Hannah Sickles is a talented, spunky artist who loves plaid, daisies and Extra Toasty Cheez-Its (just learned that fun fact this week 🙂 ). She’ll letter on anything and she’s always got an inspiring quote or witty pun to include. She can also make some pretty awesome watercolor portraits and can probably turn anything into a decal or sticker. She’s the owner of Dainty Daisy Designs and she’s guest blogging today to talk about how hand lettering and weddings go together. She’s also part of my JFP team and I’ve so very much enjoyed getting to know her over the past six months. Thanks for contributing today, Hannah! 

Hannah with her dog Milly. She loves dogs, too. 🙂

Congrats, you’re engaged! What an exciting time! Now you’re preparing and planning for that special day. If incorporating hand lettering & calligraphy into your wedding is something you’re interested in, keep reading! I’ll be providing some reasons why you should and how you can incorporate these special touches into your big day.

Planning your wedding can be so much fun, and being able to use your creativity and imagination to bring an entire day together is one of the best feelings. From picking the actual day to sending out the thank you cards, there’s a lot to be done. And you and your fiancé are responsible for getting it together.

From the day you became engaged (or even before), you’re thinking about the colors, the theme, and all of the tiny details in between. This day is completely personalized to you and your fiancé’s styles. To add an even more personalized touch to your day, think about hiring a professional calligrapher to help with some of those tiny details, like designing your stationery, addressing and sending out your invitation suites, and even designing your cake toppers, day-of details and, of course, some personalized gifts with your new last name. *happy dance*

BEFORE THE WEDDING: PLANNING

First of all, you’ll want to find a calligrapher that has the same sense of style as you and your fiancé. Do your research, because each artist has their own set of styles. If you want all these details to remain consistent and equally as beautiful, I’d recommend going with professionals. This is what they do and are happy to provide the service for your big day. As much as you’d like to DIY your invitations and learn the art of Calligraphy in this amount of time, you’re busy people. Why not hand that off to artists who do it as their job and take the pressure off of yourself!?

Once you have found the perfect calligrapher, the next step is to get into the fun stuff!

Save-The-Dates, Invitation Suites & Envelope Addressing 

Provide some inspiring pictures from your Instagram, Pinterest or any other resource to your calligrapher. This will help him/her find your style and provide a design that you will be happy with. When I design save-the-dates and invitation suites, I like to provide my clients with two concepts to choose from and I allow at least two revisions.

Typically, calligraphy isn’t used on the entire invitation, but spot calligraphy is very popular. This is the use of calligraphy for important information like your names, the date or location. You should also think about having your calligrapher address your envelopes. This adds such a personal touch and will WOW your guests when they receive them! To keep things even more consistent, think about having your calligrapher design the menu, escort cards, ceremony program…really any stationery can be custom designed to fit your style.

AT THE WEDDING: DAY-OF DETAILS

Day-of details are just as important as your stationery. A lot of times, calligraphers and hand lettering artists are able to work with many types of mediums such as wood, glass and acrylic. Now with the new age of technology even creating acrylic cake toppers with beautiful script is possible!

Some details that you can commission a calligrapher to do are:

Seating Charts: Get creative with this or allow your calligrapher to. There’s a ton of inspiration on Pinterest, but some of my favorite seating charts are made on mirrors, old windows and chalkboards!

Ceremony Signs: This can include a three cord knot sign, unplugged wedding sign, here comes the bride sign for the ring bearer or flower girl to carry, direction signs, reserved seating signs, etc.

Other signs to consider: Welcome signs, table numbers, Mr. & Mrs. chair signs, bar signs, gift & card signs.

THANK YOU CARDS & HOME DECOR: AFTER THE WEDDING

The day has come and gone and now you’re left with lots of gifts, love and the person you’re spending the rest of your life with. But now you have to take care of the thank you cards. That’s another piece of stationery you can have your calligrapher design for you! Also, think about having your calligrapher make some keepsake items to remember the special day, such as: having your vows calligraphed on canvases to hang above your bed, maybe a wood sign with your shared last name and wedding date, or even Mr. & Mrs. mugs!

THINGS TO REMEMBER

Be sure when you’re finding your calligraphy artist that they are reliable, have enough experience that you’re not worried to hand over these important tasks to them, and can achieve these things in the required time. Most calligraphers have a turn around time of about 2-8 weeks depending on the complexity of projects. I recommend securing your calligrapher in the first stages of planning because they can book up quickly during the wedding season!

When choosing your calligrapher, make sure to get a sample of their work and ask for lots of pictures that way you know what to expect in the final piece. When I’m working on projects for clients, I like to provide pictures of the sketches or beginning stages of the design to make sure I’m on the same page as them. For even more precautions, feel free to ask your calligrapher for a list of references and additional portfolio work.

Also, when you place your order, confirm with your calligrapher how they want your information formatted. Most of the time, when working with envelope addressing, calligraphers will ask for a spreadsheet with separate information in each column: names, address line, city, state and zip code. Be sure all of the information is spelled correctly because the artist won’t know the correct spelling unless you provide that for them.

Finally, ASK QUESTIONS! Seriously, your calligrapher will not mind answering any questions you have. Schedule meetings with them, exchange phone numbers, etc. Make a personal connection with this person because they are going to be a huge part in your day!

Hopefully this information is helpful when planning your wedding! Having a calligrapher help with your stationery, signage and other small details can take some of the stress of planning so that you’re able to enjoy every moment.

Thanks a million for sharing, Hannah! I’m excited to see what new things you’ll create in 2018! 

If you’re looking to connect with Hannah about your wedding day details, find her on Facebook and Instagram and give her a shout!