It was our pleasure to work with Kate of Lovely Paperie & Gifts on the design and printing of her own wedding stationery. Kate and Christopher chose Sarah Hanna’s lettering as the centerpiece of their hand calligraphy wedding invitations, using our Annalise design to set the tone for their winter wedding. They used a romantic palette of tawny matte foil with whisper pink highlights and personalized their envelope liner with a sweet adage in hand calligraphy.
foil stamping: tawny matte | hand calligraphy: nautilus style | paper: bella cotton white 2-ply | round corners | edge painting: whisper | envelope: bella cotton white | liner: custom classic color pattern in whisper | Lovely Paperie & Gifts | customization #29218
Our Leigha Spring design was the inspiration for Cherisse and Raymond’s rose wedding invitations. Our friends at di’zain loft limited worked with the couple to make some changes to the design – like adding Sarah Hanna’s hand calligraphy, changing the motif to a rose from our library and using tawny matte foil to highlight their cards and envelope liner. They used a well known Scottish phrase on their thank you cards, wishing their guests a long and healthy life.
letterpress ink: espresso | foil stamping: tawny matte | font: moravia | hand calligraphy: napa style | paper: bella cotton white 2-ply + 1-ply | envelope: bella cotton white | foil stamped liner: sullivan stripe pattern in tawny matte | di’zain loft limited | customization #28520
We printed these gold foil calligraphy invitations for Emily and Alexander’s winter wedding in Delray Beach, Florida. They worked with our friends at Nota Bene to customize our Eleanor design, choosing gold matte foil to highlight Elizabeth Hardin’s calligraphy and accenting with a palette of cerulean and papaya inks on the vintage envelope liners.
foil stamping: gold matte | paper: bella smooth cotton 2-ply + 1-ply | edge painting: papaya | envelope: bella cotton white | liners: vintage world map in papaya (save the date) and cerulean (invitation) | Nota Bene | customization #28476 + #29277
Whether you’d like your letterpress invitations to feature a few thoughtfully positioned lines of hand calligraphy or you’re dreaming of an invite that’s overflowing with line after line of hand lettering, it’s important to try and envision which calligraphy style is right for the type of wedding you’re planning. We work with a lot of amazingly skilled calligraphers here (some with several very distinct styles), and with so many different styles to choose from it can be a little intimidating trying to pick one calligraphy style for your invitations. So close your eyes for a second – what’s your wedding looking like in your head? Because you’ll most likely want your invitations to capture the mood you’re planning for the big day.
Beach Weddings
Kelle McCarter not only hand illustrated the seashells and beachy floral motifs on her Makri design – she also hand calligraphed the bride and groom’s names and their duogram in her flirty and fun Mulberry style hand calligraphy. “The expressive flourishes of this calligraphy style were designed to mimic the movement and soft swirls of ocean waves while retaining a reserved elegance,” says Kelle.
Vintage-inspired Weddings
“Heatherly is inspired by the romantic Victorian era with its heavily brocaded window coverings and beautiful flourished wall papers,” says calligraphy and designer Debi Zeinert. “The bride who loves Heatherly loves lavender, lace, scones and fancy buttons!” Debi’s Natalia style hand calligraphy is sweetly refined and lady-like and the perfect finishing touch for any vintage-inspired wedding.
Urban/Modern Weddings
When Kyle Laatsch was designing Sweet Christine he knew from the start that Nicole Black’s Mitty Caps style hand calligraphy was a must have. “Mitty Caps works really well with Sweet Christine as a modern calligraphy style because it has fluidity and movement, crisp lines and is legible,” says Nicole. “It’s a hearty script that won’t get lost in the amazing design and deep letterpress impression. Mitty Caps and Sweet Christine play off each others strengths to be a perfect match.” We couldn’t agree more.
Destination Weddings
If you’re planning to celebrate your wedding in a tropical paradise or other exotic locale, consider sending invitations that set the stage for what’s to come. Courtney Jentzen’s Tulum design is full of island-inspired illustrations (like pineapples and flamingos!) that are complimented by Patricia Mumau’s Murdock hand calligraphy style. “In creating Murdock I opted to use graphite as part of the styling to make it down to earth and accessible,” says Patricia. “Pencil has a free and fresh feel – a perfect tone for natural styled events. It pairs great with Tulum.”
Formal Weddings
Jessica Tierney’s Viviette design exudes dramatic elegance, while the addition of Sarah Hanna’s Victoria style calligraphy adds a classic formality to the design. “Great design, like marriage, is about balance,” says Sarah. “Jessica’s vision for strong, crisp lines paired with ornate calligraphy does a beautiful balancing act. The flourishes add warmth and volume while the block text and architectural lines maintain structure.”
Rustic Weddings
Meryl is rustic but not overly so – it works for barn weddings, backyard weddings, vineyard weddings and just about any gathering that is meant to feel comfortable and welcoming. Elizabeth Hardin’s Carlisle hand calligraphy compliments the casual warmth of this design by adding a touch of approachable elegance. “The Carlisle hand is thick and bold, but the loops and flourishes help it to maintain a soft and feminine tone,” says Elizabeth. “The vine detail mixed throughout the lettering helps to give it that organic feel.”
Whatever kind of wedding you’ve got planned, there’s a calligraphy style that works beautifully for it. But of course there really are no hard and fast rules here. Ultimately, if you have your heart set on one style of calligraphy more than the other then you should go with your gut and choose the one you like best. We’re here to help, too – contact us to chat about your wedding and together we’ll find the hand lettering style that perfectly compliments your style. Our blog is a great resource, too!
These stylish letterpress engagement party invitations were mailed to guests celebrating with Blair and Murphy. Sarah Hanna’s Annalise design in cobalt letterpress is formal yet welcoming for this Newport Beach soirée.
letterpress ink: cobalt | hand calligraphy: nautilus style | paper: bella cotton white 2-ply | Where’s the Party | customization #28983
Ashley and John sent their guests these romantic calligraphy wedding invitations welcoming them to their Maryland wedding this past summer. Sarah Hanna’s Honoured style hand calligraphy is especially formal in this vertical orientation, and the blind debossed border (from our collection) is a charming addition. A vintage print envelope liner and pointed flap envelope added to the sweet elegance of this lovely set.
letterpress inks: fawn + blind deboss (no ink): font: garamond | hand calligraphy: honoured style | paper: bella cotton 2-ply + 1-ply | envelope: bella cotton white | envelope liner: rose 11 pattern | The Dandelion Patch | customization #27229
With a few simple changes Emily and Edward customized our Oberon design for their summertime wedding, leaving behind the art deco inspiration but keeping the simple elegance. They opted out of the blind debossed pattern on the invitation but kept the hand calligraphy and chose our Pearse pattern as an accent on their accessory cards.
letterpress ink: black | foil stamping: tawny matte | font: geneva + brandon | hand calligraphy: callaway style | paper: bella cotton white 1-ply + 2-ply | foil edging: tawny matte | customization #27923
Debi Zeinert’s Copperplate style lettering is the focal point of these classically elegant calligraphy wedding invitations. Jillian and Michael chose black letterpress and gold shine foil on our ivory cotton paper for their wedding at Tappan Hill Mansion. Debi created a custom duogram for the couple and they incorporated it throughout their suite, including on the brunch card and thank you card.
letterpress ink: black | foil stamping: gold shine | paper: bella cotton ivory 1-ply + 2-ply | foil edging: gold shine | customization #26308
For their calligraphy wedding invitations, Megan and Todd chose one of our handdrawn motifs to accompany Nicole Black’s hand lettering. The motif was carried throughout their suite in different sizes – on the invitation encircling their calligraphed monogram, framing the weekend events card and even as tiny accents on the reply card.
letterpress inks: charcoal + chartreuse | font: gill | paper: bella cotton white 1-ply + 2-ply | hand calligraphy; mitty style | edge painting: chartreuse | envelope liner: classic color pattern in chartreuse | envelope: bella cotton white | Magnificent Milestones | customization #26270
Danielle and James customized our Credence calligraphy wedding invitations by using a popular wedding verse penned by calligrapher Debi Zeinert. Their palette of french vanilla and navy letterpress inks subtly complimented their Nashville venue while the same colors accented the edges of their cards and the envelope liner.
letterpress inks: french vanilla + navy | font: jubilant | paper: bella cotton 1-ply + 2-ply ivory | edge painting: navy | hand calligraphy: natalia style | envelope: bella cotton ivory | envelope liner: classic color pattern in french vanilla | Ink Nashville | customization #26675
Our Belperron calligraphy wedding wedding invitations by Kelle McCarter were featured in the Fall / Winter 2015 issue of Weddings in Houston! Belperron’s classic black letterpress printing fit in beautifully with the “couture in contrast” feature, which paired dramatic blacks with winter whites. Many thanks to Weddings in Houston for the feature – be sure to pick up a copy today!
By making some layout and language changes to our Simple Charms design, Kara and Kyle created classically modern calligraphy wedding invitations with on-trend accents like hand calligraphy, hand illustrations and a city skyline. Their color palette of gray and gold was clean and contemporary, highlighting their beautifully calligraphed names.
letterpress ink: pewter | foil stamping: gold matte | paper: bella cotton white 1-ply + 2-ply | foil edging: gold matte | hand calligraphy accents: paisley style | Smudge Designs | customization #26094