Wedding Invitations, Announcements, Place Cards, and More [Paperback]

Bette Matthews (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 2001

Wedding Calligraphy is a comprehensive instructional book on using calligraphy to create various styles of invitations needed by brides for weddings, rehearsal dinners, showers, thank yous, etc. Five chapters (Modern, Romantic, Classic, Elegant, Artistic) present a particular wedding style and step-by-step calligraphy and "layout" information for getting the look on your invitations, announcements, place cards, etc. Traceable lettering templates open each chapter while finished invites show end results. Sidebars and tip boxes help with phrasing (the best way to say it) and advice on the wedding style (modern, romantic, classic, etc.) while calligraphy shortcuts and fast fixes (if you make a mistake) help you with the process. Also included is information on various papers and decorative elements, plus "tricky situations" etiquette advice (related to invites, place cards, and the like).

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Although engraved invitations have become standard for weddings, cards printed by hand are always in good taste. Most people do not have the handwriting skill for hand printing, so they fake it with a computer script or hire a calligrapher. This book has classic calligraphy instructions for those who would like to try it themselves, with a little practice first. Several types of alphabets are included, with detailed instructions on strokes and layout. A section on wedding etiquette has useful information on invitations, thank-you notes, and place cards, with photographs of many examples. An excellent book for public libraries.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

About the Author

Event consultant, stylist, and writer, Bette Matthews is the author of several books on weddings, including The Wedding Workbook, Cakes (For Your Wedding series), and Wedding Toasts and Vows. A cum laude Bachelor of Arts, she puts her dual major of theater and art to good use when coordinating the details of an event. Working with calligraphers, stationers, floral designers, and lighting specialists to harmonize decor, style, and food service, Bette enjoys bringing to life a dramatic vision of fully integrated celebration.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 128 pages
• Publisher: Quarry Books (October 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1564968081
• ISBN-13: 978-1564968081
• Product Dimensions: 11.1 x 8.4 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,123,828 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars With This Book, You Can Do It, June 18, 2004

By 

Rebecca Haden (Fayetteville, AR) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Wedding Invitations, Announcements, Place Cards, and More (Paperback)

With this book -- and a lot of practice -- I was able to do the calligraphy for my daughter's wedding.
The book includes a number of romantic alphabets in styles from Celtic to modern, forms for invitations, many examples of custom woprk, and step-by-step instructions for projects ranging from favors to menu cards to guest books. There are also suggestions for working with a professional calligrapher.
This is a practical book for anyone planning a wedding.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Wonderful Calligraphy Book!, July 9, 2010

By 

LoRemz (San Francisco, CA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Wedding Invitations, Announcements, Place Cards, and More (Paperback)

I don't know what the people who rated this book 2 stars are talking about. The subtitle clearly says "A Bride's Guide to Simple Calligraphy". This is a calligraphy book.

That said, there were also plenty examples of finished pieces--on every other page! The examples are a little old-fashioned for my taste and don't have that Martha Stewart look that I love, but are still helpful in envisioning the application of the calligraphy techniques on an invitation. This book also helps you apply the proper the wording to an invitation if you're at a loss when it comes to etiquette. This can come in very handy when trying to figure out how to word an invitation under special circumstances such as when the bride or groom have parents who are divorced or deceased.

I used this book to address the envelopes for my wedding invitations as well as the placecards and I got tons of compliments. You should have a minor background in calligraphy or at least good penmanship to really benefit from these alphabets. This is the biggest collection of alphabets I've come by. They are all gorgeous in their own right. I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to hand-letter a wedding invitation.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars More alphabets than invitations, December 22, 2007

By 

freelancer and mom (Kansas City) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Wedding Invitations, Announcements, Place Cards, and More (Paperback)

This book was certainly not what I expected. I'm always on the lookout for new ideas and creative invitation samples. This book fell short of my expectations because it had very few actual pieces featured. If you are looking for a beginner's calligraphy manual, and have lots of time to spend on your wedding placecards, this book would be a great resource for you. Unfortunately, I didn't find the inspiration I was looking for.