Alright y’all, we’re getting fancy over here.
I have been doing lots of wedding planning this month- gotta take advantage of my time in Charlotte– and decided I would take on a fun, new project. I know the saying is that “the invitation sets the tone for your wedding” and is obviously the first thing the guests will see (other than the save-the-date, of course!). Now, I love some pretty paper goods don’t get me wrong, but I don’t plan on breaking the bank on invitations. Most of them get thrown away or stored in a box somewhere, right? So to create my personal first impression, I’ve decided to learn… calligraphy!
Yes, the envelope will probably get thrown away too, but I love pretty handwriting and I think it really gives a special touch to the overall presentation of the invitation. Plus, I may even write out my own escort cards or table numbers… we’ll just have to see how it goes!
Professional calligraphy can be upwards of $2 per envelope. Ummm… no thank you!
I’ve always had pretty good handwriting so I’m excited to take on this challenging and super tedious task! Obvisouly this isn’t just something that I’m doing for the wedding, but something I can use throughout life to add a little something special to my snail mail.
I looked at several starter kits and decided to go with “The Lettered Bride” kit from Ashley Lurcott. It includes a pen holder, 2 nibs (the metal pointy things that you write with), ink, an instruction booklet, and practice paper. I’ve only practiced twice so far, but I think I’m doing alright for a first timer. One thing I have encountered is that if you put too much pressure on your pen while doing an upstroke, it tends to just splatter all over the place.
The kit came with an instruction booklet, but I also wanted to take a class to get some detailed instruction. My friend Logan, being the awesome MOH that she is, found Scarlet + Gold on Instagram and saw that they have FREE online calligraphy webinars a few times a year! Yes, please!! I’ll be doing mine next Sunday so hopefully I’ll learn some good techniques and tips to keep me from messing up. All I know is, when it comes time for invites, extra envelopes are a must!!
Has anyone ever tried calligraphy? Did your invitations turn out nicely or was it a complete nightmare? I’d love to hear your stories 🙂
Yours looks SO GOOD friend!!! You've totally got me sold on the kit/class!
wow it already looks amazing! mine would have been a HOT MESS if I would have attempted this! you go girl!
Ok I've never tried calligraphy but I have horrible handwriting to begin with so I don't know how well it would work for me… You'll have to let me know how it goes for you! I'm definitely interested in that webinar!
<3, Pamela
Sequins & Sea Breezes
I wanted to do my own envelopes in calligraphy after miserably failing at one – I hired a professional LOL! Can't wait to hear how your session goes! xo, Biana –BlovedBoston
I've never tried calligraphy, but it is gorgeous! I very briefly thought about it for my invitations but the time to sent them out cam so quickly I didn't have time to learn.
I would love to do this one day!! You're already off to a great start – can't wait to see how your invites turn out! I'm sure they're going to be fabulous!
You are doing an amazing job! I practiced for weeks when I first got engaged, but I just wasn't getting the hang of it. Luckily, I went to a bridal show and won free calligraphy for 300 envelopes, I almost cried!
Thanks for linking up with us today!
Way to go! I bought a kit but it wasn't that great and I never really gave it a true try! I may have to get this one!
xo Southern Style
Looks AMAZING! We did not use calligraphy on our invites because my husbands mom has gorgeous handwriting so we just had her do that but I think it owuld be so cool to learn!
http://www.amemoryofus.com
I hope this turns out well for you. I saw how expensive calligraphers were as well, and it's shocking although a lot of work does go into them writing out all those envelopes. I hope it all works out for you; it looks like you're doing well so far.
For ours, we got our invitations from Minted, and it came with free addressing so I went with it and never looked back. However, we had a couple of addresses that I wasn't sure of at the time, and I wrote those myself. I just looked up calligraphy fonts online, and did my best to recreate them with a sharpie (haha), and I have to admit they turned out pretty niceley.
Girl, that is awesome! I wish I had taken the time to learn this for my wedding, but I ended up hiring someone. Looks like you're doing a great job so far!
I wanted to learn, but was cutting too close to actual mailing time so I went ahead and wrote out my invitations myself in the best hand writing of life! I also wrote out the place cards. I was satisfied with saving a little there and I felt like it gave a personal touch. My husband loves the way they came out!
Wow, your calligraphy looks amazing!! I totally took a short cut and used calligraphy pens when I learned for my wedding invites. I'm so happy I did it, though. Thanks for linking up with us this week!
I just ordered a calligraphy kit and I'm anxious for it to arrive in the mail!! Will definitely check out the free calligraphy online classes. Thanks for the recommendation 🙂 p.s. what color is on your nails?! I love it!
Wow go you! My mom did a pretty good job after teaching herself for my invitations. You save a fortune with the DIY for sure!
What an awesome idea! I've never thought of trying out a kit, maybe that'll help me all around with my handwriting 😛
I did the same thing last year! I took an online class and really enjoyed it! I was not paying $2 an envelope! I did our placecards, too. I got a little stressed out because I would put a lot of pressure on myself to make them perfect and then make a lot of splatter. It's actually on my blog post tomorrow as something I want to start working on again! Have fun! xoxo
So fun! I got a set from Design Roots but wanted to watch a video to see if I was using the pen right. Thanks so much for the free webinar info!
This Side of Paradise
thissideofparadiseblog@gmail.com
You go girl! Taking a calligraphy class is on my fun to-do list actually. I have terrible handwriting but I just want to try it! Good for you for trying it out.
Meghan,
Southern Belle Secrets
I love anything that was written in calligraphy especially wedding invitations! It's on my to-do list to take a class! Xo, Stephanie
It looks like you're off to a great start! Thanks so much for the mentions! xoxo, Ashley @ theletteredbride.com
I think calligraphy is extremely classy! I hope everything turned out beautifully! How fun!! 🙂