Are Wedding Invitations Handwritten? Using Calligraphy Fonts In Your Wedding Invitation Suite.
One of the most common questions I get is: “Are wedding invitations supposed to be handwritten?” And it’s a great question! Because to the untrained eye, it’s hard to tell what’s real calligraphy vs. a design that uses a calligraphy-style font.
Wedding etiquette will tell you that your envelope addresses should be handwritten. But real talk? Not everyone has beautiful handwriting, or the time (or budget) to hire a calligrapher. And that’s okay. Today, we're going to talk about calligraphy and fonts, and how your wedding stationer will use calligraphy fonts to create a beautiful, unique invitation suite for you.
Calligraphy vs. Calligraphy Fonts
Calligraphers are true artists. They create every letter by hand, considering how each stroke flows into the next. The spacing, the balance, the flourishes, it’s all intentional, and it results in one-of-a-kind pieces. A wedding invitation that is handwritten will be 100% unique, and if you look closely, you will see very small differences between the letters, usually in the height of the same letter throughout the design.
How Much Does Wedding Calligraphy Cost?
That isn’t an easy answer, since it often depends on the amount of calligraphy you want on your design. The price will vary if you want just headings or the entire invitation. I occasionally hire calligraphers for envelope addressing, so if you'd like to combine calligraphy with my print designs, we can certainly do that!
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Calligraphy Fonts
But here’s the thing: not every couple needs (or wants to invest in) full hand-calligraphed invitations. That’s where designers like me come in!
Many calligraphers now transform their penmanship into fonts, meaning I can bring that beautiful, organic feel to your suite using professionally designed calligraphy fonts. And because I work in Adobe Illustrator (not Canva or a template-based system), I can customize every letter. Really! This can give you the look of a handwritten wedding invitation (without the price tag of handwritten!).
I’ll often have 2-3 different styles for each uppercase letter and 3-10 options for those showcase letters - l, h, f, g, y - any chance to add a good flourish. In graphic design software, I’ll have a palette of these letters up, and I’ll work through different options to find the right balance. Something like this:
How Do I Create the Look of Handwritten Wedding Invitations
This is where the design magic happens. When I lay out a semi-custom suite, I often place your names one letter at a time! I start with the most basic versions of each letter, then I start to play around. Here's the start:
This might be perfect for Jenna and Spencer. I've had conversations with them about their font preferences, and we walk through how ‘flourishy’ they like their calligraphy. All the swirls or just clean and tidy. They asked if I could jazz this version up a bit, so we swung to the more swirly end next.
I look at the letters in your name and see where those showcase letters are. I look at the swashes I have available and see if they trail to the right or to the left - balance is key. This might be too much, so we can swing somewhere to a middle ground.
What I look for specifically is making sure that those showcase letters have flourish, but not the same flourish. Take a look at those l's. They're similar, but not identical, so this can help a font look more like you hired a calligrapher for your wedding invitations.
Want That “Wow” Factor Without the Work?
That’s why you hire a professional. You don’t have to know the difference between glyphs and swashes or worry if your blue will print too purple. I’ve got you. When we work together, I’ll guide you through every detail, show you font previews with your names, and help you create something that feels timeless, romantic, and completely “you.”
So whether you want something clean and simple or swirling with calligraphy charm, I’ll help you get it just right. Get a quote today!
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