Vow renewal

My husband and I are coming up for 9 years of marriage this year, which means that next year, 2013, will be our whopping 10-year anniversary. Where does the time go?! Anyway, one of the things we are looking forward to doing to mark a milestone anniversary one of these years is renewing our marriage vows.

I love hearing about people doing this, because it re-establishes the commitment they made to each other on their wedding day. After being married some time, either with children or without, the couple has undoubtedly gone through some hardships, losses and other tough times and this is a way to say "yes, we are still together, we are still connected, and we make this promise to each other again today."

Of course, now that we are geographically located in Florida, we might want to renew our vows barefoot on the beach (hint, hint, Stephen).

Have you marked a milestone anniversary by renewing your vows to your spouse? How do you feel about this - is one wedding enough, or would you go for it?

Holiday weekend weddings

This weekend, as we celebrate Memorial Day and remember the servicemen and women who have sacrificed time away from their families, their safety and even their lives for our freedom,  there have also been plenty of festive events happening on the home front - namely weddings.

I'm reminded of my own wedding reception at The Berkeley Plaza in New Jersey back in 2004, when my husband and I celebrated our union with lots of family members and friends...it was July 4th weekend, another holiday.

People warned me about having my wedding celebration on a holiday weekend for a couple of good reasons, but to me there are pros and cons. The pro: due to the fact that it's a holiday weekend, you may end up with a fabulous turnout, with lots of friends and family members in attendance because most people have an extra day or two off from work - thus the people who live out of state will have extra time to consider traveling, etc. The con: due to the fact that it's a holiday weekend, you may have significantly less of a turnout, because people who have an extra day or two off from work tend to make extended plans with their own families. They aren't obliged to come to your event.

                                                                     (Whoops...)


In the case of our wedding celebration, the July 4th weekend turned out not to be a big issue. How about for you? Has anyone had or is anyone planning to have their wedding on a holiday weekend? For those who have, what were your experiences? Leave your thoughts!



Communicate, communicate, communicate...

Brides, imagine this scenario: your event is still several months away, you've made your checklist, and you are reaching out to vendors you have either researched online or who have been recommended to you through word-of-mouth referrals. You wait and wait, and they don't call you back or answer your emails. Sound familiar?

All too often, vendors do not communicate with their clients, and we all know that this leaves a bad taste in people's mouths.

Vendors, even if you are busy, it is essential that you make contact with potential clients right away. Here are a couple of reasons why:

1) Service matters. The first impression of the service that you provide is the initial contact, not the quality of your work. The outcome of your work may be stellar, but if you fail to get back to people in a timely way, they will write you off and move on. People are on deadlines and no one wants to work with someone who is flighty, because that sends the message that you aren't trustworthy. I usually follow the 24-hour rule for getting back to every inquiry. A few brides have actually admitted that when their choice came down to me and one or two other calligraphers, I was hired because I was the only one who called / wrote them back. Ouch!

2) Your reputation also matters. You may be a fantastic artist / vendor, but if clients have found you to be a "diva" to work with because you need to be chased down, your overall reputation will suffer, resulting in less-than-favorable client reviews and a bad "buzz". In short, the key is to communicate, even if it's to tell your clients that you're away from the office until X date (and remember to get back to them immediately upon your return), or if you need to push the deadline out for whatever emergency reason. You will definitely close more business and have pleasant transactions because you care.

And a final note to brides and their families:  if your vendors do not communicate with you, remember to follow up with them. Hopefully they are normally in touch and this is just a fluke, but just in case, it's good to reach out a second time to remind them that you are still waiting.

Wishing you all, as always, a stress-free experience! :)

DIY escort cards with calligraphy

I've been posting pictures of many recent calligraphy projects on my Facebook page, including damask escort cards and invitation envelopes in handwritten script for an 8th birthday beach party (check them out - the flip-flop invitations were adorable).

This week I had the opportunity to work with Sandy Rule Events on the escort cards for one of her clients. The bride, a teacher, was DIY-ing several of the table decorations and had made leaves out of card stock for the escort cards, to be displayed on a tree with crystals. Can't wait to see professional pictures of this! :)

In the meantime, Sandy asked me to do the calligraphy for the event, in an ink color called "copper burst." Here's a sneak peak:

Congratulations to Kaitlyn and her fiance, and best wishes for a fabulous wedding this weekend!

Fabulous review - Carolyn's invitations

When Carolyn K. called me in a pinch from her Palm Harbor home, the family member she had lined up to do the calligraphy for her wedding invitations had gone out of town, so she needed to get them done within a week. Luckily she found my website online and we got to work together - what a real treat!

I was humbled by the review she submitted to Wedding Channel and Wedding Wire after the invitations went out. Here's what she had to say...

"I wanted the invites to make an impression when the guests first saw them. I searched online for calligraphers and Calligraphia by Melissa popped up. It must have been fate! Her website is very nicely done and her amazing talent surprisingly affordable! I am fortunate to live in the same area as her so I actually met with her! She treated me like a sister! Melissa got my invites to me so quickly, it was unbelievable! My guests are calling/texting how BEAUTIFUL the calligraphy looks!!! Several have asked me for her contact information to utilize her unparalleled talent for upcoming events!!! Thank you so very much Melissa!!!!! XOXOXO Carolyn (FL)"

Thank *you* too, Carolyn! It's been a great pleasure to work with you.

graphic design and calligraphy: two distinct visual arts

Many people outside the arts often assume that a calligrapher is a graphic designer. While graphic design may include calligraphy, these are two distinct practices that fall into the realm of the "visual arts."

Graphic design has been called "a creative process—most often involving a client and a designer and usually completed in conjunction with producers of form (i.e., printers, signmakers, etc.)—undertaken in order to convey a specific message (or messages) to a targeted audience. The term "graphic design" can also refer to a number of artistic and professional disciplines that focus on visual communication and presentation." (source: Wikipedia) It is used commonly in logos, publications, signage and other advertisements. My grandfather-in-law was a graphic artist back when work was all done by hand, and he used gouache paint to execute his designs.

                           

 "Modern calligraphy ranges from functional hand-lettered inscriptions and designs to fine-art pieces where the abstract expression of the handwritten mark may or may not compromise the legibility of the letters (Mediavilla 1996). Classical calligraphy differs from typography and non-classical hand-lettering, though a calligrapher may create all of these; characters are historically disciplined yet fluid and spontaneous, at the moment of writing (Pott 2006 and 2005; Zapf 2007 and 2006)." (source: Wikipedia)

Because letter forms are artistically created, calligraphy may overlap with graphic design; however, it shouldn't be assumed that a calligrapher is by definition also a graphic designer, printer or signmaker. These are distinct visual arts with distinct purposes.

quick tip: turnaround time for handwritten calligraphy

One of the FAQs I receive from clients is the following: "what is your turnaround time?"

I often ask clients to book time for calligraphy in advance - once they have ordered their invitations and have an approximate date by which they will receive them, they should let their calligrapher know so that time can be scheduled.

The turnaround time for each calligrapher may vary - I usually tell my clients that a project of envelopes will take about 7-10 days to complete by hand, and a project of place cards will take less time than this (about 1 week) to complete. When working by mail or courier, we also budget 2-3 days for shipping each way, depending on where the client is located.

Brides, remember to budget your time effectively (and read more here about this in terms of wedding invitations) to keep your wedding planning stress-free!