to use or not to use a calligrapher?

JaniV123

My mom has a co worker that does calligraphy and she asked him if I may be able to see some of his work in order to maybe have him do our invitation addressing. 

Should I consider this? if so how much could I pay him? 

We are ordering our invites beginning of year. We are having a very formal wedding on a budget so invites are not >$400 but we still still chose a very classic and formal looking invite. I am thinking maybe having them addressed with calligraphy might help make them even more formal and fancier looking. 

CMGragain

Calligraphy just means pretty handwriting.  It used to be taught in our public schools.  It is never required, but if the charges are reasonable, there is nothing wrong with it.

dcbride86

We're using it because my mom can get a great deal from the person who calligraphs the invitations for her law firm.  I think it's a nice touch, particularly at a more formal wedding, but it's certainly never required.

atlastmrsg

When I looked into it for my wedding, the prices I was quoted were $4-$7 per envelope depending on things like who did it, and if I wanted the state abbreviated or written out.

I'd ask him what he charges instead of set a number.  If you offer him $100 to do 75 invitations, he may feel obligated to accept because of his relationship with your mom, even though he'd be unhappy and feel like he didn't get what he is worth.  Or, on the other hand, you could be pleasantly surprised if he says he'll do XXX number for $XXX because he wants to lower the price for you.  Either way, put the ball in his court so he feels like he's appropriately compensated for his time.  

cbus13

I did it and loved the effect. I hired someone from etsy who charged $1 per envelope, so I think I spent less than $100. Got lots of compliments. Do it if it's in the budget

southernbelle0915

Having them addressed in calligraphy will definitely make them look more formal and fancy. It sounds like this is just something this guy does on the side, so you may get a better deal and find that it's worth it. Ask for the quote per envelope. 

It's never required so don't feel like you HAVE to do it if you'd rather put that money toward something else. 

JaniV123

Thanks ladies! I am going home tomorrow afternoon so possibly will sit down and see his work either tomorrow or Thursday. 

I will ask him if he has charged before and what would an estimate be. If its relatively affordable I may just take it. My mom is paying to the invitations and will have some money left so she may also offer to pay, but as of now its in the budget. 

so again Thanks! 

I am so excited and so happy with how things are turning out

labro

If you decide it isn't affordable it's relatively easy to teach yourself basic calligraphy too! I really wanted my envelopes addressed in calligraphy but didn't want to pay the extra $200 or so it was going to cost to have both the inner and outer envelopes done. I bought an instructional book and some pens from a craft store and practiced myself until I felt comfortable enough to write out the addresses. I messed up on a few but had extra envelopes so it was no big deal. I received a TON of compliments from people on how beautiful the calligraphy was.

tcnoble

My mom has a friend who offered to do ours - she doesn't do "calligraphy" but has really pretty cursive hand writing. Our wedding isn't super formal, but we thought it looked nicer than my very neat and simple "teacher" handwriting, so we went with it. She didn't want to be paid so we got her a gift card to a spa instead as a thank you. I'm really in love with how they turned out! I think if you can afford it, definitely go for it

fwtx5815

I decided to learn calligraphy too!
It takes time and cost more money than I anticipated spending but it's a skill that I'll use for the rest of my life writing invitations and thank you cards. But I've probably spent less on supplies than it would cost to hire someone.

If the price is right, go for it.

Happyyoly

I think is personal chioce. I wanted my invitations to look beautiful but I also had tight budget, so price was a factor. After some research I chose www.calligraphybycarrie.com because her prices were reasonable. Very happy with her work.

ambiguousbride

If you go on font.com or 1001fonts.com you can download some really beautiful fonts. Then using Microsoft Word go in format > letters and envelopes > options (select envelope size)

You can put each address in and print them at home and they will be just as cute. I do this with Christmas cards every year. And you can put your return address on them as well.


I do suggest testing on a piece of paper to be sure that the settings are correct.

porkchops926

Just an addition to ambiguous bride's post. Anyone wanting to print their own invites also check out dafont.com. They have a nice script section and even though most of the good fonts are for personal use, that's fine for invites so long as you don't use them for anything you're going to sell. 

Also myfonts.com is the go-to professional font site for buying fonts,  but they have free fonts (often 1 weight out of a family or something like that) that you can download and they have some really gorgeous decorative fonts as well. 

[Deleted User]

If your budget allows for it & it's something you really want, go for it. I agree the look is great. I personally didn't have the budget for it and figured out how to run my envelopes through my printer and was able to print our return address and the to address directly onto the envelope in a calligraphy font, so it (in my opinion) looked nice. Just cost me some time.