Sherry and Auren’s wedding was held at The St. Regis – one of Manhattan’s most iconic hotels. Sarah Hanna’s hand calligraphy on our Callaway design set the tone for this black tie affair, while a custom calligraphed duogram in gold matte foil was an additional bit of personalization. Gold matte edging and a metallic gold leaf envelope liner upped the glamor on these black and gold wedding invitations.
letterpress ink: black | foil stamping: gold matte | paper: bella cotton ivory 2-ply | hand calligraphy accents + monogram: callaway style | envelope: bella cotton ivory | metallic envelope liner: gold leaf | customization #26238
Our August designer of the month is Sarah Hanna! Sarah’s entire collection of romantic calligraphy wedding invitations will be on sale throughout the entire month of August – as always, save 10% on any design by Sarah, and save an additional 10% if you order 6 printed pieces or more. This promotion can be applied to any order featuring one of Sarah’s designs – letterpress thank you notes, save the dates, party invitations, wedding invitations, or anything else you can dream up. Shop her collection today!
New for 2015, Annalise is a calligraphy wedding invitation with flair – lavish flourishes and a gold foil stamped envelope liner add to the design’s charm.
Napa is another new design for 2015, and features our classic Anderson die-cut shape. Featuring a more classic hand, we love this design for any formal affair.
Callaway is traditional with a twist – elegant calligraphy is paired with a square shape and a refined mosaic patterned envelope liner for a fun, modern touch.
One of our all-time favorites, Victoria Calligraphy, is incredibly romantic – sweeping flourishes and swashes define this design — a true timeless beauty.
The fine print: this offer is exclusive to designs by Sarah Hanna and does not apply towards the purchase of other designs. Orders must be placed by 11:59pm Eastern on August 31, 2015 in order to receive this offer.
Courtney and Evan fell for our Fugue foil stamped wedding invitations and didn’t stray far from the original. They opted to keep the lavish, double foil look but personalized it by switching to our ultra modern #10 size card and adding hand calligraphy from Sarah Hanna. The end result is bold and edgy and a perfect compliment to their Washington, DC museum wedding.
Fugue, along with all of designer Kamal’s designs, are on sale through the month of October!
foil stamping: gold matte + silver shine | font: sans capitals | paper: bella cotton ivory 1-ply + 2-ply | hand calligraphy accents: callaway style | Dandelion Patch | customization #18862
Asking “What styles can you calligraph?” is like asking a chef, “How many ways can you cook chicken?” If you understand your craft, you know that there are endless variations. And the more you learn, the more there is to learn. Understanding letter forms is the start to taking any font and adapting it for hand-lettered script. Today, Bella Figura calligrapher Sarah Hanna is sharing her favorite calligraphy trends — from the most popular styles and ink colors to the different ways people are using calligraphy to add an extra special touch to life’s most important events.
Trending now: without question, Victoria. I think that is because it is traditional with a personality. Generally, I match the script from the invitation – if that is my calligraphy, excellent. I can match almost any script, though. Black ink is and always will be the most classic, formal ink for addressing wedding invitations. I do, however, custom-mix a lot of gold, amethyst, and pewter.
Classic Victoria hand calligraphed envelope
Classic Victoria hand calligraphed envelope
Embellished Victoria hand calligraphed envelope – Sarah Hanna’s most lively style
Classic Callaway – the up-and-comer (Callaway is the new kid, but she is bound to be the next homecoming queen!)
Classic Callaway hand calligraphed envelope
The hand-written note is making a come-back! Just ask the
New York Times. Emotion comes alive in a way that electronic communication simply cannot. I am often commissioned to calligraph a toast or a quote or something special to be framed. It doesn’t have to be long or fancy (or written by you)…just intentional. In the words of that brilliant booze-hound
Don Draper, “Make it simple, but significant.”
Unique uses for hand calligraphy: I get a lot of interesting requests. I was recently asked to be part of a truly elaborate beach engagement! My client commissioned me to hand-paint their song on 4 canvas banners. She also had me calligraph promises on 30 different cards to be tied with ribbon to a tree over the candlelight picnic. Her girlfriend is a wedding photographer, and my client made up an alias email and hired her to photograph this special engagement…..but when she arrived to photograph the engagement, she realized it was for her! She said, yes, yes, yes!!
The promise cards for the engagement was a really meaningful one. Wedding toasts and vows mixed with custom painting is a favorite. Right now, I love doing the custom nursery rhymes. And of course, every Christmas, the Santa letters are fabulous! And I am REALLY excited about my new line of Artful Correspondence – hand-illustrated correspondence card sets.
Favorite calligraphy trends: Art that has staying power always gets my vote. A symbol or monogram that can be used after your wedding (which look fantastic on dance floors!), the bride’s married name custom-designed so she can put it on letterpressed stationery and more is an excellent gift. I love these trends, especially the ‘avere’ ‘tenere’ chairs….mais bien sur!
How did you get your start as a calligrapher? My mother Kaye Hanna is an incredible artist, master calligrapher, and my instructor. So, I am turning into my mother! Truthfully, if I end up with a fraction of her talent, I will be a lucky girl.
Blue Danube hand calligraphed envelope
London script – perfect for your thank you note to Her Majesty. Or your wedding at Ascot.
Honoured Guest hand calligraphed envelope
Embellished Honoured Guest – a fuller version of Honoured Guest
