Calligraphy

[tina]

I have read time and time again that calligraphy is a must-have for addressing invitations. I am very anti-calligraphy because I've really only seen BAD calligraphy on invites I've received. And, to me, bad calligraphy is just as bad as smacking labels from Office Max with Monotype Corsiva font on them. If I am going to invest in calligraphy, I am going to go balls out and get Laura Hooper and not some "friend of a friend." The problem is that it will cost me over $200 just to address my envelopes. I'm already designing my own invitations, so there's not a lot of room for me to "make up the cost" somewhere else. What do you think? Is Calligraphy a MUST? I am doing something very graphic (graphical, not X-rated) for my invites, so I was thinking that I could continue that to the envelopes with circle labels. Is that really bad? Should I shut up and just hire a calligrapher?

[AbbieO]

I think it would neat to do something different. Your circle idea sounds like it could be pretty cool. Go for it!

[Justine]

Personally I don't like most of the very formal, scripty, hard to read calligraphy that I've seen. I certainly don't think that calligraphy is a must but there are calligraphers out there who can do some more interesting fonts these days, like Pretty Pen Jen.

[tarakay827]

I really don't think that calligraphy is a must or really necessary. It is pretty and those who have devoured bridal magazines will notice the calligraphy. But then the envelope goes in the trash! I think something unique like a circle label that coordinates with your invite design would catch my eye more than standard calligraphy... it would be fresh.

[Ami @ Elizabeth Anne Designs]

i think you can go either way. people will notice the calligraphy if it's there but people won't notice it's missing (if that makes sense).

pro: i think if you put gorgeous handwriting inside very nice envelopes, people notice since it's literally the first thing that they see.

but that being said, no one is going to notice it's "missing" except for you! if the graphical design goes with your invites then go for it!

ps - i'm using laura hooper and i heart her.

[Kate]

I made my own wraparound labels for my save the dates (see blog here) - and I plan to do something similar for my invitations. In this day and age, I don't see a problem with it. Ultimately, I think it would depend on the style of your wedding. For instance, a more modern wedding may not be hurting for custom calligraphy (though in some cases it totally works), whereas a more traditional, feminine, elaborate wedding might look best with beautifully handwritten addresses. Again, in such a case, you could still create a label that meshed well with your scheme. I think it's simply a personal opinion - after all, it's your wedding.

[Broke-Ass Bride]

I'm having a guy who works at my local Kinkos do the calligraphy - he has the best handwriting ever, and he'll cost much less than a pro.

[Pandesaldreamer]

We did calligraphy for our wedding invitations. We were able to use Betsy Dunlap which I feel did an incredible job. Alot of our guests were swooned by their invitations so it made us feel happy that we made the splurge. I don't think calligraphy is a must. It's an extra added accessory to your invitations. If you are able to afford the calligraphy, then go for it! Whatever route you choose to address your invitations, I'm sure it'll be beautiful. Good luck!

[tina]

I *didn't* get calligraphy and I regret it. However, at the end of the day, no one commented about it, so I'm not worried about it. A lot of people commented on the envelopes, which were beautiful. My labels turned out OK, so I think that with the combination of the pretty envelope and the label, I still managed to turn some heads among my guests. Not to mention that I had a few returned in the mail and a few last minute invites, so I needed the ability to address them quickly and on my own.