Wedding Invitations, Announcements, Place Cards, and More (Paperback)

by Bette Matthews (Author) "Long before the printing press was invented, learned scribes spent countless hours studying the art of hand lettering..." (more)
Key Phrases: art tissue, wedding stationery, petal paper, Antoine Michel Richieu, Eliza Brook, Matthew Beatty (more...)

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.

Product Description
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).

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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: 2.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #319,419 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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  #82 in	Books > Arts & Photography > Design & Decorative Arts > Graphic Design > Calligraphy
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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 17 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

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:

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

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

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.

2.0 out of 5 stars Best used as a caligraphy manual, January 13, 2009

By	Amy Hilliard (VA, United States) - See all my reviews

This book consists of different types of caligraphy fonts and how to place the lines on the invitations, but it gives very few picutres of finished invitations. It doesn't give creative ideas on how the invitations should look beyond how to do the caligraphy. If you want to use caligraphy to address your invitaitons yourself then this might be usfeul to you. Otherwise, look to other places for creative ideas on styling your wedding invitations, announcements, placecards, and more.