Chapter 18
Ten Ways to Use Your Calligraphy for Weddings
In This Chapter
Designing wedding invitations, announcements, and programs
Lettering items for the reception
Creating marriage certificates, guest books, and thank you notes
One of the most popular uses for calligraphy is for weddings. Over the years I have had several students enroll in my classes solely to learn how to do calligraphy for their weddings. Calligraphy really adds an elegant and personal touch to a wedding and can be used on almost any paper product you use for a wedding, from invitations and envelopes to programs, menus, and more.
Whether you’re interested because you are getting married yourself or you’re thinking about doing wedding calligraphy for others, this chapter should give you enough informa-tion to get started in the right direction. Plus, because the most popular lettering styles for weddings are Italic (and variations of it such as scroll and flourished), Blackletter/Old English, and Copperplate, you need only flip to Chapters 6, 8, and 13, respectively to discover how to draw these alphabets.
Doing calligraphy for weddings can be quite a lucrative way to make money with your calligraphy. People are always getting married, and they all want their weddings to be special. If you want to check out more ways to make money with calligraphy, see Chapter 20.
The Invitation
The invitation is the first thing that comes to most people’s minds when they think about doing calligraphy for a wedding. Although it’s certainly a very important item, the invitation by itself is not the most challenging part of doing calligraphy for a wedding. The reason is simple, you usually only have to do one “master” invitation which will be reproduced by a commercial printer. You don’t have to do each of the invitations by hand.
Nevertheless, you do need to follow some tips to be sure your invitation is up to snuff:
The design and wording of the invitation must be absolutely flawless. You cannot afford to have any glitches here. Make certain that the wording, spelling, and punctuation meets all the rules of etiquette that apply.
Make certain that your calligraphy is the best that you can do.
Create a great design. When you design the invitation, you can follow the traditional form. You can even do a little research and see how commercially produced invitations are designed and follow that format. However, one of the exciting things about a hand-lettered invitation is that it can be unique. It does not have to look like a commercially produced invitation at all.
Find a unique focus. One of the things that a calligrapher can do, that you can’t find in a commercially produced invitation, is produce a design based on a wedding theme. For example, if the theme of the wedding is the uniting of two families of different cultures or faiths, this theme can be represented in the design of the invitation by incorporating symbols of the two cultures or faiths.
Think about the “look” not the words first. When you’re designing an invitation, the temptation is to think of the wording first and then think about how the words can be arranged. A better way to approach this, is to think of the overall “look” of the invitation first. After you have worked out a good design that you are pleased with, you can think about the actual words used on the invitation.
Even if there is not a theme, per se, every wedding has a style that can be reflected in the style of the invitation. Is the wedding formal? Informal? What are the colors that the members of the wedding party will be wearing? The answers to these questions will tell you something about the style that should be reflected in the design of the invitation.
A wedding theme can be shown through a border design, an illuminated letter, or a subtle background image. The border does not have to go around all four sides of the text; it can be a single bar down one side or at the top and bottom. You can be very creative.
Feel free to use color. If you want to use colors on the invitation, that’s possible too. You may have to hand-tint each invitation after it has been printed, but that’s not especially difficult if you use watercolor colored pencils. These pencils look and work just like regular colored pencils except you can go over the color with a wet brush, and they turn into watercolor paint! They are especially useful whenever you want complete control of where the color goes and how much water you want to use. After all, you can’t flood the invitations with water. You’ll have to use a very delicate touch with the wet brush.
Whenever you are creating a master that will be reproduced, you can always work larger than the final copy will be. Working larger makes it much easier, corrections are easier, and you can use correction fluid, too.
When you work larger, just make certain that the proportions are exactly the same. You may want to get a proportional scale which will make the measurement conversions simple and easy — and with no mistakes. Proportional scales are cheap and available at stores that sell commercial artist’s materials.
When you have created a master that’s ready to go to the printer, you have some choices about how it will be printed. The invitation can be printed flat by a photo-offset process or with raised letters by thermography. Even though your master should be done in black ink on white paper, you can select different colors for the ink and paper. Both photo-offset printing and thermography are less expensive then engraved invitations.
The Outer Envelope, Inner Envelope, and Reception Card
Now comes the challenging part of doing calligraphy for a wedding! The reception card will require another master and will be printed in the same manner as the invitation, but the two envelopes must be done entirely by hand. If the mailing list is long, this can be a truly challenging task.
Before a final choice is made for the paper and envelopes, you should test them to see how your pens will perform. You don’t want to order envelopes and discover after you receive them that your pen will not work on the paper. Ask the printer for a sample that you can write on.
You should give careful thought to exactly how you are going to address the envelopes. What style lettering will you use? Will there be any flourishes or embellishments? What size pen will you use? Will the left margin of the address be vertical or slanted?
In considering the style of lettering for the envelopes, remember that the style of the lettering should be the same as style used on the invitation. For example, you do not want an invitation that’s done in Copperplate (Chapter 13) sent in an envelope addressed in Italic (Chapter 6).
One point that you really need to consider is that an address with many flourishes or embellishments will not be difficult if you have only a small number of envelopes to address, but a lot of embellishments can become overwhelming if there are many names and addresses.
It is completely acceptable to use a fountain pen for addressing these envelopes, and that is what most professional calligraphers will use for this job. You do not have to use a dip pen because of the large number that has to be done. Because fountain pen ink is not waterproof and there is the possibility that the address might become smudged in the mail, it is important that you spray the outside envelope with a clear protective coating. A couple of very light coats of spray will do the job.
Sometimes you can use a template with dark guide lines that you can slip inside the envelope. You can use this method only if your are able to see the guide lines well enough through the paper to write the address on the outside. I usually draw a box with lines for the recipient’s address.
If the paper of the envelope is too thick or too dark or has a liner so you are unable to see a template that is inserted inside, you will have to make a stencil which you lay on top of the envelope.
Make the stencil from heavy card-stock, and make cut-outs in it for the lines of the address. Lay the stencil on the envelope and draw pencil lines very lightly. Then letter the address. When the ink is dry, you can use a white eraser to erase the pencil lines. The white eraser will remove the pencil lines cleanly without scuffing the paper or the calligraphy.
Ideally, the sender’s address will be printed on the flap of the outside envelope. If you are also doing the sender’s address by hand, you may want to use different size nibs for the two addresses if you think it will look good.
Announcements
In addition to the invitation, many people send out wedding announcements. The announcement announces the marriage but does not invite the person to the wedding.
Announcements are used when the wedding ceremony is small with only a few invited guests or there are a number of friends and relatives who live at a distance and would be unable to attend. This is sometimes the case when a couple decides to have their wedding in some romantic and exotic location.
Announcements are another thing that can be done in calligraphy. Like the invitation, a master is done with black ink on white paper and is reproduced by a printer in whatever color is desirable.
The one thing that you can try to do with the design of the announcement that is not necessarily part of designing the invitation is to communicate a sense of the place where the wedding will take place. For example a small sketch of the church where the wedding will be held can be used, or, if a wedding will take place somewhere like Hawaii, the design of the announcement may incorporate examples of local flora from the area. This is something unique that can be incorporated into the design only when it’s custom-designed.
Monograms
Monograms are very popular. They can be used on any of the paper items from envelopes to napkins. The monogram is something that is both personal and is also full of stylistic effect.
Check out Chapter 17 for more on how to design a monogram.
The monogram can be any series of initials. It can be one, two, three or more letters. A standard joined monogram would have the surname in the center with the bride’s and groom’s first initials on either side.
The monogram can be designed so that the letters appear to be woven together. This can be done by making flourishes that tie the letters together. Monograms like this usually require a lot of work to develop.
Monograms can be printed, but they can also be embossed. Although embossing can be expensive if done commercially, embossing can actually be done pretty simply by hand. There are numerous books available which explain the simple process of embossing by hand. If this is something you would like to try, do a little research and try a few experiments to see if, indeed, this is something you want to do.
Program or Order of Service
Many people like to have a program the ushers can give to the guests who attend the ceremony. This is another opportunity where you can use calligraphy.
The program can be a single sheet with a title on one side and the actual program listed on the other side. Figure 18-1 shows an example of a wedding program.
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Figure 18-1: A wedding program. |
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Placecards, Table Numbers, and Favor Tags
At the reception you can find more things that can be done in calligraphy. These include the placecards, the table numbers, and the favor tags.
The favor tags can be commercially reproduced from a master that you design, but the place cards and table numbers will all have to be done individually by hand.
When place cards are done in calligraphy, they will add such a personal touch of elegance that many guests will want to take their cards home with them after the reception.
Menus
If a meal is served at the reception, the menu can be done in calligraphy. This menu should reflect the style or theme of the wedding.
One thing to keep in mind is a menu should always be simple and easy to read. It may have a monogram design but it is best to steer away from flourishes and embellishments on the menu. A menu is definitely not the place to show off your flourishes. Keep the menu simple and elegant.
Some of the older guests may have vision problems. Keep them in mind when you are designing the menu. You want to make certain that the letters are large enough and clear enough to be read easily by everyone while still maintaining the style of the wedding. If all the other calligraphy was extremely fancy and some of the letters could be confused with other letters, you may want to make some small modifications in the letters to make ceratin they are clearly legible.
There may also be a bar menu that you may do in calligraphy. The same rules for legibility are true for this menu as well.
A Marriage Certificate
Some people feel that wedding certificates are outdated. Not many couples have wedding certificates today. I think that’s probably because the certificates that are available commercially are so unattractive, impersonal, and, for lack of a better word, hokey. The artist/calligrapher, however, can create something that will truly be a beautiful, treasured keepsake.
It’s a Jewish tradition for the couple to receive a marriage contract called a ketubah. The Quakers have a similar tradition. These works of folk art have become treasured family heirlooms handed down from generation to generation. There are calligraphers today who specialize in doing ketubah.
If you do a marriage certificate, do a little research and look at some of the examples from history. Then look for some contemporary versions either in books or on the Internet. Use this research to develop your own ideas. Strive to create something that follows the tradition but is definitely contemporary in its design.
An excellent place to go to see examples is the Calligraphy WebRing on the Internet. The address is www.studioarts.net/calligring.
The first part of the text of a marriage certificate can be a couple’s wedding vows, favorite poem, or a verse. The second part would have the names, the date, and the location of the event. Finally, there are customarily spaces for the bride, groom, officiant, and witnesses to sign at the church or reception.
The custom-designed wedding certificate can be more than just a certificate that is lettered in fancy calligraphy. It can incorporate art, painting, and design which will reflect the style or theme of the wedding. When it comes to doing a wedding certificate, you should design something that will truly be a beautiful and treasured keepsake of the event.
A Wedding Guest Book
Wedding guest books are also something that have become a little passé. Many people today prefer to have the guests sign a photograph of the couple. The photograph is normally displayed at the wedding and is put in a large mat for all the guests to sign.
Nevertheless, if a wedding book is something that the couple wants, the book can be inscribed in calligraphy.
Many people who are interested in calligraphy are also interested in bookbinding. If you have this knowledge and skill, you can even create a handmade guest book. That way you could design everything from the cover to the pages. Such a book could be a true work of art.
Thank You Notes
Although the bride must write the thank you notes by hand, the note paper and envelopes can be custom-designed. The use of a monogram is certainly appropriate here. Also, if there was any kind of border design used on the invitation, that same design can be repeated on the thank you note stationery.
Again, a master is made with black ink on white paper which is taken to a printer and reproduced in quantity.
Speaking of thanks . . . a person I want to thank for her help in gathering the information on weddings is my daughter-in-law, Linda Bennett, who is a wedding consultant in Poughkeepsie, New York.