Having your wedding invitations written in calligraphy is a luxury, and I spend a lot of time making sure every bespoke wedding invitation is perfect. This means choosing a high quality card stock for printing, working with a professional printer and personally checking every single invitation. Then they're gift wrapped, securely packaged and sent by tracked postage.
I've launched a simpler, DIY alternative for couples on a tighter wedding budget today. Twice in the last week alone I've been asked if I can provide digital files of wedding invitations so couples can print them or send their invites digitally. I'm delighted to say this is a service I can offer.
I'm writing this little blog because I've been asked why this calligraphy service is so expensive. The short answer is because I value my time and my skill! It takes several hours to write a wedding invitation in calligraphy. Arranging the layout so letters don't clash, flourishes fill all the right spaces and each line is centred takes time. The writing itself is a slow process: 30 words will take me an hour or so.
With my bespoke calligraphy service for wedding invitations, most customers will pay around £20 per invitation. These are designed for luxury weddings, and intimate ceremonies where the personal touch is important. I don't provide digital files with this service, and I own the reproduction rights (meaning you can't send them to a printer to make copies).
My designer calligraphy wedding invitations allow full creativity. I'll work with you to design a beautiful invitation incorporating calligraphy (as much as you like), printed fonts and illustrated elements. If you choose, I can write and paint every single one by hand. If you'd rather, I can create one master copy and have it reprinted by my print supplier. I love working collaboratively like this with my lovely couples: it allows us to dream big and design something really special.
My elegant and simple minimal wedding invitations are a very affordable option. They're £45 for 30, and every detail is printed.
In each of these scenarios, I earn my living through a little markup on each printed invitation. And that's why I can't afford to spend hours creating one beautiful calligraphy invite, then sell it to you for a low price so you can have it printed at home. I know my lovely couples will understand: this is my job, and (as well as loving what I do) it's how I pay for kitten food!
The prices for my digital calligraphy invitations reflect this. A digital invitation file designed by me, with elements of original calligraphy, will cost from £35 to £95. You'll receive a single digital file, but you can use this to send to a printer, or to print your own invitations at home, or upload them to your wedding website.
I've created 5 beautiful layouts at different price points, and given you the option of 5 different calligraphy styles for the hand lettering (which is scanned, polished in Photoshop and sent to you). I hope you love these - I'm looking forward to writing and designing them for you!