Every 6 weeks or so I go on a little road trip with my pens and inks, and spend a couple of hours with lovely brides-to-be and their best girls. My calligraphy workshops get me away from my desk and into the real world – and they’ve become the absolute highlight of my year! Last year I made gift vouchers for Christmas – this year I’ve had them gorgeously copper foiled and they’re the prettiest little things đ
Has anyone else noticed their inboxes are full of Christmas suggestions already?! And have you actually started Christmas shopping yet? I have to confess I’m a late bloomer this year… it’s going to be December before I start, I can see it now! (oops) But today I wanted to share something which will make a lovely gift for any 2018 brides and grooms – or your crafty friends!
Calligraphy starter kit for beginners, ÂŁ65 at Not On The High Street
I’m pretty well acquainted with a particular wedding invitation designer and calligrapher whose eyes roll right back into her head at the first breath of “request the pleasure of your company…”. The thing is – it’s not a phrase anyone would ever breathe, or even dream of saying out loud. If you’re having a party, you tell your friends in person: “we’re having dinner & drinks at mine for New Year – would you like to come?” The only place we seem to use the horribly stilted “request the pleasure of your company” is on wedding invitations. And not the fun, exciting ones.
Somerset based From Sally with Love designs wedding stationery with a difference. They don’t roll out the kind of invites and save the dates you see around you – far from it! I love Sally’s characterful and inventive designs, and I know you will too!
We carefully create beautifully unique designs that wonderfully capture you and your partner and everything you have dreamt for your big day. It might be the hidden dinosaur in amongst the foliage and leaves (as in the example here) or drawing the stunning venue where you and your fiance will tie the knot, or even illustrating the flowers you will have in your bouquet. It is creating stationery that you are over the moon with, that is uniquely you and that your guests will love!
I’m a total paper freak. I love exploring art shops and specialist stationery suppliers’ little havens of handmade papers, running my hands along the torn edges of any new stock I can find. I know it’s weird.
Photo: Susan Arnold Photography as seen on B.Loved
But there’s a thing I can’t get out of my head: I read on a wedding blog a week or two ago that one of the key trends for 2018 wedding stationery would be paper.
Photo: Olivia Bossert for a shoot for Wedding Sparrow
Not card, not pocketfolds, not even transparencies. Good old earthy, natural, handmade paper.