There is so much more to wedding calligraphy than paper! If you happen to have the bonnet of an old Mini in your garage, I would love to write on it for you! Writing calligraphy on any creative and exciting project is the very best part of my job.
As a wedding calligrapher I’ve written on glass, slate, and all kinds of wooden surfaces.
Slate is a favourite for Cumbria and Lake District weddings, and works beautifully with white calligraphy ink. The images below were from Claire and Sam’s wedding at Askham Hall, which was featured on Martha Stewart Weddings.
I’m a huge believer in wedding signage. It’s a quirky little touch which can:
- personalise your wedding day
- add a touch of cheeky humour
- provide essential information for your guests – it’s always useful to know where the loos are!
Calligraphy wedding signs – your options
Think about your wedding venue. Will it be rustic and cosy, or full of history, or chic and elegant? Will it be bright and airy (a clear sided marquee, for example) or will the light be dimmer – perhaps candle light or fairy lights in a teepee?
Choose your signage to suit your venue, but make sure it will be easy for all of your guests to read.
Contrast is key: white inks on dark surfaces; dark inks on white. This is especially important in romantic lighting!
Barn weddings lend themselves to wooden calligraphy signage.
There are often wooden beams or sills in a barn wedding venue, so wooden signs fit in beautifully.
You could have a wooden welcome sign outside your wedding barn, and cute directional signs hung inside.
Perhaps an order of the day in the entranceway would be useful, and look lovely?
Slate wedding signs in Cumbria
Up here in the Lake District we have some gorgeous old stone wedding venues, places with history and stories to tell.
Here slate comes into its own, bringing the unmistakeable vibe of the mountains to your wedding venue.
Find a big enough slate and we can use it for anything: your wedding timeline, menus or table plan.
Perhaps smaller slates could have your table name signs, and the smallest slivers of slate make lovely place names for wedding tables.
Slate isn’t as smooth to write on as it might look, so we recommend sourcing your slates from Honister Slate Mine in Cumbria.
Elegant modern calligraphy signs for your wedding
For city chic weddings, mirror calligraphy is timeless and looks amazing if you have a large mirror to use as your seating plan.
I’ve written on mirrors of all sizes – I even have one on the wall of my studio which I practice on from time to time!
The loveliest mirror I’ve had the pleasure to write on – many times! – is the garden gate mirror from Narrative Event Hire in Kendal. It’s a beauty.
Wooden surfaces also work well for a modern, sleek wedding look.
Other surfaces for alternative wedding calligraphy signage
Don’t be afraid to experiment and to ask if I can write on things for you!
I can write on glass, wood, stone and slate.
Natural surfaces are fun to experiment with.
Fabrics are a challenge I love: linen or muslin make lovely backdrops, and denim is a dream to write on!
I avoid plastic – it’s not sustainable and inks don’t adhere well to plastic.
My wedding calligraphy bucket list
I would love to write on all of these for a wedding!
If you have anything on this list and you’d love calligraphy for it, drop me a message today!
- Champagne bottles engraved in gold lettering
- The bonnet of a vintage Mini for a table plan
- Denim jackets for your besties to wear
- A gorgeous old wooden window frame seating plan
- An old wooden boat with your names on the side!
- Guitars, violins and other instruments for wedding calligraphy signs
- Driftwood