10 Ways I've Gained Relevant Backlinks As A Live Wedding Painter
As wedding vendors, we want our website to be found: it's our online business card, a place where we show our expertise, personality, and experience, where visitors are turned into leads. When other sites point in our direction, especially ones that have a good reputation, it really helps our little spot on the internet. In this blog, I share real-life examples from my business practice, from the obvious to a bit cheeky.
1. Organically, Goodwill
Over time, if you consistently put yourself out there and gain wedding experience, other people will start to link to you organically. For example, a photographer from a lovely summer wedding shared the painting I made in her “fun and unique ideas for your wedding” post. A videographer from another wedding blogged about how this couple values family – and how they had requested me to include a few lost loved ones in the painting. Relevant inspiration for his audience as well.
There will be people who point towards you, without you asking them to, just because they appreciate what you have shared. But yes, that takes time, and it's hard to convince others, "hey, there's value here", when you have very little content to show for. So put your unique perspective and insights out there!
2. Wedding Fairs, Industry Platforms
These are relevant for our industry, but their popularity might be declining. Yes, most are pay-to-play (in a sense). But two wedding fairs I had a booth at years ago (since I don't do them anymore) still have links to my website.
If you want to pay for backlinks in 2026, make sure they're not from random linkbuilding services, but relevant to the wedding industry. Do watch out for those bigger platforms that are currently under review for possibly misleading business practices. You know which I mean. I only pay for a profile on a smaller one, which promotes the region I was born in, and which has lots of lovely castles and outdoor venues.
3. Media, Interviews
While media outlets might have a more general audience than just wedding couples, they are often cited and referred to as sources. Which means the domain authority of their site ranks relatively high (so that's great if they link to you). Because of my other niche (courtroom sketch artist), I've established a nice working relationship with several journalists, who are always happy to cite relevant quotes about newsworthy topics.
Here in the Netherlands, there is a Facebook group (RuM) in which journalists share topics they have already pitched to their editors. They are looking for experts to fill in the blanks or provide a face to trends. Through this group, I've landed multiple interviews with national media regarding "interesting and odd professions".
Worldwide, there are several platforms that gather these types of requests from journalists. You can sign up to receive alerts for certain topics or words. Two of those are Feature and HARO (Help a Reporter Out), and they have worked for me. You're helping the journalists, so they're more open to your vision and input than when you send them a press release.
4. Helping Out With Fresh Content
When I was doing a bit of market research, I googled "live wedding painting" in my own language and variations of those keywords. What would show up on the SERP (search engine results page) if somebody else were trying to look for me? I found one older blog, from 2017, that was still very visible. The author, a wedding photographer, was linking to someone who didn't offer live painting anymore, and even worse: that site was very outdated, gave lots of errors. Search engines don't like it when you send your visitors to such chaos. I suggested supplying him with some fresh content, he linked to me, and I cited him on my "in the media" page, so it was a nice win-win.
5. The Other Way Around
This one is kind of similar, but then I wasn't the one reaching out. A wedding videographer approached a few vendors, asking if we were open to swapping backlinks. While I mentioned above that random linkbuilding is not very relevant, I'm very open to being associated with other professional vendors from the wedding industry. And I also don't like just pages full of links; I think it's more valuable to provide context and referrals embedded in stories.
He was working on a page with tips for wedding couples, what kinds of vendors he loves to work with, and it was linked to me. I was able to quote him in one of my blogs about collaborating with photo and video teams as a live painter. So I could swoop the link in naturally, as a relevant addition.
6. Styled Shoot Or Real Wedding Publication
It's difficult for me on my own to upload only a painting to a platform. More often, it's the planner or photographer who organised the styled shoot who submits it for publication. I've been able to join in a few times, since it's a team effort, and it has led to backlinks from wedding industry platforms that are usually pay-to-play.
A decent one will always credit all the contributors, even if they don't have a paid account. The same with other vendors who share the shots on their sites.
7. Guest Blog
In my language, I googled "guest blog" + "wedding". Several relevant publications showed up (and a lot are pay-to-play). I emailed those who were open to guest posts and didn't require a fee. It's common that a blog has requirements in terms of the number of words, or that you actually provide relevant insights and ideas (not just promote your service).
Most of the publications never answered. A few did, and for one, I wrote a "how a live wedding painting is made" type of blog, about the creative process and what wedding couples and guests can expect. Laid down low on the commercial promo lingo, was mainly showing behind the scenes.
8. When You're The Client
If you've outsourced several of your activities, and you've been a nice client, those other businesses might link to you as a reference. I'm guessing they would be very grateful for a review, and some are more than happy to provide a backlink to you as well. Like the lady who translated my brochures and contracts for international clients.
9. Community And Giving Back
You know, it's easy to make sure a site provides a nice backlink to your portfolio if you own the platform. Together with a colleague, I've created a directory for vendors in Europe from our specific niche. It's more of a community than an extra income stream (but it does bring in donations).
If you're up for it, there are options in volunteering. One of the most valuable things I do every year is contribute to the Make A Wedding Wish Foundation here in the Netherlands. They organise weddings for couples who experience a life-threatening condition. We, as vendors, help make it possible for them to create memories together despite the hardships. In the USA, there's a similar organisation called Wishing Well Foundation. In those days, I really felt like my work could make a difference. Afterwards, I found out that they also link to all the contributing vendors, so that's a nice extra.
10. Guerrilla Marketing Through Unsplash + Reverse Image Search
This one might be one of the more cheeky ones.
While I was researching wedding inspiration platforms, I noticed they often had to resort to not-so-relevant images when it comes to live painting (a more generic painter or an artistic rendering of a flower). Apparently, there were very few stock images available that feature painters with artworks of wedding scenes.
I didn't want to ask too much of professional photographers, but decided to start taking photos of myself with the paintings, with the help of a self-timer. People can now use my images as stock through Unsplash, and often they will link to at least my name (as I'm also the photographer).
One of the publications was on a bigger event planning blog. They had shared one of my images and linked to my Unsplash profile. There was also a bouquet photo, with me as the photographer in the credits (but I wasn't). I could provide help and value by emailing them with a friendly note who actually photographed that bouquet, so their credits made sense. It was only a small step to then request, if it's not too much trouble, if they could change the link to my own website, that would really help. And they did. Nice, juicy, and relevant backlink, right there.
But yes, if you put stock images out there, you don't really have control over how someone else uses them. I'm now also the face of an article about somebody with severe mental issues who paints as therapy.
Bonus: Consideration Of Blog Comments
There's a local wedding stationery design company that's very active in this. If you browse through sites from Dutch wedding professionals, more or less every blog that allows comments has one from them. They do make sure it's relevant and consists of a few positive sentences. This generates a sort of backlink, as you can often share your email and site if you leave a comment.
It's a bit of an outdated practice, and honestly, I don't know if I'd feel comfortable doing that myself. While I felt flattered at first, since they had said nice things about my work, that feeling went away quickly when I realised it was a consistent marketing strategy they used on everyone. But hey, it is a link.
What About You?
Do you have a fun, unexpected story about how you gained a backlink? Or wondering who's pointing to you now? You can use the (limited) Backlink Checker from Ahrefs for a quick idea, or, if you have Google Analytics set up, visit Links (left menu) > Top linking sites.
Renée van den Kerkhof is a live wedding painter and courtroom sketch artist from the Netherlands. She specialises in portraits that actually resemble the wedding couple, in a romantic and detailed style. She services couples (and their loved ones) across Europe. Renée is autistic, a dog mom, and lives with her partner in Dordrecht (near Rotterdam).
