I just added a bunch of wedding-related stuff to my shop on Etsy. I have done calligraphy for a few weddings in the past, and I really like helping to make an already special occasion even more tangibly memorable. Weddings provide so many opportunities for calligraphy and personalized gifts: they’re a calligrapher’s dream!
My most fun wedding experience so far has been the wedding of Kathryn and George in 2004. They had a medieval wedding, so my calligraphy fit right in. Kathryn was a delight to work with: she was cheerful and flexible and enthusiastic. We never met in person, but she sent me pictures of her wedding dress so that I could coordinate the colors of the invitations with her dress.
The invitations had an Irish blessing on the outside, with colorful Celtic knots. The script is Insular Majuscule, the script used in the Book of Kells.
The inside of the invitations had the standard invitation text in Insular Minuscule, another script used in early medieval Ireland. I designed and wrote one invitation, and then scanned it at high resolution and had it printed on marbled paper. Kathryn and her husband got the original, which they had framed.
In addition to the invitations, Kathryn and George wanted a scroll for their guests to sign. In addition to the blank lines for guests to sign, I included several images of animals based on images in the Book of Kells, as well as several quotes about love that Kathryn and George chose.
I’m looking forward to working on more weddings like this one!
