The Weekly Letter – D is for Save the Date

savethedateValentine’s Day is quickly approaching and many young and ‘young at heart’ will be making plans to tie the knot. If you’re one of those lucky young couples setting a date to be married , you may be wondering if Save the Date cards are necessary. And if so, how soon should we send them? Much will depend upon your guest list and wedding location. How many guests are you inviting? How flexible is your invitation list? How far do your guests have to travel? What sort of wedding – local or destination, church, hotel or resort – are you considering? What is your budget?

I won’t bore you with “back in the day” stories about how everyone lived in the same town and events were simpler. Weddings, like lives, are a lot more complicated nowadays. People live all over the world and schedules are less predictable. Presuming you’re going to tell all your family and friends about your engagement and have a small intimate family event, word of mouth may be all that’s necessary for them to put the date on their calendar. You can always call those few out of town relatives and share the good news along with your plans. Sending your invites in a timely manner should be all that’s necessary.

But what if you’re planning a large wedding with folks from all over the planet? Or perhaps a destination wedding? People need to make travel plans, book airplane and hotel reservations. Save the Date cards can be just the ticket for letting your friends and family plan ahead. You share the joy of your engagement and give everyone a heads up about the date and place. If this is the case, then now, not later, is the time to lock in details including the ultimate guest list, venue, reception size, costs, etc.

Receiving a Save the Date card implies a guest will be receiving an invitation. You can’t really go uninviting people ten months later. I won’t even go into the habit of some folks having second and third tier invite lists, but suffice to say you might have some pretty angry friends or family members if they were omitted from one list or the other. You can always send out engagement announcements instead without letting the cat out of the bag on your wedding plans.

If you’ve made up your mind to send Save the Dates, your options are limited only by your imagination. There are postcards, magnets, and a host of other ideas in magazines and online. If it can be mailed, it’s a possibility. Some photographers take engagement photos if you book them for your wedding. These make nice postcards. As a calligrapher, I can use with permission, photos of you, your destination or even a special moment, adding calligraphy to the image before you have them printed. I can design original artwork for you. I am also available for addressing those cards in either handwriting or calligraphic scripts.

Just remember, calligraphy and design takes time. If you’re thinking about using Save the Date cards, contact me soon before my calendar fills up for this coming wedding season.

Why hire a calligrapher?

This is a subject that comes up often.  If you hire an experienced calligrapher, it’s not inexpensive and the truth is that home computers are capable of producing much more than address labels with a Times New Roman font. There are word processing programs that can duplicate Spencerian and Copperplate calligraphic hands.  There are printers that will add color to your envelopes or invitations and no one can doubt the cost savings.  Sounds a lot like I’m advocating against myself, doesn’t it.

But the truth is that while the digital process can imitate, there’s still nothing like receiving a handwritten envelope to make your event stand out in a crowd. Handwriting has a personality that is lost in digital reproduction and calligraphy can add that “wow” factor to your event like nothing else.  Not only can hiring a good calligrapher provide you with beautiful writing, but also they are great resources for addressing etiquette and style.  And in this day of hectic schedules, it’s a time saver that allows you to cross one more thing off the “to do” list.

Once you’ve decided your time is valuable or your handwriting isn’t all that awesome (or both), how do you find a calligrapher?  And how do you know they produce quality work?  First,  good calligraphers aren’t cheap so it pays to do your homework. While in some countries such as the UK, there are organizations that provide education and certification of calligraphic skills, here in the U.S. pretty much anyone can purchase a calligraphy pen at a local craft store and hang out their shingle as a calligrapher.

Thankfully, with the advent of the internet, there are places to research calligraphers and their work.  That means you can compare both price and style.  While you will generally find costs higher in major cities such as New York or LA, in general prices will run about a dollar per line for an outer envelope.  You will also find that calligraphers each have their own specialties.  There are those who work only in the wedding industry with one or two styles while others with more background or experience can off you a wider variety of choices.  Pricing varies from those like myself who simplify the process without all the add-ons to those who will charge more for everything from colored ink to different lettering styles.

Lastly, a good calligrapher should be willing to offer you a “letter of engagement” or “contract”.  It should include not only a price quote, but stipulate method of payment, deadlines and list any extra fees for things such as shipping or last minute changes.  As a calligrapher and lettering artist with over thirty years of experience, I’m able to work with brides and event planners to select or create a script that best expresses the theme of an wedding or event. From envelopes to place cards and more,  I take pride in my work and with your help will do everything I can to make your day one to remember.