CALLIGRAPHY STYLES
Calligraphy means 'beautiful writing' and encompasses many varied letter forms.
From the romance of our most popular Copperplate style to the simple but perfectly formed Italic styles, there are more choices than you might think. We offer a wide choice of handwritten calligraphy styles for all of your wedding stationery.
Whichever style you choose, we can mix the ink to any colour, even matching the print on your invitations or colour swatches you send to us. Our colour choices include silver, gold, copper and metallic colours (metallic pink, blue etc.)
COPPERPLATE Calligraphy Style
Romantic, swirly, luscious lettering suitable for anything and everything, copperplate calligraphy gives all your wedding stationery a bit of glamour!
Copperplate is the most popular style used for handwriting wedding invitations, place cards and envelopes. It’s easy to read and still very elaborate, and works well in any colour.
Choose black ink for a formal or traditional appearance, or metallics (silver, gold, copper) for more contemporary wedding stationery.
Copperplate calligraphy originates from after the Renaissance and is an English lettering style written with a sharp pointed pen. Letters have elaborate flourishes and the writing leans strongly to the right. See examples
CLASSIC ITALIC Lettering
Elegant, carefully formed letters with flicks and lots of character!
Classic italic calligraphy is just perfect for a traditional and very stylish wedding.
Italics are another great style to choose for your wedding invitations, envelopes and place cards. They’re always popular because they’re really easy to read. Classic italics also make for wonderful calligraphy poems, since the letters make a lovely pattern across a page.
Italics work well in any colour. Choose black, pink or any colour for your invitations and envelopes, or for poems consider muted shades of chocolate brown or even burgundy. We’ll be happy to send a sample of our italic calligraphy on a wedding place card if you’d like us to - just ask!
Italic calligraphy is the oldest slanting style of lettering, originating in Italy in the fifteenth century. It has many forms, the common characteristic being their slight lean to the right of the page. See examples
FREESTYLE calligraphy
Fresh, contemporary and a delight to the eye! Our calligrapher’s own modern writing style uses a pointed calligraphy pen and features exciting loops and dips to key letters.
This freestyle calligraphy is indulgent and decorative, and looks fabulous on wedding invitations, envelopes and place cards. A great style for table plans, especially our layered designs which are quite contemporary.
Freestyle calligraphy works in any colour. We love it in black for impact, or in chocolatey shades and pink for a fashionable finish to your stationery.
This is a handwriting style unique to The Wedding Calligrapher. With plenty of calligraphy experience, the next step for any Calligrapher is to experiment with new styles, and this is a favourite of ours! See examples
Simple Italic calligraphy
A pretty, delicate calligraphy style that’s easy on the eye and a pleasure to read.
Simple italics work best for poems and table plans, where you want quite a plain calligraphy style with more focus on illustration and design details.
Simple italics are a nice choice for wedding invitations or place cards which have a pretty design – the calligraphy will just be the cherry on the cake!
Simple italics for poems and table plans look good in any colour. Classic black is good if you are looking for a very clean, unfussy design. For invitations and place cards, try a strong colour: hot pink or burgundy bring out the most of this calligraphy style! See examples
Gothic calligraphy style
Wonderfully old fashioned, formal calligraphy just perfect for weddings in castles and stately homes. An ideal choice for classic poems and wedding readings too!
Gothic calligraphy is indulgent and different. The letters are straight and make a great pattern on the page.
We recommend this style for anything to do with castle weddings, banquets and formal occasions. It's great for invitations but keep the names short so they'll fit!
Gothic calligraphy looks stunning in black ink, or try browns for a softer, antique feel. For glam or alternative wedding themes, consider this style in rich purple, regal burgundy or emerald green. See examples
'Cinderella' calligraphy
A playful, rounded calligraphy style for modern fairytale weddings! Our calligrapher's own 'Cinderella' style is fun and stylish! You won't find this one anywhere else.
Cinderella is great for all your wedding stationery from invitations to place cards, table plans to wedding reading keepsakes.
We can't write this calligraphy style too small, so be careful with your guest names on the invitations. John, Sasha and Family will be easier for us to write than John, Sasha, Jonathan, Elizabeth and Patch!
Cinderella works in any colour from black to pink or silver. If you'd like to see a sample, get in touch and we'll pop a place card in the post to you. See examples
'curly' italic calligraphy
Curly italics make the most of calligraphy, with lovely loops and swirls, and rounded letter forms. This style is recommended for wedding readings and anniversary poems.
Curly calligrpahy uses wide italic letters, with as many curly bits as we can incorporate! The ascenders (tops) of tall letters loop forwards, and descenders of letters like f and g extend in a lovely swoosh!
The more verses in your poem, the better this style will look... gaps between verses will be full of loops and curls - our calligrapher loves this one!
Choose any ink colour with this calligraphy style, from black to natural shades of chocolate or olive to suit your poem. Even rich burgundy or peacock blue will look gorgeous in this calligraphy style. See examples
Antique calligraphy style
A traditional calligraphy style based on French 14th century lettering - perfect for poems and wonderful for your wedding in a stately home or castle!
Old fashioned and romantic in style, Antique calligraphy is striking and full of character. Letters are slightly softer and easier to read than the gothic calligraphy style, which makes this a great option for table plans.
It's a fabulous choice for poems and calligraphy gifts too, especially where you'd like a traditional finish to your calligraphy.
Choose colours you'd see in old manuscripts - soft black, sepia and rich reds, greens and blues. Antique calligraphy works ever so well with illuminated letters too... scroll down a little for more details. See examples
Roman Capital Letters
Beautifully formed, striking title letters for your wedding table plan!
Roman capitals are elegant and eye-catching, so they make great headers for wedding table plans. Your guests will be drawn to your table plan from across the room!
Choose rich, dark colours for your table plan headings: black is best, but chocolate shades, burgundy, red, blue and green all work nicely with different themes.
We can even mix a lovely antique gold colour for you, which will make the capitals on your plan shimmer too! See examples
Illuminated Letters for Poems
An illuminated letter gives your calligraphy poem that extra little bit of Wow! factor. Choose gold, silver or copper for the letter to enhance your poem!
Decorative letters are a great solution if you want a classic calligraphy design with colour and illustration. We write the letter in metallic gold, silver or copper paint, and illustrate around it in your colours or by incorporating elements taken from your poem.
Illuminated letters fit just as well with modern calligraphy poems and wedding readings. We can use delicate pinks with lily illustrations or shades of coffee alongside swirling calligraphy borders.
Whatever your wedding colours are, we'll create your own, unique illuminated letter to enhance your calligraphy poem. See examples
Order or book your calligraphy today!
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