If you have never done calligraphy in your life, then I
wouldn't recommend trying to get good at it in time to send out your wedding
invitations. Calligraphy is a skill that takes practice (over years) to fully
master.
If you've dabbled in calligraphy (like I have) and developed
a decent hand as a result, then it may be worth it to save some bank and pull
out those old fountain pens you have stored in the attic.
Some, err, tips for those who want to print their own
wedding invitations in calligraphy.
Select an alphabet that looks nice but will also be easy for
you to print by hand. Some of the ones with more complicated capital letters
may look very formal and impressive, but if you just can't get the caps right,
then it's not going to be worth the extra effort.
Buy extra envelopes and table cards so you can get lots of
practice in. No doubt, you'll want to bone up on your calligraphy writing
before actually starting the invitations. But remember that sometimes it can be
difficult to make the pen work on different weights of paper. So DO use the
actual envelopes (and the actual names and addresses of your guests) to conduct
a few practice-runs before the final set.
Don't go too crazy with the calligraphy. We thought the
hand-penned guest addresses looked great for our wedding, but we didn't see a
need for calligraphy on the return address. For that, we used clear, stick-on
return address labels. We put them on the back of the envelope, along with a
gold seal sticker, so they wouldn't detract from the clean presentation on the
front. We also didn't bother doing calligraphy on our actual invitations. Can you imagine hand-printing the same message 50 to 100 times? Seems unnecessary, when there are so many great printed fonts to choose from.
Don't mail out your invitations on a week when rain is in
the forecast. It's difficult to find waterproof calligraphy ink (you can
probably order it online, but I think it's also more expensive). Also,
supposedly the waterproof ink clogs up the pen and is difficult to write with.
(If you do try it, come back and leave a comment as to how this worked out for
you.)
Use a real calligraphy pen – not one of those magic markers with the squared off nib.
I've seen the difference, and it's huge. Also stick with one of those barrel
pens that you can screw the nib off and insert a fresh
ink cartridge as needed. I'm sure that a true calligraphy expert is probably a
whiz with the fountain pen that dips directly into the ink... but if you're
reading this, then you're probably more of a novice, like I am. So go for the
less drippy option.
Change the nib size
as needed. It will take some practice runs before you figure out what the
optimal size lettering will be for your wedding envelopes. You'll want your
pen's nib to be the correct size to make those letters – obviously, the smaller
the print, the narrower the pen's nib should be.
Print your table
cards well in advance. Don't wait for the RSVPs to come back, as things are
going to get confusing figuring out who's sitting at which table. You can just
put each guest's name on their own card, and if a person ends up not able to
come, you can just set aside his or her card. This is also helpful for guests
who end up changing their no's to yeses at the last minute (yeah, this happens,
especially with old folks who may be prone to illness).
Get outside feedback
on how they look. Sometimes it's helpful to step back from an intensive
project and get a fresh perspective. Your family and friends will be able to
tell you honestly if it's worth continuing with your wedding invitation
calligraphy project, or if you should toss in the towel and get a
calligraphy pro to take
over.
Best of luck, and happy wedding to you!!
