Hilton Head Island Map

What better way to welcome your out of town guests to your wedding weekend than with a custom map! This couple chose to create this adorable map with details on Hilton Head Island and provide it to all of their guests upon check-in at the hotel. The reverse side of the maps featured a message from the bride and groom as well as transportation details to the ceremony and reception site. The map was also used to create natural rope handle totes for the out of town guests.

The bride lives on the island, so you know all the map locations carry special meaning to the couple! They also chose a more playful calligraphy script, our own Ellington font. It looks great and showcases their fun attitudes!

An Emotional Map

One of our recent clients loved the idea of a Save-the-Date map, but wanted to do something different and more "emotional." We came up with the idea of a "life map" and the result was fantastic! You can see both the bride and groom's journeys growing up until they met in June of 2006. The map continues to their engagement and, ultimately, their 2009 wedding. It really is a great idea to showcase their most important accomplishments both as individuals as well as a couple. We were even able to incorporate interests and things they enjoy - such as oatmeal for the both of them! In addition to the adorable map, we are also creating custom Zazzle stamps with the icon of the campfire where they met!

This is a wonderful alternative to our standard map and we were happy to bring the bride's idea to life!

Spotlight on KK Bloom

KK Bloom, based in Austin, TX, specializes in luxury custom couture invitations, social stationary and printed materials for any celebration. As soon as designer Krystina Mayhew-Bloom, "KK," created an exquisite invitation line for her own wedding, recipients began calling in orders for special collections for their own upcoming events - in turn KK Bloom was born!



Krystina utilizes her years of design experience and eduation to create unique pieces to satisfy a myriad of clients in all realms of events. Featuring letterpress, foil stamping, embossing, engraving, offset, digital, thermography and more, KK Bloom strives to make each piece so very unique, and exquisitely crafted that it will become a treasured keepsake -

and we think they succeed!
When Krystina asked me to make a map for her new shoppe location, I could not refuse!

In addition, you can check out more of Krystina's work on her new blog!

Real Weddings -- Beavercreek, CO

Take a look at this amazing letter press invitation suite by Nessa Sander of Cardgirl. The bride and groom ordered their invitations, reply cards, itinerary with map on the reverse side, welcome cards for their welcome packages, escort cards and even personalized notecards for their thank yous - all in warm shades of brown and sepia. The "outdoorsy" look is exemplified through not only the custom invitation design, but also the shimmery brown envelopes and calligraphy in two different shades.

We created the artwork for the names and some other aspects of the invitation suite, and then sent the files to Nessa, who turned them into these gorgeous works of art!


Check out their adorable welcome boxes complete with a personal note as well as a larger color version of their custom map we printed for the bride - just perfect!



Guests found their seats using these escort card/envelope sets that were lined up on a table outside the reception.

Favor Tip: Maps as T-Shirts

We couldn't help but share this photo of one of our clients "modeling" their guest favor - a t-shirt with their wedding map featured on the back. We create maps for any destination, and every design can be screened onto t-shirts for a wonderful keepsake gift! Choose from a variety of colors and options. We LOVE dogs and weddings!!The shirts are available in a variety of brands to fit different budgets, from American Apparel to Fruit of the Loom, and are also available in many different colors to match your theme. Shirts are also available in multicolor prints.To save money, the couple elected not to put any logo on the front of the shirt, so the maps are only on the backs. That option is available though! We can also screen monograms and photos onto t-shirts and totes. These make wonderful favors for weddings, bridal showers, baby showers, birthdays and more!

Here's a look at the original map the t-shirt design came from. The calligraphy style on this map is copperplate.

Here's a view of the reverse side of the map, with the weekend itinerary.

UK Press

We are very excited and pleased to announce that Laura Hooper Calligraphy was recently featured in the UK Magazine "You and Your Wedding!" We have done work for many international weddings, but this is our first mention in an international magazine. The bride ordered a map from us and you can see her rave review under "Annie's Tips."

It was a joy to work on this project and we are so grateful to be included in the article and of course in the couple's special day!

And, thanks so much to my two current UK brides Lindsay and Laura who sent me hard copies of this fantastic magazine!!

Nominate Us!

Do you love reading Lucky Orchid Wedding? If so, please nominate us for the Wedding Channel's first ever blog awards! We've already received our first nomination, but we can receive unlimited nominations and the more we receive, the more likely it is we will be chosen for the finalists. Please follow the link to learn how nominate Lucky Orchid Wedding and thank you in advance!

Using your Maps

We've worked with two separate couples that have gotten married on Isla Mujeres, a small island off the coast of Mexico. We did a complete matching set for this couple including thank you cards with the adorable hotel icon that was threaded throughout their printed materials. They really made use of their map design, since once we had it all set they incorporated my icons into every aspect of their wedding, starting from the save the dates, all the way to the rehearsal dinner and wedding reception. The escort cards looked so sweet as did the table signs (which used icons, instead of numbers). Being a destination wedding, they included a weekend itinerary on the reverse side of their map (I just love all the tropical icons!), and also had a welcome bag for their guests featuring the monogram that we created for them. You can also see that they used their monogram for personalized stamps on their wedding invitations - it was a great way to tie everything together and use small touches to make their day special!

The invitation {also in the first photo above} featured our popular Ella Script style, and icons from the map, that was displayed on the cover. It was tied closed with a double-faced satin ribbon that we chose to match the color of the ocean in the map. Inside the map was an itinerary, the actual invitation wording, and an RSVP postcard.

The outer envelopes had the guest addresses in chocolate brown ink and Ella Script, and had fabulous stamps we ordered for the bride on Zazzle, that used the logo we initially created for the Save the Dates {below}.

The envelope liners for the Save the Dates were printed with the couple's logo pattern.
{Save the Date shown with our fabulous brass compass favors!}


The Save the Dates featured a stylized map of Mexico, with a few icons from our map, with an arrow pointing to the location of the Island. It included the wedding website of the couple and a note to remind their honored guests not to forget their passports!



The welcome itinerary was size 8x10" and was included in all the gift bags. The itineraries listed all the events for the entire "wedding week" and used all the same bright colors on the map.

Custom totes in fun, bright colors were created with the logo we created screen-printed on the front.

My personal favorite: Adorable tees with the maps printed on the back, and the logo on the left side of the front of the shirts. Each guest received a shirt in their welcome bags.

We even used icons at the Rehearsal Dinner! We created icons for every location {10 in all} of importance to the Bride and Groom, including where they live, where they were born, where they got engaged, and their Honeymoon destination. Each guest had a placecard with the icon of the location to match the table name cards. The back of the table card had a description of the location and why it was important to Sarah and Patrick.

At the Wedding Reception, tables were marked with our icons instead of numbers or table names. Each guest was given a shot glass and the bottom had a clear sticker with the icon for the table they were seated at the bottom, so once they downed their tequila, they would go to their seat. The signs were placed in the floral arrangements.


The couple elected to order thank you notes to match their set as well, with the little villa icon at the bottom and in the same style as their invitations and save the dates to complete the set.

In this case, working with Sarah and Patrick started almost a year in advance of the wedding, we met several times to discuss designs, style, colors, etc. and it was truly a pleasure to work with them!

Southern Wedding Contest Winner

I recently did a contest with Southern Weddings and this couple that won wanted to include three different states as well as DC. We were able to come up with this "all-inclusive" map, and the bride loved it:

"I wanted the first thing our guests would see about our wedding weekend to be reflective of Dan and me. We live in Maryland, but are getting married in Virginia. I grew up in Tennessee. That's why we included all three states (and Washington, DC, where I lived and worked when Dan and I met) on the map, along with our hometowns, the cities where we went to college and the places where we've shared fun dates, like Dollywood and Larriland Farms. I am sure that was a daunting request, but you more than surpassed expectation! We were engaged in Columbia, MD, where we now live, and our dog Chloe played a role in that, so we love that you were able to add her into all the amazing details that capture Maryland. What is most amazing, however, are the illustrations of our wedding and reception location in Virginia's Wine and Hunt Country. I only hope our wedding day looks as whimsical and charming in real life as it does highlighted on the map." --Patra S.

The map was not drawn to scale (most of my maps are not) and was used on totes and an enlarged print for the happy couple. We love knowing that our work can enhance the biggest day of a couple's life, and we look forward to continuing to map your wedding destinations!

Real Weddings: The Parker Palm Springs

Normally I would save this post for the following week but I just got these photos in my inbox from the wedding of Jeannie and John Lawlor, sister and brother in law of Michelle Beller at Mi Belle Inc. Photography and I just had to post them immediately.

The bride and groom were married at the Parker Palm Springs -- a fabulous hotel!

On this wedding I primarily worked with Michelle Beller, sis of the bride, on all the stationery items. I did talk to Jeannie as well and these are two of the sweetest gals!
I could not resist posting this pic of all the bridesmaid's shoes lined up in a row!

The groom's adorable pup Chauncy decorated all the tables in the form of Polaroid pictures. For escort cards/favors, Michelle had us do large folding cards which each couple's name and table number, and affixed a lotto ticket. At the bottom of each we had pre-printed "Hope you get lucky tonight!" as a funny quip. The escort cards are lined by real pink gumballs. Instead of the large chalkboards I've been doing, I suggested to Michelle we print a huge 22x30" sign to display the drinks and hors d'oeurves in the design to match the escort cards, place cards and menus.
The table signs were smaller versions of the huge cocktail hour sign and sat on the table in 5x7" tents.Small menus were tucked into the napkins at each place setting. Placecards indicated where each guest was to be seated. We did the wording of the placecards in different colors according to the entree choice: pink for lobster, brown for steak, and green for veggie.

Congrats to the Lawlors! For more pictures, be sure to visit Mi Belle's Blog!

Vendor Credits:

Flowers: Nico Designs Santa Barbara with help from Sydne Smith

Paper goods: Laura Hooper Calligraphy

Photography: Mi Belle Inc. Photography + Jessica Lewis Photography

Music: Rockrose

Day of Coordination: Nancy Williams of Fancy Nancy

Parker Coordination: Patty Gleeson

Dress: Vera Wang

Bride's Shoes: Christian Louboutin

Bridesmaids Dresses: Thread Social

Grooms Suite: J. Lindeberg

Grooms Vans: Hand made by Jason Stores

Hair + Make Up: The Studio Agency

Spotlight on Bella Weddings & Events

Recently, one of our favorite favorite coordinators, Susan White from Bella Weddings & Events approached us to contribute to a shoot for the Spring 2009 Bride and Bloom magazine. Bella Weddings & Events, founded by Susan and her friend Kathy Mazza in 2005, is a premier full service event coordination company, specializing in all phases of wedding coordination and event design.

{Calligraphy on the invitation was done in Parisian Script}


{Small signs were used for each of the favors, and our monogram was embroidered on handkerchiefs for the guests}

{The complete invitation set}

{A custom map we created of the Santa Monica area}



{A custom monogram was designed for the menus, and also used on the beautiful cake.}

Both women have an extensive background in event planning and wedding coordination and bring together their calm demeanors {essential for any busy bride} and attention to detail for a multitude of successful weddings and events. In addition to the Bride and Bloom "Beach Chic" spread, their weddings have been featured in notable magazines such as The Knot Southern California, Modern Brides, Wedding Style, and People amongst others.

Thank you to Susan and Kathy for thinking of us for the spread! All photos courtesy of the fabulous Mi Belle Inc.!

Maps -- Complete your Invitation Set

Here can you see how lovely one of our custom maps looks with its entire wedding invitation suite {invitations by Bella Figura}. Doesn't it look so cute on the refrigerator? This couple was getting married in the Virgin Islands and wanted a clean map {notice the type font versus calligraphy for the location titles}, but all of the images are, of course, hand drawn. I love how the bride wanted to convey the lush landscape of the Virgin Islands, and I think it turned out wonderfully. On the reverse side was the weekend itinerary with matching font and of course matching icons - the simplicity is adorably perfect! They loved the map so much that they opted to purchase an enlarged version to frame in their home {we offer this service for all map orders in two large sizes}.


You can also see that we send every order exquisitely {and carefully} packaged in our signature brown and blue paper for the final touch to all of our fabulous products!

Photos courtesy of Emilie Sommer, incidentally, she is also the bride!

Real Weddings: Sanddollars in Malibu!

I was thrilled to see the photos from a recent wedding in Malibu that we did the hand-painted sanddollars for. The bride, Erin, contacted us pretty close to the event date and I was happy to take on the small order of sanddollars for the place settings.

These are actual real sanddollars found on the beach that we use to create these adorable name cards, which in turn function as cute keepsakes from the event for guests to take home. The sanddollars were painted in blue to go with the beachy theme.

This beautiful event took place at the Malibu Beach Inn, right on the public beach!

The guests dined at these beautifully dressed tables on the terrace of the inn.

The other vendors who took part in this event were:

Wedding Dress ShareenVintage
Florist Maggie Jenson Design
Hair Patti Williams, The “I Do” Doo
Makeup Mark Payne

Thanks so much to Cat at Next Exit Photography for sending over these fantastic photos! For more on this event, check out the Next Exit Blog as well!

Platinum Weddings Sunday!

Great news! Our calligraphy will have it's debut on Platinum Weddings on WeTV this Sunday at 10pm, 9 central. The calligraphy was used for the adorable and tiny escort envelopes for the wedding of Daneris and Hector. The event was coordinated by Tina LaMorte of Oh So Fabulous located in New Jersey.

The calligraphy was done in ivory Bickham Swash Caps calligraphy on shimmery cinnamon colored escort envelopes. They were adorned with beautiful crystals at the wedding reception that took place last summer.


We are so excited to see the calligraphy on Platinum Weddings and hope you'll all tune in as well!

Calligraphy Beginner's Tips

I often receive inquiries about mastering the art of calligraphy, and while I can't share proprietary information on my ink, nibs and other materials, I would like to share some general information on how to get started with calligraphy.


The most important thing is finding the right pen and ink that works for you - it is a personal art and every hand is different. The best pen for you will depend on how heavily you hold it and press down. I tend to have a heavy hand, so I press really hard on my nibs (the part of the pen that comes into contact with the paper surface and deposits ink) and therefore need a firmer nib so the ink doesn't spill out on the paper. I use pens with interchangeable nibs because I have to change them often due to my volume of work. With more "wear and tear" the nibs go dull and start to not work effectively. They can catch on the paper and splatter the ink, or the ink will not flow as nicely onto the paper. If you find that your pen is catching and splattering and you are using a brand new nib, or that all the ink is running out onto the paper, you probably need a firmer nib!


The next step is finding the type of ink that best suits your writing style or the work you are doing. I don't like India ink because it tends to bleed a lot, and I also stay away from waterproof ink as it often clogs the nib and doesn't flow well. Windsor and Newton makes a good ink. Bottles run about $2-$10 each varying by brand. Sometimes you will put your pen to the paper and it will just bleed and bleed -- not a good look for your beautiful calligraphy. So what I like to do is put a few drops of Gum Arabic into the ink to thicken it up. The gum arabic makes the ink rise off the paper, rather than bleed into it and is very effective. You'll want a few types of inks because not all inks will work well with all papers.


I recommend ordering a Copperplate starter set online from Paper and Ink Arts {a source that is a fantastic resource for calligraphy supplies} and several different types {and colors even} of ink. The set comes with about 12 different nibs, so you can test them all out and see what works for you. Then you can order the individual tips you like best on their own once you figure it out. It’s all very subjective and experimentation is best to see what works and what you like and don’t like.

Good luck!

Join Our Mailing List

If you enjoy reading A Lucky Orchid Wedding, be sure you sign up for the Laura Hooper Calligraphy mailing list by clicking here. You can also find the easy signup information in the right colum of the blog.

You will receive information on calligraphy, our products and services, and even exclusive offers sent only to those on our mailing list! And don't worry, we will never sell or use your information for anything other than our occasional newletter and each one will always include a special offer {no more than once per month, and usually not even that frequent}, so sign up today before our next e-blast!

Please note that if you sign up, you can unsubscribe after your wedding very easily, and we do not sell this information to any outside firms.

Thermography Invitations - A Cost-Effective Alternative

One of our brides getting married in the Florida Keys wanted beautiful invitations, but didn't have the budget for formal letterpress. The solution? Thermography - a simple process used in conjunction with any conventional wet-ink printing press. The printed sheets coming off a press pass through a powder application, where resin is applied to the wet ink. The resin is then removed from all areas, except where it adheres to the wet ink. The paper is then heated {hence the "thermo"} causing the resin to melt and fuse to the ink. The substrate is then cooled, which finalizes the process.

The raised letters from a thermographed print are shinier than engraved characters {the look is similar, but it is not the same as Engraving}, so we played up this effect with a lovely shimmer paper. The hot orange and magenta were a perfect combination for the process and looked amazing on the shimmer paper - especially the custom designed flowers on the invitation. The invitation set was completed with another adorable map full of manatees, dolphins, an alligator and other destination icons. Also on shimmer paper, the map was flat printed, and backed in orange metallic paper to match the rest of the set.

While we love the look of letterpress, we also LOVE thermography! All the invitations on our site are available in any color combination and in letterpress or thermography. As a note, our pricing on two color thermography is a few hundred dollars less than the cost of one color letterpress, so it is more affordable, yet still gorgeous!

Tips to Preventing Identity Theft

As your big day approaches, it is easy to forget that someone could want to steal your identity and, ultimately, your funds. After all, you are giving your personal information and credit cards to vendors on a weekly or daily basis with all that goes into every aspect of wedding planning.

Meagan Ellis, Account Manager at Keland Partners gave us these great tips from Identity Truth, and we wanted to share them with all our readers:

- Definitively make the decision to either keep your maiden name or assume your spouse’s name – using both leaves room for error, as it would be difficult to keep track of where you’re using one versus the other.

- Keep marriage license and other personal documents locked in a safe and secure place. Make sure your SSN does not appear on the marriage license.

- Do not give out your social security number when planning a wedding, unless you’re securing a government document, e.g. passport, social security card. Give only the “minimum” amount of personal information to vendors.

- When applying for a new driver’s license request that something other than your SSN be used as a unique identifier.

- When changing the address on existing credit cards, speak with the credit card issuer, as some will presume this is fraud and automatically cancel the card.

- Closely monitor your credit report for new incidents/events perpetrated by somebody using your maiden name.

- Fill out a National Change of Address Form (NCOA) to have your mail forwarded to your new address.

- Decide how you will be filing for taxes (jointly or separately) and file early with the correct name

- Consider being proactive and signing-up for an identity protection service.

Your wedding and marriage should be the happiest time of your life. Keep these tips in mind so that identity theft can't spoil your wedding!

Follow us on Twitter!

In other new and exciting news, Laura Hooper Calligraphy finally took the plunge and signed up for Twitter! If you'd like to follow us on Twitter for daily updates, just click here! Hope to see you there and happy Tweet-ing!

Television Debut

We were very excited to hear from Maria Cooke at Ritzy Bee that our work was used in a wedding feature May 13th on the Washington, D.C. FOX morning news special "Wedding Wednesdays." The piece focused on tips to meet your budget and our items were used to enhance the decor. The set made good use of our adorable signage including phrases such as "Nuts for each other" in Camden Script "She saw him She loved him She got him" in Upright Script and "Something Blue" in Ella Script.You can also see our placecards craftily tucked into the napkin setting at the tables.

You can watch the entire piece here and many thanks to Maria for thinking of us and using our work!

Also, Stay tuned for details on our second television appearance later this month on Platinum Weddings!