does all over Europe, to grand estates and small villages alike.

What do you receive at the end of the live painting, on the wedding evening?

The canvas itself, painted and finished on site, signed, in the size chosen in the quote: 40×60, 60×80, 70×100 or 80×120 cm. It goes home with you that same evening, ready to hang. The price includes the canvas and the paints, from 950 € for a wedding. For a very large format, the finishing is completed in the studio and the painting is shipped to you.

How much does a live wedding painting cost in Parma and the castles of Emilia?

The canvas Giulia Dal Bon paints during the wedding starts at 950 €, made on site, work handed over. From 1,800 € for a large format or a full day. A portrait painted in the studio from your photographs is ordered from the portrait from a photo page, from 90 €. The canvas, the stretcher, the acrylics and the easel are included. Free quote within 48 hours.

Is travel charged separately?

Travel and logistics are agreed together and priced in the quote, depending on the place and the duration. Giulia comes to Parma and the castles of Emilia and works across seventeen European countries. Give her the date, the venue and the kind of painting you have in mind: the reply arrives within 48 hours.

How far ahead should we book?

Several months. June, July and September are the three peak wedding months and their Saturdays go first. At the most sought-after venues in Parma and the castles of Emilia, couples often book a year ahead. If your date is close, ask anyway: a slot sometimes opens.

Do you work elsewhere in Europe?

Yes. Giulia works in seventeen European countries: Italy, France, Monaco, Switzerland, Spain, Portugal, Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Germany, Austria, Ireland, Denmark, Sweden, Greece, Croatia and the United Kingdom. She speaks Italian, French, English and Spanish fluently. Travel and logistics are agreed together and priced in the quote, sent within 48 hours.

Can live painting be arranged for a hotel evening in Parma and the castles of Emilia?

Yes. Giulia Dal Bon paints live in Parma and the castles of Emilia for hotel evenings, galas, openings and company parties, just as much as for weddings.

Live painting, format by format