The Charm of Hand-lettered Calligraphy

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As a calligrapher, I am constantly asked, “What is the difference between hand-written calligraphy and computer generated calligraphy?” I am asked so often I thought it necessary to address it here on my blog. Much of the difference comes down to price; hand lettered calligraphy is of course more costly. You are paying a person to sit down for hours and rewrite your guest list in elaborate flourishing calligraphy styles. It looks amazing, and when your guests receive their invitation they will know that they were special to you. Hand-written calligraphy makes it obvious to your friends and family that they mattered to you enough to pay someone to write their names and addresses out by hand, the traditional way. It is often a painstaking process to shape each letter and flourish, and get it right.

Much like the difference between computerized invitations and letterpress, again you are paying for an artisan to hand craft each invitation or envelope individually. When you receive an invitation in the mail, and it has your name written in graceful curving flourishes, it sets a tone of elegance for your wedding, whereas when you receive an envelope in the mail, with a label hastily slapped on, this also sends a message to your guests. There is a cost difference, but factor calligraphy into your budget before you go to the invitation store. Set a budget for your invitations AND a separate budget for calligraphy.

Maybe you feel like you are a modern bride and the traditional look of calligraphy is not for you. I disagree, only because I have seen some pretty amazing calligraphy styles out there, and many of them are modern and fresh. I offer over 25 styles, and many of them are more fun than traditional. For example, Ella, Cezanne, Carpenter, and Parisian are all very cute styles, and all are in the two lower price tiers that I offer.



You can easily research calligraphers online. Just be sure of the quality of their work no matter what before sending them your envelopes by requesting photos or physical samples. So many times clients spend a fortune on their invitations, only to turn around and paste on a computerized address label, or run the envelopes through the printer {smudges...yuck!!}, and the results are always disappointing. It’s not so much about the money, as it is about the beauty of the handwritten scripts, the flourishes, and seeing a new style for the first time. Hand-lettered calligraphy truly does set the tone for the entire theme of your impending nuptials. It is the very first impression your guests will get of your wedding....so make it a good one!

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