Wedding Calligraphy by Laura Hooper

The National Stationery Show is right around the corner and it has me dreaming about letterpress on squishy paper, engraving so delicate it seems to just float on the page and of course, the prettiest calligraphy a girl could ever want.

Laura Hooper of Laura Hooper Calligraphy is one of my favorite calligraphy artists...her work is sweet and sophisticated, and yet it's completely approachable. Lucky for us, Laura has totally revamped her website and the calligraphy candy is just off the charts...

Spend some time checking out Laura's new site, exploring the MANY options available for different price points and different personalities. For those of you who are a little clueless when it comes to calligraphy, Laura has agreed to give us some of her best tips...

Finding and Booking a Calligrapher: You should definitely book your calligrapher in advance. Because we do everything by hand, we have a limited number of clients we can take on in a given time period. You should at least start looking when you order your invitations, that way, by the time the envelopes are done, your calligrapher may have space available in their schedule.  A normal turnaround time can be anywhere from 1-4 weeks that I have seen. In the busy season, my turnaround is about 2-3 weeks depending on the size of the order and the number of jobs in my queue.

Popular Services: I offer a full range of services, from envelope addressing, placecards, invitation design, invitation printing, custom hand drawn maps, monogram design, etc. I also provide stuffing, stamping and mailing for an additional fee as well. The possibilities are really endless. I enjoy doing unique projects, I am sure most other calligraphers do as well, so if you have an idea, let us know.

Average Rates: The rate for an experienced calligrapher using pointed pen techniques can range from $2-$7 per envelope.  You can get very nice calligraphy for $2.50 an outer envelope in a range of contemporary, popular, and classic styles on my website, and then I have several more intricate styles at higher price points, so that I can appeal to brides in different budget categories.

Be sure you know what you are buying. Many calligraphers use a felt pen or an italic pen and this does not give nice thick and thin lines. Maybe that is okay with you, but just know in advance what you are ordering so that when you receive your order back you are 100% pleased with it.

Also, you aren’t limited to calligraphers in your area only, so don’t settle! I work with girls all over the US, even Canada, the UK and Italy, so search the web for someone whose style appeals to you, and contact them for availability.

We have more to come, so stay tuned!

Comments

[bsdstudio]

Nice write-up! Laura is great - we recently just used her for a few of our jobs - and everything has turned out beautiful.

[ShopLittleGifts]

Lovely. The concept of hand drawn maps - I'm guessing onto some kind of press is genius. When I go to the wedding I don't often see the bride and groom immediately but I'm always greeted by their goodie bag in the hotel room with all the event details. But few people actually pay attention to making the details personal.

[Elizabeth @ Elizabeth Anne Designs]

I absolutely LOVE laura's work! I am using her for all of the calligraphy (and then some special things) for my vow renewal and everything has been absolutely perfect. She's also incredibly easy to work with and just an all-around great person.

[LCI Paper]

These articles are very helpful. We sell specialty paper for wedding invitations (and more...) and one of the biggest challenges that people face is how to print the invitation. We always make them aware of calligraphy as an option - but most do not know where to begin. These three articles are an excellent resource for such people helping them to understand the issues and things that they should be considering. We now reference these articles in our own blog to help people get started.

Thank you for an excellent resource.