Live Event Paintings by Cody

Live painting in New York, New Jersey, Destination

Tri-State area and beyond

Service area

5.0

Verified reviews from real couples

We booked a guest illustrator, Audra, through Cody and we're SO glad that we did! Audra was lovely to work with and her watercolors were a huge hit at our wedding—80% of our 120 guests ended up getting their portraits done. We booked this in lieu of favors and can't recommend Audra and Cody enough!

Serena A.

5.0

Stunning. Cody is amazing to work with, not only talented but professional and so kind. Our guests LOVEDDD interacting with her and we are in love with our painting. I have nothing but great things to say about her and our general choice to get a live painter.

Amanda R.

5.0

Cody Rounds

OWNER

AWARD WINNER

Thanks to recommendations from couples on The Knot

WeddingWire and The Knot are allegedly involved in class action lawsuits involving false communication with vendors, so please reach out to www.codypaints.com for updated package/pricing information and formal inquiries. Live event painting is the perfect way to capture the memories of your special day while adding an elegant, romantic touch to your wedding. Cody draws from decades of experience to create a beautiful, custom piece of art that reflects the emotion and atmosphere of your event. Doubling as light entertainment, your guests are encouraged to watch or interact with Cody while she paints. Your one-of-a-kind painting will remind you of the love, commitment, and joy from the beginning of your journey for rest of your lives. Cody also offers WATERCOLOR GUEST PORTRAITS that can be used as entertainment and favors! Her decades of experience in speed drawing lend for 5-6 minute portraits per couple, or 2-3 minute per guest. If you're really looking for something unique, this is a great addition to your event. It works best for smaller weddings of bridal showers, but for larger events Cody can finish the portraits after the event or bring a colleague for an additional price. See www.codypaints.com for her hourly rate. Cody usually does live event painting for weddings around New York City, Westchester, Bergen County, the Hudson Valley, Poconos, and Philadelphia areas and is willing to travel. Cody also offers watercolor guest portraiture that can be used as a unique and interactive favor for your guests. This service is only available for smaller events. Cody is available for destination weddings such as Hawaii Mexico, Switzerland, France, Italy, and Spain. If you like the work but cannot book Cody, consider a studio commission that she can create based off of photos of your event for a lower price. This is an all-inclusive and LBGTQ+ allied business that believes all love is equal. Reach out now to get a price quote and secure your date for the best live painter in NJ PA CT and NY!

Woman-owned Business

Details

Gifts & Favors

Gift & Favor Assembly

Gifts for the Bride

Gifts for the Groom

Parent Gifts

Personalization

Wedding Favors

Wedding Gifts

Awards and Affiliations

2025 'Best of Weddings'

Join couples who chose award-winning vendors for their wedding

Meet the team

Cody Rounds

Owner

I began painting in 2003 and have been painting weddings for over three years. I was trained in traditional oil painting and learned plein air (outdoor) techniques in Paris, France. I earned a Bachelors of Fine Arts in 2009 with a concentration on painting. Now I choose to share my skills through commissions, live painting, and by teaching art to others. My favorite part of being a painter is the opportunity to immortalize folks' most cherished moments and memories in an artwork that they can treasure for the rest of their lives. Www.codypaints.com

5.0

out of 5.0

18 reviews

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Review Summary

This AI-generated summary is a snapshot of this vendor's ratings and feedback.

Reviewers raved about hiring a live wedding painter, praising exceptional talent, professionalism, and clear communication. Guests loved watching the work progress and many added small touches to the canvas. Couples called the finished piece a treasured keepsake that captured details (including pets) and highly recommended the service.

Search reviews

Serena A

9/24/2026

We booked a guest illustrator, Audra, through Cody and we're SO glad that we did! Audra was lovely to work with and her watercolors were a huge hit at our wedding—80% of our 120 gu...

ests ended up getting their portraits done. We booked this in lieu of favors and can't recommend Audra and Cody enough!

Amanda R

1/15/2026

Stunning. Cody is amazing to work with, not only talented but professional and so kind. Our guests LOVEDDD interacting with her and we are in love with our painting. I have nothing...

but great things to say about her and our general choice to get a live painter.

Any questions?

Courtney F

10/21/2025

Cody was absolutely amazing! She captured us perfectly — and so fast! It was incredible to watch her painting come to life throughout the night. She was the talk of the wedding; ev...

eryone kept asking how I found her and couldn’t stop complimenting her work. I couldn’t be happier with my choice to have her there — such a special and unforgettable addition to our day!

Jackelyn B

9/23/2025

“Cody is absolutely amazing! If you’re looking for a live painter, look no further. She captured the essence of the day, and our guests were so happy with their personal water...

colors. Highly recommend!!!!!

Vanessa A

9/02/2025

Cody was the most incredible surprise gift from my maid of honor, since I had always dreamed of having a live painter but never managed to book one myself. She stayed hidden all af...

ternoon while I was around the venue, and just before walking down the aisle, I saw her begin her work—it instantly brought me to tears. By the end of the ceremony, there were already so many beautiful details captured. Throughout the night, our guests were amazed at her progress and talent, often stopping by to watch as the painting came to life. By the end of the evening, it was already more breathtaking than I ever could have imagined. One of my favorite parts was that some of my close friends and family were even able to add little touches to the painting, which made it even more meaningful. Cody also takes the painting home after the event to finish the final details, and she sends a proof before completing it. We haven’t even received the final piece yet, but we are beyond excited to hang it in our home—it will be a treasure forever.

Meredith P

11/17/2024

10/10 would recommend Cody for your wedding event. Cody painted guest portraits for our 214 guest wedding and KILLED it. These portraits were part of our favors but aside from get...

ting one to take home, everyone was raving about the portrait bar and how they had never heard of something like it. Aside from doing work beyond my expectations, Cody was professional, timely, and wonderfully communicative throughout the planning process. Everything you want in a vendor.

Sarah H

10/31/2024

CODY IS AMAZING! Seeing Cody paint throughout the night was even more amazing than I thought it would be! I has guests coming up to me all night talking about how amazing the live ...

painting was and how they were able to add a brush stroke to the painting which makes it even more special. I cannot wait to see the final work of art. Cody even added our fur babies. If you are thinking about getting a live painter DO IT, you will not regret it!

Alexandra I

10/29/2024

We found Cody through a Facebook group and we could not be more impressed! From the minute we saw her talent, we knew we wanted to have her as a part of our wedding. This was solid...

ified even more when we spoke to her on the phone! She is so sweet and attentive to everything. She asks so many great questions that we wouldn’t have even thought about. At our wedding, our guests (as well as us) could not stop raving about her. They were going up to her all night and she was allowing them to paint on the canvas! It was so cool! We couldn’t recommend Cody enough. She is on top of everything, a great communicator, and insanely talented. If you’re thinking of hiring a live wedding painter, look no further! Thank you for everything, Cody!

Lydia B

10/24/2024

TLDR: If you’re thinking about hiring Cody - DO IT! Our painting is something we will treasure forever and the entertainment value Cody added to our day was immense! Cody was a joy...

to have at our wedding, truly one of our very favorite vendors. We met her at one of my best friend’s weddings and hired her right after. Not only is she incredibly talented (we LOVE our painting, it is so “us”!!!), she’s also just an awesome person. Our guests LOVED watching her work during the reception and adding their little touches to the painting - they couldn’t stop raving about it. Cody was punctual, professional, and personable throughout our entire time working with her - truly a dream vendor.

Amelia K

10/02/2024

Cody was the best decision we made for our wedding day! I wish I could give her a million stars in this review. Watching our painting progress throughout the night was so much fun ...

and our guests are still talking about how amazing her painting was weeks later. She also offered an interactive option for our guests to be able to paint a small flower or other small feature on the painting, which our guests absolutely loved and we thought was such a special detail. At the end of the night when we saw our painting, we were completely blown away with how beautiful it turned out and how perfectly it captured such a special moment between my husband and I. Cody’s excellent communication, attention to detail, kindness, and pure talent made this an unforgettable experience and our painting is something we will cherish forever!

Marisa M

4/13/2024

Cody painted our wedding in Connecticut and was absolutely phenomenal!! She made us very comfortable from the beginning and was clearly an expert in her field, telling us why certa...

in things would look good and why they wouldn't. Ultimately we decided to let her choose what would look best and we ADORE the final product. our guests RAVED about the painting during the wedding and after, and a lot of them had never heard about live painting so it was a real treat for them. We did opt for Cody to allow guests to paint a little flower on the side, which added a sweet element to the painting and ou friends and family got a chance to be part of it. We are very happy with our choice to add Cody. We had interviewed several artists and Cody had the best skill level of all the ones we interviewed in the tristate area. We are now commissioning a pet portrait of our fur baby from her!

Thomas L

4/13/2024

Cody did an incredible job at helping me surprise my fiance at the altar with a painting. She had wanted a painting but was concerned it wasnt in our budget, but Cody worked with m...

e to make it happen. She was communicative and waled me through the process and even included our dog who wasnt at the ceremony. My wife was very happy and surprised, and Cody even met us halfway between our homes to deliver the painting for us. We even used the painting as the thank you card image and our friends are also using Cody for their upcoming wedding this year. I highly recommend!

Alexis M

1/17/2024

I received a painting from Cody as a wedding gift and it is by far one of my favorite pieces in our home! Every detail is perfect!! It’s so personal and special to us. I recently m...

essaged Cody for another custom piece, she is amazing to work with!

Brianna K

1/16/2024

As an artist myself, I was very picky about live painters.. but Cody was exceptional. She is beyond talented and I couldn't be happier we hired her!!!

Pascale D

1/15/2024

I gave the gift of Cody painting at my sister-in-law’s wedding and I couldn’t be happier. She was thrilled to have this very cool addition to her reception, she said Cody was a bre...

eze to deal with during wedding logistical nightmares and tons of guests commented on how fun it was to have a painter there and how gorgeous the work was. And let me tell you… the painting is GORGEOUS. Captured the day and the bride and groom perfectly. What an incredible gift to be able to give and an amazing overall experience.

Magdalena W

1/15/2024

Cody is so incredibly talented. I saw work she’d already done and loved it but I was still blown away when I saw the painting she did of me and my husband. I could not believe how ...

much the painting looks like us, how recognizable we were, and how accurate the details were! It is one thing to see a beautiful wedding portrait of someone else, but when it is your own you can really appreciate the accuracy and skill of the artist. Cody is also lovely to work with. Due to our reception venue’s space restrictions, Cody had to set up right in the edge of the dance floor. I was worried about the music and dancing interfering with her work, but she worked at ease right in the middle (literally) of the party, and the guests loved popping by to check on her progress. After the painting was complete, she made sure to ask if we wanted anything in the painting changed - and while we did not, it was still a thoughtful touch to be sure the painting was perfect for us. I am SO thankful that my sister-in-law hired Cody as a wedding gift for me. I would have hired her myself in any other universe! Thank you, Cody!

Sabrina S

5/14/2023

💘 Cody created a beautiful painting of the moment we first kissed after being announced as husband and wife and we are forever grateful! She did such an amazing job capturing our ...

energy as individuals and as a couple - me and my family are still in awe of how much our painting looks exactly like us! Even down to the henna on my hand! She did an exquisite job of amplifying the greenery and the lighting to make our painting look even more whimsical than it did in our photographs! Not to mention we had the microphone of the officiant and a fence in the background but Cody was able to take inspiration and edit and bring together the most perfect image that was free of any noise and clutter! She also framed our picture so beautifully! She was professional, reliable, and communicative. She worked along our vision and added a touch of her magic. I highly recommend you hire Cody to capture a magical moment at your wedding in a way that only she can. 💘

Perryn M

4/11/2023

I feel so incredibly grateful to have a gorgeous painting showcasing the most special day of my life. My husband and I are filled with joy every time we look at the beautiful paint...

ing created for us by Cody. It was such a pleasure to have her involved, taking her time to walk us through the entire process, and making sure to incorporate everything we wanted. She truly blew us away with this one of a kind masterpiece of our wedding day! I’m blessed to have this special piece of artwork hanging in my home. Book Cody to paint your wedding! You will be SO happy you did!

Service area & Contact info

Saddle River, Saddle River, NJ

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Tri-State area and beyond
Typically included in the starting cost

(201) 815-8144

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Live Event Paintings by Cody

Cody Rounds

Owner

Live Event Paintings by Cody's photos

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Live Event Paintings by Cody

About this vendor

Review Summary

Service area & Contact info

Wedding vendors in Saddle River

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