Left Handed Calligrapher

Dallas Calligrapher

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Creating a Wedding Guest List

May 1, 2020

Design by Southern Fried Paper

Calligraphy envelope addressing is one of my very favorite activities. There is something special about sitting down to a stack of envelopes and carefully writing the names of the most important people in a couple’s life.

Creating a Guest List

Something I hear from couples after their invitation is designed and going to print, is that gathering the guest list is the most difficult part of getting married. I’m with you. How to narrow down who you invite based on venue space, budgets, or travel can be so difficult. I do have a few helpful tricks though.

First, Start Early! You are going to need a quantity count to order invitations, pick a venue, plan table arrangements and florals, ceremony seating and catering numbers. Pretty much everything you plan for a wedding will be based on your guest count numbers. So, my recommendation is to start putting your must have invitees into a list right away when you are excited for the planning process.

Second, Get Organized! A well thought out spreadsheet will make your life easier as you go through the wedding planning process. I have a free template on my website. My preference is to use the advanced tab so that the guest list can be organized by last name… and sorted anyway you please depending on the information needed. Always, have separate columns for the street address, city, state and zip codes. This will allow more flexibility for information processing. Also, your calligrapher will be thankful so they can layout your list as they like.

Next, Pester your friends and family. Gathering addresses from your friends and family can be a challenge. If you start early and get organized you will have enough time to have a completed list by the time you need to send out invitations. When you see them for dinner, double check their address (including zip code!). Text or call those you don’t see as often. A great time to do this is when you are talking about your engagement with them.

Finally, Send Save the Dates. I promise, I’m not trying to get you to spend your whole wedding budget on paper goods! Save the dates serve many functions. First, they communicate your wedding is happening and your guest should should check their calendars. It also communicates they are invited! The mailing also serves as a test run for the wedding invitations which are usually more expensive to mail. Here is where you find out if someone has moved, had a relationship change, the address is wrong. All the things that happen when dealing with a guest list. Then you have time to make corrections before sending out the actual wedding invitations that are a bit more time sensitive.

I do hope this advice helps you make a guest list with a little bit of ease. Next time, I will discuss a bit more regarding the etiquette of sending a formal invitation and how to address your guests.

Filed Under: calligraphy, Calligraphy invitations, party politely, Pretty Paper, real wedding, vendor love, Wonderous Weddings Leave a Comment

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Dallas Ballroom Wedding

March 20, 2019

Here is the thing about a Dallas ballroom wedding, you can seat hundreds of people comfortably and stylishly. This ballroom wedding was certainly stylish with this super cool bride and groom duo.

The Invitations

I worked with The Details Department and Emily Clarke Events to provide calligraphy for the invitation suite. all photography is by Sarah Kate. This suite featured foil, a custom crest and stunning calligraphy.  Again, a little bit of calligraphy and type combo really highlights the important items. Black and white wasn’t drab with a little accent of pink in this stationery.  I really like how the floral envelope liner was black and white and the envelope was blush. Also, how they used a black and white photo for their save the date design.

This show-stopper features my Flourished hand foiled on a black card. The lux design is a chic introduction to the celebration.

The Day Of – Dallas Ballroom Wedding

Day of calligraphy was a proud moment for me. The groom is a baseball player and the escort card display featured a home plate design. These little cards were made of white acrylic and have my flourished hand in black ink. I had to write very tiny and carefully to make this work, but I am so pleased with the outcome!

When the guests entered the ballroom at Union Station they were greeted by supreme hospitality. Each seat had its own cheese tray by Wolfgang Puck catering. And each tray had the guest name calligraphed in white ink with lots of flourishing.  One thing I love about a classic Dallas ballroom wedding is how magical everything feels when entering a room.

Each name was a mini piece of art and no one had to share their cheese and crackers. How yummy does that look?! You can only imagine how quickly that little appetizer cheese tray was eaten as soon as guests sit down.  I can almost never resist a cheese tray.  Much less a personalize one!

Filed Under: calligraphy, Calligraphy invitations, inspirational, Pretty Paper, published, real wedding, vendor love, Wonderous Weddings Leave a Comment

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Wyoming Prairie Wedding

February 20, 2019

This gorgeous Wyoming Prairie wedding is one for the books. I really love the escort card installation and floral art work by Momental Designs used throughout. And what a statement it made in the field.  The huckleberry touch was such a nice subtle theme throughout the art and design.

The Invitations

As usual, an introduction to an event is the invitation. I provided the calligraphy in my Sofia hand and the rest was designed by The Detail Department. This suite conveys the chic yet nature inspired feeling of the celebration. Sometimes, my favorite designs have just a little bit of calligraphy and type text to really let those names shine.  You can see the bride and grooms name are more of an art piece on the invitation this way.  Also, how fun are all the colors? Grey, teal, blush and soft white make this suite feel so joyful.

The Rehearsal Dinner

The first event of the weekend festivities was the rehearsal dinner. It looked so joyful and had plenty of calligraphy touches for this Wyoming Prairie wedding. I really like that this event was a bit more masculine to balance the romanticism of the wedding day. You can see their names make a little appearance here and there throughout the details along with details from the couple’s crest.

Of course, Emily loves a statement escort wall. She did this great bullseye display. The arrows featured guest names in my calligraphy.

The Wedding

Then it is time to get married! At the reception, wildflowers and berries were the theme. This wall greeted guests with a drink and a little huckleberry table number to indicate their seated table.

Artwork is by Momental Designs. Installation is by Emily Clarke Events. The Detail Department applies vinyl names to each glass and I wrote the little huckleberry table numbers.

This table design is so romantic. The florals and gorgeous BBJ table linens. Topped with Posh Couture tableware and finished off with a Momental Design menu. The leather napkin wrap was the place card. I calligraphed them using a brush script similar to what we used on their invitations.

I adore the signage on the getaway car. Custom logo plus calligraphy really elevated the fun and location appropriate vehicle.

Filed Under: calligraphy, Calligraphy invitations, inspirational, Pretty Paper, published, real wedding, vendor love, Wonderous Weddings Leave a Comment

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Custom calligraphy for Palm Beach Wedding

May 5, 2018

I provided this custom calligraphy for Palm Brach wedding to Ceci New York. It is so fun to see what happens to the calligraphy after I’ve done my part.

This design is joyful and exciting with the floral touches, green letterpress calligraphy and fun vintage stamps. The envelope addressing was finished using a custom green ink mixed to perfectly match the letterpress ink on the cards. I love it when the colors are matched so well. It feels seamless and attentive to the design.

No event is complete without matching menus and seating assignments in the same green calligraphy. The script was complete custom to the bride for her whole suite. For the bride who needs just a little extra to complete her vision.

Filed Under: calligraphy, Calligraphy invitations, inspirational, Pretty Paper, real wedding, vendor love, Wonderous Weddings Leave a Comment

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Spot Calligraphy

February 6, 2018

When I provide spot calligraphy for an invitation, it is always fun to see what the invitation designer creates. I’m completely smitten with this invitation by Ruby the Fox. It has it all: calligraphy, letterpress, a vintage floral liner and velvet ribbon. Check out her work! luxury calligrapher

This calligraphy was in my Sofia hand. It’s such a lovely mix of elegant and modern. Hope it is a popular one for this year!

Below are the gorgeous programs. I just love the vintage floral illustration with the spot calligraphy accents.

calligrapher for collaborations

Filed Under: calligraphy, Calligraphy invitations, inspirational, Pretty Paper, real wedding, vendor love, Wonderous Weddings Leave a Comment

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I am a calligrapher located in Plano, Texas embracing beautiful writing and the art of the handwritten note.

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