One early dawn Kate had a dream. I was meeting with this prospective bride at her home later in the evening. She wanted the names of the guests written on each invitation, which is the custom in her native Australia. And I really liked the idea of personalizing each one. The invitations were of a vintage style embossed with gold print. And Kate had requested that I write the names, in script style, with black ink.
In her dream she saw me having trouble writing with the black ink. When I arrived at her apartment in the village the next day she asked "Did you have any problems?" I smiled and took a deep breath. For while Kate had been dreaming of me, I had been thinking of her as I struggled to make the fine point pen work over the stubbly texture. Honestly, the black ink looked awful.
Since it was a rush job and it was well after midnight I had to make a decision on how to proceed. I knew Kate trusted me, since I'd been referred by a friend who had been pleased with my calligraphy service. I realized that the only way to do the project was to use a fine point gold marker. I worried about going ahead to finish the project, but I knew time was of the essence. So I took a few moments to meditate and seek divine guidance on my decision. When I opened my eyes I was confident I had her blessing to proceed -- so I did.
When she saw the invitations the next day she was thrilled. The gold ink sparkled and added to the elegance of the invitation. My prayer had been answered. Calligraphers usually don't have the time or inclination to pray over invitations -- unless they're desperate. But it often happens that the texture of the paper makes a job a terrible adventure.
Calligraphers understand that your wedding invitation is your proclamation of love for your wedding festivity. You may "ohhhh" and "ahhhh" over the invitations you've selected with never a thought about how the choice will work with pen and ink. So when you proudly present your beautiful invitations to your calligrapher, don't be shocked if you see a frown instead of a smile. For a calligrapher it is a moment of hell while running the fingers over the paper and wondering whether the texture of the envelope will be workable without spending too many sleepless nights experimenting to find the right pen and ink for the project.
There are several considerations to make before deciding on invitations.
#1 - Thickness of the envelopes.
In these tough economic times many couples are deciding to order their invites on line without having actually seen or touched the paper. While the price may be lean, the paper may be very thin. If the paper is thin there is often a problem for the calligrapher called "bleeding". This means that the ink absorbs into the paper and begins to spread ruining the writing. When this happens the calligrapher may have to use a very thin point and not be able to create the particular style that you wish.
#2 - Coating on the envelopes.
One nightmare project I had to tackle was writing on envelopes that had a coating of wax. Although the feel of the smooth surface pleased the couple, it made me cry. The prospective bride had her heart set on a delicate script style, but because of the wax coating on the envelope I had to use a thick pointed pen and use an heavier italic style because the paper wasn't absorbing the ink.
#3 - Dark envelopes.
Chocolate/dark brown and black envelopes are quite popular these days. But for the calligrapher the trick is to find an ink that will look good on the paper. Although my clients often request that I use white ink on brown or black envelopes, I find that it looks quite pasty and sometimes dries to an ugly off color. I usually recommend using a gold or silver. So be prepared to change your ideas when a calligrapher explains why white won't work.
All paper is different. Looking at it is one thing. Putting ink on it is quite another matter. So think about the possibility of problem when you make your choice of an invitation.
TIP OF THE DAY
When you invitations arrive, take one envelope and write on it with a fountain pen to get an idea of what the finished product may look like.
If you order dark envelopes experiment on one with a gold or silver fine point marker so you have an idea of what you like.
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