10/4/21

Finding a Wedding Calligrapher

Vetting a calligrapher for your wedding can seem overwhelming. There are so many options available especially in today’s age with the added social media benefit. It can be fun to poke around Pinterest and Instagram, but if you’re having a hard time being decisive; let me help you navigate this big wedding world! Here are a few steps to take while you’re searching for your precise calligrapher for your wedding.

Start Simple
Get to know your style. Take a day or two to write a list of things that you like about a wedding. Think about weddings you’ve attended or items you’ve come across on Pinterest. Specific flowers you like, colors, venues, lace/satin, indoor or outdoor venue… Learn if you’d like a more romantic/whimsical vibe or a minimalist/bohemian vibe.

Build Your Theme
From there, create a list of things you and your partner enjoy as a couple. Start to envision if you’d like to incorporate your commonalities in your wedding. Is there a place you traveled to together that’s extremely special to you? Where was your first date? An annual tradition? Perhaps there’s a symbol that’s meaningful, like a specific bird or childhood poem/song that you might want to incorporate. What’s symbolic to you as a couple?

Additionally, in this step start to form your stationery budget. Calligraphers come with a wide range of experience, talent, and pricing. Make sure you know your budget prior to finding your calligrapher. This will make the process much smoother (emotionally and financially) as you’re locating the calligrapher that’s best for you. I like to provide my clients with my custom design fee upfront so that you know if that fits into your budget prior to all of the accoutrements. (More on pricing in a future blog post!)

Instagram, Pinterest, Google, Oh My!
If you already have a wedding planner, they will automatically have lists of calligraphers, florists, photographers, DJs, etc. If you don’t plan on working with a wedding planner, that’s a-ok. You can still find the calligrapher of your dreams! Start by going to your venue’s Instagram page. Look through their photographs and the photos they’ve been tagged in. By doing this, you can scroll through other weddings they’ve hosted and see other vendors who’ve worked with them. Another option to start with is to type keywords into Instagram, Pinterest, or even Google. Use words that associate with your vision and attach your location. Looking in your area through Google can be even more fruitful as it will list out specific businesses that you can cross reference on Instagram or Pinterest. The more knowledge you have, the easier it will be to make a decision.

Consultations with Calligraphers
Once you know your theme and how you want it to fit into your style, it’s SUPER helpful for you and your calligrapher. Bringing examples of your vision will help to determine if you and your calligrapher would work well together. Always ask to see examples of their work (unless shown on a website or Instagram). There are also many styles of calligraphy script; make sure you get examples of their specific calligraphic style(s) to ensure it will match your vision. Set up a few 

consultations during this process—you’re not committed until you sign the dotted line.

Typically, when I start the consultation process with my couples,(before they commit) I like to get an idea of their vision. I ask a lot of questions to glean as much information from you as possible. After I have a pretty good idea, I draft up my own vision board. For me, this helps you to see what’s going on in my head. Once you receive that, you likely have a pretty good idea if we would work well together (or not) to achieve your desired look. 

The best advice I have for couples is to know your vision first before you start on your quest for a calligrapher. Knowing exactly what you want puts you in the prime spot to clearly locate the perfect calligrapher. With so many options out there, having the confidence in your vision will make it much less stressful to pinpoint the calligrapher that will carry out your dreams…