Is it just me, or is calligraphy suddenly trendy? I’ve been seeing calligraphy workshops, books and starter kits popping up everywhere! Maybe I notice this more since I decided to do my own calligraphy for my wedding and have been trying to teach myself the basic skills, figure out how to properly hold my pen holder, deciding which nib(s) I like the look of best, and which ones work best for me. And then there’s the practice. Lots and lots and lots of practice.

When I started off down this path, I did some research on what to get and it turns out, there’s a lot of great things out there to help you get started. I bought Molly Suber Thorpe’s book titled Modern Calligraphy and it’s been a great reference. There’s plenty of great starter kits too! These two, one from LH Calligraphy and the other from Everly Calligraphy, are beautiful! They also come complete with a manual, nibs, a pen holder and ink!

If you’re looking to get started, here’s a few things I ordered and love…

• pen holder, oblique is recommended for right handers and straight for lefties! (I’m right-handed and have been practicing with a straight pen holder, but just ordered the oblique pen holder)
• assorted pointed nibs
• super black india ink, this probably isn’t the fanciest, but it’s good for practice

And at the end of the day, you decide you just want to buy a pretty font for invites or just for fun, Snippet & Ink has a list of 50 gorgeous fonts!

1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 / 8 / 9 / 10

I definitely wasn’t one of those girls who had their whole wedding planned out before I got engaged, so since then I’ve been scouring Pinterest for inspiration. Being a designer, paper products were something I always looked forward to designing and picking out. I’ve gone from loving all kinds of styles, but when it comes to my own wedding, I lean towards something a little more traditional. Okay, so maybe not that traditional, but traditional in the calligraphy and simple crisp font sense.

I love the calligraphy in these and I love the handwritten invites even more! I’m also loving the darker or colored paper with lighter color script on them — so gorgeous!

It’s tough for me to pick a favorite from these, but the last four pictured here are high on my list! What about you?

images via

Well, this will be the first of probably many (don’t worry, not too many) wedding-related posts. As excited as I am to marry my best friend, some of the planning has already gotten me a bit stressed. There’s just so much! And when you have a full time job, a puppy and a life to attend to, it can make me feel a little overwhelmed.

We locked down a venue, which took a huge weight off my shoulders, and have been slowly working on the other details. My mom will be coming to visit a few more times, and she’s far more organized than me, thank goodness!

My sister, Katherine, gets here on Saturday morning and we’re going to do a little dress shopping. After falling head over heels with Israel-based wedding gown designer, Inbal Dror, I’ve been on the search for stockists in the Chicago area. And wouldn’t you know that a bridal shop in town was having a trunk show this weekend.

The gorgeous lace, long trains, mixed fabrics, unique silhouettes, deep backs and the attention to every last detail…what else could a girl ask for!?

Her dresses are a little, okay, maybe a lot, out of my budget, but a girl can dream right? And if anything else, I think trying some one will give me a better idea of what I really want in a dress so that I can find one that’s perfect for me!