What a Calligrapher Can Add To Your Wedding Day
-By, Charlotte Rosales Owner of CalliRosa
Anyone who has searched “wedding” on Pinterest, has seen all the welcome signs, table numbers, and other calligraphied wedding decor. But, other than adding another pretty and pin-worthy thing to your wedding day – what can calligraphy (and more importantly: an actual calligrapher) do for you and your wedding? Today on the blog, Charlotte of CalliRosa talks about the importance of a calligrapher in your wedding planning.
Calligraphy helps to set the mood
I love weddings. Not because they are pretty – though they are. I love them because no wedding is the same. Every wedding is unique because I truly believe each love story – your love story – is unique. Every detail on your wedding day, from venue to catering: it says something about the people you are as a couple. It says something about the love story you have lived up to that day. 
As a calligrapher, I don’t just write pretty letters. Calligraphy to me is a perfect hybrid between form and function. Whatever I create, it is super important to me to make sure that my work fits in with the rest of the wedding vision. So that it communicates what needs to be communicated.
Is your wedding intimate and informal? Maybe you want that Gatsby, Roaring Twenties feel, with everybody showing up in black tie? Calligraphy can play a big part in communicating these different feels. I offer 2 distinct scripts, a formal script, and an informal, more whimsical script. From there we make other decisions such as the colors and overall design.
With calligraphy, you can weave personal touches into your wedding day – from lyrics to your favorite song, to a bible verse, or a hobby the two of you share. One of my favorites of this personal touch was Maddie and Matt’s wedding day. Their table numbers were named after destinations they had traveled to together! 
Calligraphy puts value on your guests
If you have ever received a piece of snail mail, you know it makes you feel valued and special. Someone took the time to write your name and address on the envelope and write you a letter. If this is what a ballpoint-written envelope did with you, just imagine receiving a wedding invite in an envelope with specially written calligraphy.
I do a lot of envelope calligraphy – and with reason. It is quite literally the first thing your guests see of your wedding day. How do you want your guests to feel when they get that first glimpse into your wedding vision? Let’s create excitement – have that envelope really stand out from the bills and other junk your guests receive every day! Let’s make sure they feel loved, and know that you truly want them to celebrate your love with you. (“BY THE WAY, IF YOU BOOK THIS PACKAGE WITH TOUCH OF WHIMSY, ENVELOPE CALLIGRAPHY IS INCLUDED” 
On the wedding day, a way to make your guests feel special is through your seating arrangement. I have written an article discussing if you need a seating arrangement at your wedding. For example, if you decided on having one, consider doing place cards for your guests. Seeing their name written in calligraphy, right at their designated seat, reiterates you value their presence on this important day.
The last example I’ll touch on, is a table sign I did last year for Adriana and Andrew’s wedding. They honored some of their loved ones who couldn’t make it with an “in loving memory” dedication on their guestbook table. It was a touching gesture, that I feel privileged to have been a part of.
You also get an advisor on wedding etiquette
When I design wedding invitations for my clients, I always go over proper wedding etiquette with them -, especially in formal weddings. Wording on wedding invitations is very intricate, and most people have no experience with this.
Not only do I design, but I also help with the wording – making sure it is right for what they want to convey. For example: do Mom and Dad pay for the wedding, and do they want/need to be named on the invitation, how do you communicate an adults-only wedding? I help them navigate all these tricky questions, and sometimes tricky family dynamics. I tell them how Miss Manners would handle it, and when it might be better to ignore the rule book for a second. 
Not only in the invitation is this important, but also in envelope addressing and place cards. Did you know that you use Miss only for girls under 18? And how do you address your aunt, who is a doctor, when your uncle is not? Does he still come first on the envelope? How do you indicate someone’s kids are welcome as well? On a regular basis, I help my couples navigate these kinds of questions – and it all comes free with my calligraphy services.
It is one less thing for you to worry about
When I got married in 2016, I was doing it all. In the middle of graduating from my Bachelor’s, I planned my wedding and DIYed all the decor. I even made my own favors and boutonnieres! I burned the midnight oil gluing, spray painting and assembling. Honestly – if I had to do it all over again, I would outsource at least half of these things, if not all. 
Especially my invitations were a headache – I couldn’t find any design that truly fit our wedding vision. This was way before I had any of the skills I have now, so I decided to create them myself. In Microsoft Word (ay ay ay!). I spent many frustrating hours getting the alignment and layout just right. I didn’t know what I was doing – and how could I? This was my first (and only) wedding!
Very likely, for you this is your first (and only) wedding, and you have never had any experience with planning such a big event. Why stress yourself out with the steep learning curve, and spoil the fun of wedding planning?
Shorten your long to-do list by hiring a calligrapher to take care of some of your design and/or production work. You won’t have to spend 2 hours researching the wording on your invitation (and still don’t know if it is correct). Or sift through thousands of generic invitation designs, that don’t convey what your wedding day is all about. Or spend hours on Pinterest to figure out how to make recreate that one wedding sign you liked. Let a calligrapher do the leg work for you! 
Final words
No two love stories are the same. As a calligrapher and invitation designer, I feel incredibly priviledged to get an intimate look into someone’s love story and create ways to showcase their love to the world. Ultimately – that is what your wedding day is all about – declaring your love to your sweetheart, and celebrating it with your loved ones! I’d love to help you tell your love story!
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