You can choose from different calligraphy styles for your wedding. These can be traditional or modern, flourished or playful.
When choosing the look you want for your invites or envelope addressing, consider your colour theme and what other items you’ll be having on the day (wedding signage or table menus, for example). This can help you to decide which calligraphy style to choose.
I offer six styles of wedding calligraphy, which you can see below. All of these are 100% hand written with a nib and dippy ink pot.
I’ve written some envelopes in each of these styles so you can see how they look in real life.
This popular style is easy to read, looks neat and has a personal touch to make envelopes special. Capital letters have curves without looking over the top, and smaller letters sit neatly on the lines.
My personal favourite is the most fun to write: flourished calligraphy has extra swirls on capital letters and is written with the finest calligraphy nib. Names are a little harder to read, but on envelopes the key details such as numbers, post codes and house names are always kept unflourished so the postie knows where to find your guests!
Copperplate is a more formal style, and in demand by couples looking for classic calligraphy on wedding invitations and envelopes. It’s nice and legible, with a timeless feel to the letters.
The playful look is in! Lots of modern calligraphers include this style in their portfolios: it’s really popular and will make your envelopes stand out from the crowd!
This alternative modern calligraphy style is great for longer addresses on envelopes, as it’s very compact. The cross strokes on the letter ‘t’ have a wonderful swoosh to them, and letters are sleek and just a little curvy.
Lovely handwriting works beautifully on my wedding place names, which have done ever so well in my Etsy shop. The flow of the letters is key, with some slipping below the line. This gives a wonderful ‘handwritten’ look, and is playful and informal in style.
Find out how to hire me to write your wedding envelopes in calligraphy, or see prices for envelope addressing here.
You can also email me (calligrapherclaire@gmail.com) with any questions at all. I’ll be happy to help!