Spear Custom Wedding Stationery

When Erin and Doug contacted me to do a completely custom suite for their wedding stationery, it was an immediate yes. They would be getting hitched at the cabin belonging to the groom’s parents in the woods of Maine (how sweet!) right on the Saco River. Their vision was an all-out event that their friends would talk about for a lifetime. Their paper goods had to hype up the guests for this soiree.

 

 

 

First up we looked at script styles for their invitation.  They found that Uncial would be a good fit as it felt ‘woodsy’ – rightfully so, uncial was the foundational script for the Lord of the Rings calligraphy customized by artist Daniel Reeve.   

 

Erin sent me a few Pinterest photos of invites that she liked, her color palette, and the overall vibe of the wedding. During the wedding stationery consultation, she never seemed sold on the look of the invites she had sourced. But I had to give her options including what she had found.  I created similar ones for her to view, but also through in one of my own that was based on their love story.

 

Doug had successfully hiked the Appalachian Trail years ago, they were engaged on a river shore, the parent’s cabin is a huge part of their couple life, and on and on. I really wanted their invites to speak to their love of the outdoors and allow their friends and family a look behind the curtain of the couple’s life.

 

When Erin and Doug saw the invite mockups, they fell in love with the custom wedding stationery design.  This was our jumping off point for the rest of the wedding suite. The calligraphy was first, I wanted that element to be the star of the design.  There is something absolutely incredible about getting your mail and sorting through a bill, a bill, an ad, then being blindsided by something *actually* handwritten.

 

On navy envelopes we paired gold ink and uncial calligraphy for a real showstopper of an envelope. The cabin illustration is the back of the home that faces their wedding venue on the river. The trees are a grove located in the northern woods of Maine, and the vellum wrap is from Acadia National Park. A wedding guest mentioned that it felt like they were ‘flying into the ceremony’ when they opened the invitations.  We literally tied the suite off with with a velvet ribbon and a custom monogram carved into their keepsake wax seal.  Erin later used their seal to write thank you notes and holiday cards.

 

 

Together we created magnetic save the dates (awesome idea to keep wedding plans top-of-mind for your guests), table numbers, escort woodburned coasters, RSVP cards, menu, guest bag inserts, and signage for the big day as well as thank you notes for all the gifts received. The chalkboard signs were a hit for guiding the guests and keep them up to date on what was happening on the property. 

 

What a gorgeous wedding this turned out to be.  This sweet couple did a phenomenal job of incorporating their custom calligraphy and wedding stationery into their big day. Erin and Doug have since used their custom chalkboard signs to decorate their home. I love seeing what mementos couples keep around to remember the day they said their vows.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

If you’re interested in creating a one-of a kind gift through custom calligraphy or custom wedding stationery, I’d love to talk. You can find more about my current writing styles here or we can devise something completely you just like I did when working on this Bar Mitzvah. Check out my latest work on social media. 

Chelsea is a professionally trained classic calligrapher from Seattle, Washington.  She has been mentored by some of the top calligraphers in the world including employees of the White House.