If you’re sending paper invitations for your wedding, you’ll have fun searching high and low for a design you love. There’s so much choice with shapes, designs, folds and tactile papers. And so many websites from the likes of the utterly gorgeous Loom Weddings, Zazzle and Papier, to letterpress brands like The Wren Press and Piccolo Press. After hours of consideration and careful choice of your wedding invitations, will you put any thought into how your envelopes look? After all, they’re what your guests will see first, when your invitations land on their doorsteps. You can make them equally as beautiful as the invites inside by hiring an experienced calligrapher to address them for you.
Here’s how to choose the perfect calligrapher to write envelopes to delight your guests!
Look for examples of envelope calligraphy
First, browse the web for ideas. There’s so much calligraphy out there! Do you love how hand written envelopes look? If you’re overwhelmed by the choices you see, create a Pinterest board of calligraphy ideas. Figure out what would work with your invitations and wedding colour palette. As you search, keep an eye on where the calligraphers you love are based. You’ll realise calligraphers have very different styles, so don’t rush to hire the first one you find!
Find a calligrapher near you (ie in your country)
Wedding envelope calligraphy is almost an essential in the US, where invitations are sent with an inner and outer envelope. In the UK it’s very much an optional extra, loved by stationery fans and for classic or modern weddings. You’ll find thousands of experienced wedding calligraphers in the States, and only a handful in the UK. Don’t worry about finding a calligrapher in your town or county: it’s more important to research and book a wedding calligrapher whose style you love. Most calligraphers work nationwide and have a secure process for shipping invitations and envelopes with a reputable courier.
I have an account with Royal Mail and send all standard orders via their Tracked 24 and Tracked 48 services. International deliveries are always sent via Royal Mail’s Tracked services. For large packages or rush orders I use DPD. After 20 years of shipping calligraphy worldwide, I’ve found these services to be consistently reliable and quick.
“Everyone has remarked on how beautiful your calligraphy is so a huge thank you from me for making our wedding invitations so special!” ~ Niamh, February 2025
Choose a calligraphy style you love
There are good and bad calligraphers, and there are experienced and new wedding calligraphers. Very modern calligraphy can be wonderful because of its imperfections, and so style-wise, you might prefer someone new to the industry. Ultra modern calligraphy is quirky and fun, and full of character. Meanwhile, timeless calligraphy adds elegance to your wedding stationery, with care and perfection being more important. Learn which style you love but do make sure it is legible (so your guests and the postie can read it!).
I offer a range of modern and traditional calligraphy styles, and have a strong background in traditional calligraphy. I use a range of nibs for different styles, and not just the trendy beginners nibs (although these are great for some styles). Some nibs are much more suitable than others for particular envelopes, or for longer or shorter addresses. Less experienced calligraphers will often stick to just one nib for everything.
Seek out reviews for the calligrapher you’ve chosen
Sites like Trustpilot and Feefo charge very high fees for businesses to have accounts, so look elsewhere for calligrapher reviews. They’ll be shared mostly on their websites and on social media (instagram, facebook) platforms. If they have an Etsy shop, that can be a great source for reviews of their customer service, response rate and friendly, helpful attitude. A calligrapher with few reviews may be new on the scene, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing – but my advice would be to be cautious hiring a calligrapher without a proven track record.
I have a page of reviews for my calligraphy services (for wedding calligraphy, poems, family trees and modern calligraphy workshops) on my website. These are all genuine customer reviews, some sent by email, but many shared on social media and through the platforms where I sell my calligraphy (Not On The High St and Etsy).
Send an enquiry about your envelope calligraphy
When you’ve found someone whose calligraphy style you love, who’s in your country, and who has good reviews online, reach out. See how quickly they respond, and if they sound friendly, helpful and knowledgeable. Communication’s really important, so they should answer your questions and offer all the information you need on processes (for example, how to send your envelopes and list of addresses). If you feel like you’re fumbling in the dark and they’re not explaining things properly, this should be a red flag. A good calligrapher will appreciate that wedding planning’s often stressful – and their goal should be to make ordering calligraphy an enjoyable and stress free experience.
I try to explain all of my processes on my website, but it’s always lovely to have a conversation with customers about their calligraphy order. I am always happy to help if you have questions! If you would like a little more information, there are examples of calligraphy envelopes on this page of my website, as well as some notes on etiquette, tips for posting wedding invitations and common mistakes couples make when sending out their wedding invites.
Check your calligrapher’s prices
The price range for wedding invitations is huge. From huge corporate printers they can be cheap as chips (and beware, because you do get what you pay for!). Letterpress invitations and independent designers will charge more, because of the craftsmanship and skill involved. Calligraphy is a skill and takes years of experience, time and patience. Prices generally start from around £4 per envelope to cover the time it takes for a professional calligrapher to write them for you. You can often find prices in a calligrapher’s Etsy shop if they have one. I have a calligraphy price list on my website.
You should expect to pay around £4 per envelope in calligraphy. I’ve seen calligraphers on Etsy charging way less for envelope addressing, who must be earning below minimum wage for their work. This doesn’t seem fair – unless they’re rushing through a dozen envelopes an hour to make enough money (which isn’t ideal from a customer’s point of view – especially if the envelopes are for wedding invitations). Even a calligrapher just starting out and doing this in their spare time after work should charge a price which is fair to you AND to themselves. If they’re really cheap, ask yourself if their price is too good to be true.
Talk about your specific envelopes
It’s important to know what kind of envelopes can be used for calligraphy. The ideal envelopes are made from high quality paper, and are smooth. White, ivory or pale envelopes can be cheaper to have written in calligraphy if they are unlined. If your envelopes are a dark colour, or if they have an inner lining, the process for calligraphy takes a little more time, so the price may be higher.
Handmade papers such as cotton rag papers or seed papers should be checked with your calligrapher first. Allow plenty of time if you’re using either of these. The fibres of the envelope can catch in a calligraphy nib, and in some cases the ink can ‘bleed’ into the paper, meaning these envelopes may not be suitable for calligraphy. (A good test can be writing on them with a fountain pen or felt tip before you contact a calligrapher.) As a novice calligrapher twenty years ago, I would agree to write on any envelope – now I know it’s important to test to give YOU the beautiful results you expect. Exceeding expectations is always my aim!
Good envelopes for calligraphy:
- Envelopes from Letterpress printers
- Smooth, thick paper envelopes
- Light coloured envelopes
- Envelopes with a pale tissue liner
- Dark coloured envelopes or dark liners (lovely to write on; requires an extra process for your calligrapher)
Challenging envelopes for calligraphy:
- Handmade paper envelopes
- Seed paper envelopes
- Super thin envelopes (any that crease easily, often from big corporate printers, or envelopes websites). Please don’t buy your wedding envelopes from Amazon!
- Really cheap envelopes (see above, also from stores like The Range, The Works etc.)
- Laminated or glossy envelopes
Find out turnaround times for your wedding envelopes
I’ve been writing calligraphy for 20 years, and can address around 40 – 5o envelopes a day. Last minute orders for wedding envelope calligraphy are always welcome, but if you need your envelopes in a hurry the best thing is to send an email enquiry to check turnaround times. Some calligraphers have very busy periods, or young families or other jobs – so always check how soon your order can be written.
An experienced calligrapher will know how long an order will take to write, how long the ink will take to dry, and how long delivery back to you will take. I give my customers an accurate timeline so they know when I’m writing their calligraphy, and when it will be despatched. A less experienced calligrapher might set unrealistic expectations, agree to a timeline they can’t achieve, or keep you waiting without communicating. That’s why hiring someone with experience is so important.
Ask your calligrapher any burning questions!
It’s important you feel you can ask everything you need to know about your wedding calligraphy. You might ask if they can match an ink colour on your invitations. (My answer would be yes – I mix my own calligraphy inks in my home studio, including soft and vibrant colours, and even metallics.)
Perhaps you’re wondering if the post office can read calligraphy! The answer is yes – but post codes have to be written without flourishes so they can be read by the machines in sorting offices!
