Calligraphy for your wedding – the perfect finishing touch (for any budget)

Published by Claire Gould on

Written for English Wedding by UK wedding calligrapher Claire: By Moon & Tide Calligraphy
with images by Lake District wedding photographer Hannah Hall Photography
(full credits at the end of the article)


I’m almost hoping that you’ll scoff at the title of this little article – does calligraphy really work for any wedding budget?! Well, I’m here to tell you that yes, it does. The beautiful art that may once have been the province of the aristocracy can be really affordable. You can hire a calligrapher no matter how much you have to spend on your wedding. It’s just a matter of choosing how and where to include calligraphy in your day. Let me explain!

Once upon a time, one might have asked one’s own scribe to pen wedding invitations for an event like a wedding. (Y’know, if one happened to be king of somewhere.) Happily, you’ll now find calligraphers on Etsy and instagram ready to create anything from your wedding invitations to your place names. Everyone can choose to style their wedding with a little calligraphy!

If you’re stationery lovers who want to splash out

The handwritten touch is the loveliest way to set the tone for your wedding. Hand written calligraphy Save the Dates, bridesmaid/bridesmate invitations or your own personal monogram are a gorgeous way to dip your toes in the calligraphy world!

Working with the same calligrapher for all of your stationery will ensure consistency to your styling and design, through colours and illustrations on your invitations and envelopes to all of your on-the-day stationery.

To make a feature of your calligraphy go big with signage and your seating plan, if you’re having one. I’ve written table plans for weddings on an old barn door from a bride’s granddad’s farm, on Edwardian mirrors and Lake District slates… the more creative your request, the better!

Scale it back – full calligraphy for your favourites!

If you’d love to have invitations and envelopes and all of the wonderful calligraphy bits for your wedding, but you’re on a tight budget, scale it back. Most calligraphers offer printing as well as calligraphy, so having every invite hand written isn’t the only option.

  • Scale back on design with a minimalist aesthetic and printed elements
  • Scale back on numbers by having calligraphy invitations for your closest family only, or professionally hand written place names just for your top table
  • Or scale back on the cost of your calligraphy by ordering invitations online and having names added by your calligrapher

It’s really tricky to give prices in this article by the way: I’d love to, but things like invitations in calligraphy are priced by the word and everyone’s wording is different. A very simple invitation in calligraphy might start from £6 or £7 to write by hand – as a very rough guide indeed! Printed invitations are generally much less – mine are from £3 per invitation.

If you’re looking to keep stationery costs super low, here’s my favourite saving tip for wedding calligraphy.

Send full calligraphy invitations with hand addressed envelopes to your closest people: parents, grandparents and siblings. Everyone else gets a scaled back, simple, printed version!

You could even choose to order one single calligraphy invitation as a keepsake of your wedding and for photographs.

Calligraphy for your wedding reception

Calligraphy comes into its own at wedding receptions. People love seeing their names written all swirly and beautiful!

If you decide to have paper goodies for your wedding day – and it’s all entirely optional! – you can choose from:

  • a wedding timeline sign
  • unplugged ceremony sign
  • order of the day cards
  • order of service cards or booklets
  • calligraphy escort cards
  • a full table plan
  • or individual table plan cards (e.g. to stick on a mirror)
  • folded place name cards
  • flat place name cards
  • place name tags with or without punched holes
  • handwritten menus (these can also be printed)
  • table numbers
  • or table names – these are often forgotten until the very last minute, and are my most popular last-minute calligraphy order!
  • mini signs for dessert tables
  • drinks menu signs
  • guest book signs
  • anything else you can think of, which is unique to you and will be a first for me!

That list right there is the biggest reason why I’d never recommend any ‘must-haves’ or things you ‘absolutely need’ for your wedding. Everything’s optional. If you were to buy everything on the list, you’d need a very generous budget.

The most affordable way to include calligraphy in your wedding is to choose a few key elements and make them count. Some suggestions:

  • Have a wedding welcome sign and make it a real statement piece. (Think: old window frame, gorgeous calligraphy on it, ask your florist to style it with sweeping foliage on top) Approx price: £75
  • Just order place names – but ask for big card and flourished calligraphy. Approx price: £2-3 per card
  • Style your tables with calligraphy table names. Choose super creative names! Approx price: £5 per table
  • Combine modern or classic calligraphy with a wow! colour palette. Try place names in mandarin orange, hot reds and pinks or black card with colour shifting inks (ask your calligrapher!) Approx price: £2 per place card
  • Have a wedding reading written in calligraphy as a keepsake of your day Approx price: from £75 or ask parents or friends to gift you one! Approx price: FREE!

Claire writes calligraphy for weddings from her home studio on the edge of the Lake District.

Further reading: My step by step guide to ordering your wedding calligraphy

Image credits:

Concept and styling Artisan Weddings Ayrshire and Velvet Apple Events
Photography Hannah Hall Photography
Florals Tass Florals
Cake Snowdrop Wedding Cakes 
Calligraphy menus and place names By Moon & Tide
Dresses Kathleen Richmond Couture
Headpieces Vivi Embellish Bridal
Confetti Shropshire Petals
Models The Madeleys
Dinner suit Slater Menswear


Claire Gould

Claire spends her days writing - either in beautiful calligraphy or online. She lives on the edge of the English Lake District only minutes away from the beach, where she loves to escape and unwind. Claire's calligraphy can be found at www.byMoonandTide.com. Claire launched the English Wedding Blog in November 2009 - it's been a top 10 UK wedding blog ever since, with a regional focus we hope you LOVE.

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