This is a niche topic – but still popular and I hope you find it really useful! As well as writing English Wedding, I’m a calligrapher who specialises in weddings, so this is my little area of expertise. Calligraphy looks expensive – it’s a fabulous way of elevating wedding tables and giving a luxury vibe – and you really don’t have to spend a fortune to do it. Here’s how to be spend savvy and get the most from working with a wedding calligrapher.

Start with your wedding budget – how much would you like to spend on calligraphy?

I’m passionately against ‘average wedding budgets’ and even the thought of predicting what you might be spending on outfits, venues and larger decor items makes me uncomfortable. I know that sounds weird: but some weddings have flowers and some don’t. Some have dresses, and some don’t. Some have incredible, over the top table styling – and some don’t! You might be spending thousands on styling your venue – or this might be the first time you’ve considered it: there are no rules in weddings.

It’s probably safe for me to assume you’ll be spending more on the things I’ve mentioned above than you will on calligraphy. Stationery tends to be low as a proportion of people’s wedding costs. (Perhaps only £500 or so for most couples.) So here’s the good bit: adding calligraphy won’t bounce your stationery and decor prices sky high!

On the day wedding stationery will easily fit a £500 budget if that’s what you have to spare. You could spend more, and have signage (allow £50 per handwritten sign), an escort card display (from £2.50 per card), seating plan (from around £250) and place settings (from £2) in calligraphy – which WILL look amazing but isn’t essential for every couple! You can personalise place settings for less than £100 for a small wedding.

Are there particular items you’ll need at the last minute? (The answer’s yes!…)

Couples tend to order place names with a few weeks to go before the big day. I try to allow for rush orders over the summer months especially, as I completely understand how tricky it can be to nail down your guest list. (There are always a few little changes at the last minute!)

The most commonly forgotten item of on-the-day stationery / calligraphy is table numbers or table name cards. The most organised couples will order these in advance; but for many people, they’re the classic “OMG I forgot we need…” wedding items! It’s good to allow a buffer for last minute wedding spending for anything from dog sitters to cosy cover-ups for your shoulders… and table name cards! Allow £50 – 100 for these.

A little personalisation goes a long way

Some things you can’t put a price on. Guests’ smiles as they see the special personal touches of calligraphy definitely fall into that category. It’s why I love what I do: for not too much money at all, Grandma can find her seat and see her name (which, obviously, is Grandma no matter what the occasion!!!) all swirly and beautifully crafted, just for her. That’s special.

It’s worth spending a few £££ on place settings in calligraphy, and that’s my opinion as a professional wedding calligrapher! Wedding place names cost around £2 each (to be done well) – more if you opt for extras like silk ribbon, tassels or wax seals.

Savvy spending on calligraphy for your wedding

If you’re on a budget, personalisation and wedding calligraphy are really flexible areas you can get creative with. I don’t mean DIY: making your own stationery can often cost more – and take up loads of your time, which you may not have much of in the run up to your big day. I’m thinking of combining items in creative ways.

Three of my favourite spending-savvy wedding calligraphy ideas:

1. Escort cards that double as place settings (from £2.50 per card)
   Picture little mini envelopes with names in calligraphy, and a little card with guests’ table numbers or names inside. These can be displayed beautifully – stuck to a mirror, pegged to ribbons on a wall display or arranged on a flower-filled table at the entrance to your reception
2. Combined wedding menus and place names (priced by word count from £10 each)
   If you don’t want to splash out on separate menu cards and place names, have your menus printed with a space for guest names at the top. These can be calligraphed in a contrasting colour, with a flourish or two for impact. You could even choose to have a menu for every guest written entirely by hand, and personalised with their names.
3. Favours with personalised calligraphy tags
   I’ve written a lot of ‘dinky tags’ for wedding favours over the years: think miniatures of home made gin or jam, or candle jars, or little gift bags with literally anything inside! They’re super cute and fun to write in calligraphy. Whatever you choose, guests will most likely leave their names tied to the jars or bottles when they’re taken home and used!

You could always combine all three of these, if you’re a particularly special kind of genius. (Table display of wedding favours at the entrance, with name tags tied on and a table number or name on the back of the tag. You super clever thing, you!*)

*I got this idea from one of my couples. I’m no genius – I just write pretty calligraphy!

Little extras: signs and special touches

You can create a cohesive style for your wedding with a few carefully chosen little signs and calligraphy touches here and there.

Here are some suggestions – I’d love to chat with you about any of these! Get in touch through my website – there’s an email address and contact number on there.

If you decide to have calligraphy 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
• personalised vow booklets
• mini signs for dessert tables
• drinks menu signs
• guest book signs
• signage on anything from mirrors to slate, to your favourite barn door**
• anything else you can think of, which is unique to you and will be a first for me!

** Yes, that was a thing. My couple found a beautiful old barn door in Grandad’s farm, and it lived in my calligraphy studio for a week while I wrote on it! I am ALWAYS up for adventurous calligraphy!

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All prices are correct at time of writing (April 2025) – see my current wedding calligraphy price list for updates and more detail.