Live Wedding Painter Katie Peterson Captures Love in Real Time
There’s something quietly magical about watching a wedding take shape on paper while it’s happening in real life. For artist Katie Peterson, that magic is the heart of Katie Rose Studio—where live wedding paintings transform ceremonies into heirloom art, painted stroke by stroke as love unfolds. “It’s really becoming almost like its own art form,” Peterson said.
And for as long as she can remember, Peterson has always been an artist in many art forms. Some of her earliest memories involve sitting on her grandmother’s back deck, watercolors spread out on the table, painting everything from moss-draped trees to whatever happened to wander through the bayou that day—like the occasional nutria or alligator. Her grandmother, still very much Peterson’s biggest fan, now proudly spots her work popping up across Facebook and Instagram, marveling at how far those childhood paintings have taken her granddaughter.
Though art was always part of her life, Peterson’s artisan path wasn’t a straight line. In high school, she took art classes and worked on the yearbook, but college took her in a completely different direction. She earned a degree in mathematics and statistics with a minor in business and went on to work in the pharmaceutical industry. It was stable, logical—and eventually, creatively draining.
“I fell out of love with the corporate nine-to-five,” Peterson says. Art remained her refuge, something she turned to on weekends and evenings. She took on commissions—pet portraits, paintings of children—simply because it made her feel good.
Then COVID happened.
Working from home gave Peterson time to reconnect with her creativity, and what began as a side passion slowly evolved into something bigger. The spark that became Katie Rose Studio ignited when she was planning her own wedding. While browsing wedding groups online, she noticed a post from a planner looking for someone to do live guest portraits at a wedding. Peterson commented—despite never having done anything like it.
She taught herself, created mock portraits from reference photos, and was honest about being new to live wedding painting. The bride took a leap of faith, and on the day of the wedding, Peterson found herself working alongside an established live wedding painter who became her early mentor. From there, everything clicked.
Today, Peterson is a full-time live wedding painter and fashion illustrator, regularly booked across the Mississippi Gulf Coast and beyond. During the cocktail hour and the reception, she creates elegant guest portraits—up to 10 couples per hour—using professional alcohol-based markers, a medium she taught herself after discovering traditional watercolors took too long to dry in fast-paced wedding settings.
In addition to guest illustrations, Peterson also offers live paintings of the bride and groom, working at her easel for hours to capture the heart of the day. Each piece receives a final studio finish before being delivered as a lasting keepsake.
Outside of weddings, Peterson creates whimsical watercolor artwork—often nursery-inspired—featuring animals and soft, colorful designs, a fitting niche for a new chapter in her own life. She and her husband, Drew, recently welcomed their first child, Isaiah, whose nursery proudly displays her work.
Looking ahead, Peterson hopes to continue growing her presence as a live fashion illustrator, traveling throughout the Southeast and eventually beyond. Requests have already come in from as far as Massachusetts, New Jersey, and even California.
But for now, she’s doing what she loves—capturing fleeting moments, one brushstroke at a time.
Katie Rose Studio
228.327.1206
katierosestudio@gmail.com
www.katierosestudio.com
