When I first saw this wedding, it actually reminded me of on of my all time favorite Winter inspiration boards.  With a really soft palette, birch accents and simple but sophisticated details this wedding could translate beautifully into a Winter wedding. It’s the effortlessly elegant approach to styling…the white calligraphy by Laura Hooper that was done on gray card stock, the low centerpieces filled with monochromatic hues, the white on white palette…that makes the wedding so timeless, so appropriate for any season.

We’ll have the full vendor list coming up at the end of the feature, but I did want to mention a few highlights. The INCREDIBLE flowers were designed by Krislyn Design. Which isn’t in the least bit suprising as Krislyn’s designs are the epitome of chic. The gorgeous invitations were designed by Atlas & Campbell.

We have a bit more from this incredible Jose Villa wedding coming up!

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Post tags: Atlas & Campbell, Jose Villa, Krislyn Design, Laura Hooper
Post categories: Traditional Elegance

And here is the wedding in all its glory!

* * *

I think that it’s pretty clear…if you read SMP, you know that we go completely crazy over anything that Jose gets his hands on. Which is why, when one of our readers emailed us their recent wedding that Jose shot, we just about lost it. This wedding is so Jose, his style stamp gracing every image. It’s pure and utter gorgeousness.

The absolutely adorable bride and groom behind these delicious photographs were high school sweethearts. They met when she was 13 and he was 15. Swoon. The pair decided to have an intimate wedding of only 18 guests in Los Olivos, CA. And with so few guests, they were really able to design an AMAZING affair, working with only the best of the best in wedding vendors…

The bride is wearing a STUNNING Vera Wang gown. Hair and Make-Up was done by Mishel Wedding Party. The absolutely gorgeous flowers were done by Camille Panzarello of Modern Day Design, the calligraphy by Laura Hooper, and the invitations and letterpress by Sugarcube Press.

We have so much more from this beautiful wedding on the way!

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Post tags: Jose Villa, Laura Hooper, Modern Day Design, Vera Wang
Post categories: Traditional Elegance

The adorable Maria Cook of Ritzy Bee used Laura’s work in a feature that she did for a DC based morning show! There is no one more deserving so HUGE props to Laura and her gorgeous calligraphy.

Also, for those of you that have an interest in learning your own calligraphy skills, Laura is featuring a great little write-up on her blog to help get you started!

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Post tags: Calligraphy, Laura Hooper, Ritzy Bee
Post categories: The Blog

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Post tags: Custom Maps, Laura Hooper, Laura Hooper Calligraphy, Tote Bags
Post categories: Featured

Invitation by Abby Jean, Cake by Lovin’ Sullivan, Dress by Jcrew, Box on Soiree Charleston, Flowers by Rosenow Floral

The suite is so unbelievably pretty to me. The combination of the calligraphy and the block font is the perfect pairing and this color palette is so charming. Laura has also designed a custom map to coordinate with the suite, which takes the whole look to another level!

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Post tags: Abby Jean, J. Crew, Laura Hooper, Loving Sullivan, Soiree Charleston, Wedding Calligraphy
Post categories: Color Palettes, Wedding Invitations & Stationery

More from Laura…

Allocating Your Budget: First and foremost I think it is really important to try to factor calligraphy into your invitation budget. Many girls forget to do this and that is where you encounter the budget problems. They spend $10-$15 dollars a set on invitations and don’t factor in $2-$3 for calligraphy (per invitation). Go in knowing that the rate for an envelope in pointed pen is going to cost around $3 per invitation. If you are doing inner envelopes, factor in another $1.50 per piece.

Quick Tip…When you are at your invitation session, perhaps choose a slightly less expensive set, so that you have room for calligraphy in your budget. Everyone says this, and that is because it is true: that the envelope is the first thing that your guests will see of your wedding, and they should always be hand lettered.

Working with New Talent: If you do not have room in your budget for an experienced calligrapher, you can likely find someone just starting out in the business. They typically will have lower prices, but just know that even if you request a sample, it does not mean that your order will consistently look as good as that sample throughout. The more experience a calligrapher has, the more consistent they will be. Brides should ask for references from calligraphers who offer budget calligraphy, so that they can confirm with previous clients the quality of the lettering throughout the order.

Quick Tip…Contact area art schools to find students who have experience in calligraphy. Typically, art students will charge you much less than someone who has been in business a long time.

Help from Friends & Family: If you have no room in the budget at all, enlist your mom, aunt, or a friend with nice hand writing to do the addressing for you. You can purchase an inexpensive light box at any Michael’s store, and use guidelines to be sure the lines are straight. Practice makes perfect, so make sure they do a few practice runs on some spare paper…not your expensive invitation envelopes.

Overall it is really important to figure out what is most important to you when it comes to your invitations, and how much you are willing to spend on all the aspects of the invitations, including calligraphy, in advance. That way there are no surprises later!

Thank you so much to Laura for sharing these brilliant tips with us!

© Style Me Pretty : The Ultimate Wedding Blog, 2008. | Permalink | 6 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Laura Hooper, Wedding Calligraphy
Post categories: Look for Less, Wedding Invitations & Stationery

Think Creatively: I have done some pretty interesting pieces in calligraphy. Most recently, I did an order for a wedding in San Diego, CA for calligraphy on Lucite tiles. They were dark red, and the calligraphy was painted on in gold ink. They looked amazing. They were displayed on the wall with a light behind them so they lit up. The table numbers were matching, they were larger red panels with the names of golf courses as table names instead of numbers. I have also done sanddollars, compasses, and Spanish tiles as placecards as well.

In addition to envelopes and placecards, you can do all your table signs, bar signs, and miscellaneous signs in calligraphy. Also, you can incorporate camera ready artwork into your invitations, menus and programs. I do a lot of work for menus and programs. I also like to do personalized photo mattes, and I have a lot of requests to get wedding vows and poetry written in calligraphy as well.

We have a bit more to come…Calligraphy, The Look for Less!

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Post tags: Laura Hooper, Wedding Calligraphy
Post categories: Wedding Invitations & Stationery

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!

© Style Me Pretty : The Ultimate Wedding Blog, 2008. | Permalink | 4 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Laura Hooper, Wedding Calligraphy
Post categories: Wedding Invitations & Stationery