Live Calligraphy Offers Wedding Guests a Pretty and Personalized Experience
Written by Nerissa Bona Israel, owner of Nerissa B. Modern Calligraphy
The “lost art” of calligraphy is far from lost. Thanks in large part to Instagram and other visual social media, you will likely find calligraphy—and calligraphers—far more easily than you would have 10+ years ago. (Finding doesn’t necessarily mean easier to book, but that’s a separate discussion. Hooray for the growing interest/demand for hand lettered art!)
As weddings have evolved over the years, so have the ways in which you can incorporate a calligrapher into your big day. It’s not just about addressing envelopes and escort/place cards anymore. Less than 10 years ago, using mirrors for seating charts and welcome signs seemed like a novel idea; now, they’re a popular request every year, with no signs of slowing down.
So…what’s next for wedding calligraphy? Live calligraphy—aka on-site calligraphy.
THE FUN OF LIVE CALLIGRAPHY
Live entertainment continues to be an area to level up the guest experience at events, especially weddings. Increasingly, fine art has been added to events as a form of entertainment (e.g., live painting).
If you’ve been to a department store, beverage depot, convention, or corporate event in recent years, odds are good you’ve come across a calligrapher doing on-site personalization of items for clients and guests. Live calligraphy is fun to watch, especially when it’s being done for yourself—any calligrapher will likely tell you that a most popular request of us is, “Can you write my name?” I personally love interacting with guests and feeling their anticipation when I write for them. Live calligraphy brings a special energy to an event.
Why not bring that energy to your wedding, as well as leave your guests with a custom keepsake from the activity? Which brings us to our next point…
PERSONALIZED AND ELEVATED WEDDING FAVORS
There seems to be a lot of chatter lately about whether to do wedding favors. If you’re in favor of them (pun intended), giving your guests something personalized in beautiful, handwritten calligraphy helps ensure they’ll want to take it home at the end of the night.
A rule about favors in general is to choose something practical. It applies with live calligraphy, too. You don’t need to pick an out-of-the ordinary item to make an impression, because beautiful personalization is “the thing” here.
Here are just a few favorite choices for on-site calligraphy items:
Luggage tags
Travel cases
Water bottles or tumblers
Scented candles
Ornaments
Tote bags
Wine bottles, small or full size
A VARIETY OF METHODS
The item being personalized often dictates how it gets personalized. Below are the most common methods at live events:
Calligraphy
A pen dipped in ink is the first image that most people think of with calligraphy. It’s classic and lovely to watch for that “long time ago” vibe. It’s a great choice for paper, like gift tags or notebooks. Alternatives to dip pen & ink are paint pens, brush markers, and paint (especially for fabric). Whichever of these you choose, calligraphy will give you the most options for color, in case that is an important detail for you.
Engraving
Do you have some pretty little wine bottles or candles to give? Glass is a great surface for hand engraving. With engraving, a calligrapher writes with a small drill to leave a lasting impression (pun intended, again) on the surface. The impression can be filled in with color (gold and silver are most common, though there are other options), or it can be left as is. Metal surfaces can also be engraved, but are noisier to do—so if you really want engraved tumblers for your guests, you may want to keep your calligrapher in a lower traffic area.
Foiling or heat embossing
A lot like engraving, but the impression is made with a heated pen. This is perfect for leather or leather-like surfaces. Metallic foil can be applied to the surface for an elegant and eye-catching result; you can skip the foil for “blind” embossing as well, which is no less stately. In this calligrapher’s opinion, travel-themed items (like luggage tags, passport holders, and travel cases) beg for the luxury of personalized embossing.
Woodburning
This is essentially heat embossing, but on wood, and much hotter. Good favor options for this include coasters, wood ornaments, and mini charcuterie boards.
THINGS TO CONSIDER
To ensure the best possible live calligraphy for your big day, here are a few important things to keep in mind when working with your calligrapher:
Ask guests to keep customizations simple—first name or initials will do. Calligraphers don’t want to keep your guests away from the dance floor any more than you do.
Speaking of the dance floor, how close to the action will your calligrapher be? If you want guests to be near the live calligraphy and dancing, consider foiling over engraving. As mentioned earlier, engraving makes some noise, and some materials are louder than others.
Compatibility between the item and calligraphy method is of utmost importance. If you have your heart set on a particular item, let your calligrapher know so they use the best methods and tools for it. Better yet, provide a few extras so your calligrapher can do test samples.
Once you’ve decided you want live calligraphy, book your calligrapher as soon as possible. Due to the continued popularity of on-site calligraphy in retail, calligraphers are booked for on-sites throughout the year. For December and the weeks prior to Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day, and Father’s Day, they’re often booked much earlier.
About Nerissa B. Modern Calligraphy
Nerissa is a professional calligrapher with a lifelong love of pretty letters and established her business in 2017. She has provided live calligraphy for many notable clients, including Prada, Burberry, Tiffany & Co., Bloomingdale’s, and Lyric Opera of Chicago.
For more info about calligraphy services, contact Nerissa at Nerissa B. Modern Calligraphy.