Frequently Asked Questions

+ Pricing

How much do you charge for envelope addressing (or Day Of Calligraphy, special projects, logo design work, Quaker Style Marriage Certificates, etc.)?

You can find our current pricing structure on the pricing page of our website. For special projects, you can contact us for an estimate.

+ TIMING

How long does it take for you to write out a set of envelopes? Generally we require two to three weeks to complete a set of 100 outer envelopes. That may vary depending on the amount of work involved in any given project. Please contact us to see if we have availability during your desired timeframe.

How long does it take for you to write out a set of escort cards and/or place cards?

Generally we require 5-7 business days to write out Day Of materials for clients. As with envelope addressing, that timing estimate may vary depending on the amount of work required for your specific project. Please contact us to see if we have availabilty in the week or so leading up to your wedding or event.

Do you offer “rush” service?

No, we don’t offer rush service at present.

+ Lettering Styles and Ink Colors

What sort of lettering styles do you offer? Can I see samples of your work?

We offer a wide range of lettering styles, ranging from classic and elegant to modern and fun. You can see a sample of each on the Styles page. You can also see examples of our past work throughout our website, snippets of our work in process on our blog and publications where our work has been showcased our Accolades page. Should you decide that you would definitely like to work with us, we will be happy to take a look at your invitations and give you our thoughts on which of our lettering styles might be the best complement.

Do you charge different rates depending on the lettering style I choose?

No! The pricing remains the same regardless of the lettering style you select.

Do you offer computer-generated calligraphy?

All of our calligraphy is created by hand, by Michele, using fine inks and pen nibs. We do not offer computer-generated calligraphy.

Can you replicate the typographical font used on the invitations we purchased from our stationer?

No, we are unable to copy specific fonts. We are hopeful, however, that by offering such a large variety of lettering styles that we will be able to point you towards one that will be a lovely complement to your invitations.

We would love to use charcoal gray (or green or orange or brown or gold…) ink on our envelopes. Do you charge extra for that?

We are happy to use an ink color other than traditional black at no additional charge. We have written out projects in every color you can imagine, from hot pink to grass green to metallic gold and everything in between.

Do you use waterproof ink?

Yes! We would hate for you to have even the slightest worry about sending your freshly-inked envelopes out during less-than-ideal weather, so we use waterproof ink on all of our envelope projects.

Do you have the ability to write on shiny metallic paper?

Yes, we have written out many sets of “shiny envelopes.”

+ logistics

We have reviewed your lettering styles and pricing structure and we would really like to work with you! How do we go about booking your services?

That’s wonderful news! The next step is to see if we have availability within your desired timeframe. We book our calendar up to nine months in advance, filling it on a first-come, first-served basis, so please contact us to see if we will be able to ink you into our calendar. (We hope we can!!)

Assuming you have availability on your calendar, how shall we get our envelopes (or seating cards, etc.) to you?

Once you have a confirmed spot on our calendar, we can set a time for you to drop your envelopes or seating cards off at Meant To Be Calligraphy’s design studio, which is located near the Del Ray area of Alexandria. Alternately, you can ship your envelopes or paper stock to us (we will provide the shipping address once you have a confirmed spot on our calendar). Once your project is complete, you may either pick it up in person or we can ship it back to you at your cost via courier (for those local to the Washington, D.C. area), USPS, Fed-Ex or UPS. Please note that tracking and insurance will need to be added to any packages that we ship to you.

Do we need to include extra blank envelopes (or seating cards) beyond the number that need to be written out?

Yes! We always ask our clients to include additional blank paper stock, ideally 20 percent, beyond the number that need to be written out. These extra envelopes/seating cards/table markers, etc. act as a buffer against ink smudging and splattering, which is an unfortunate (and regular) occurrence when real ink is used.

In what format should we send you our address list?

Here are some thoughts to keep in mind as you are pulling together the address list:

We will need to receive the addresses electronically, as two separate Microsoft Word documents, one for the inner envelopes and one for the outer envelopes (assuming you have both).

Please format the list(s) the way you’ll want the envelopes to be written out. For example, if you would like for us to use an ampersand instead of “and” between Mr. & Mrs., please use an ampersand on your list. If you would like Apartment 504 to be written out completely, please spell it out that way and give it its own line on your list. (Alternately, if you prefer to keep the apartment on the same line as the street address, please abbreviate it to Apt. or No. or # and leave it next to the street address on your list). If you would like for us to spell out the names of the states, please spell them out on your list. If you would like for us to put the zipcode on its own line underneath the city and state, please put it on its own line on your list (but please note that, as with spelling out the word Apartment and placing it on its own line, an additional line charge will be incurred).

The reasons we ask to have the list(s) prepared this way are fourfold: first, it’s really difficult for us to read across a spreadsheet as we work, so we much prefer for the outer envelope list to be stacked, i.e.:

Name
Street address
City, State Zip

Second, we will write everything out exactly as you have it on your list so that the finished envelopes appear just as you want then to look.

Third, we will write out the outer envelopes first and then the inner envelopes, hence our request for separate lists (but we will keep each set in order, so you can just set each stack side by side and it should make for easy stuffing).

And finally, since our rate is by the line, we want to be sure that the end cost is exactly what you expect it will be (we won’t add any lines unless absolutely necessary for space reasons and will ask you before we do, should it become necessary).

In what format should we send you our seating card list?

For name-and-seating assignment escort cards, please send the list electronically as a Microsoft Excel file. Please put the name of the guest in a single cell in Column A and the seating assignment adjacent in Column B. This will help us be certain what exactly is to go on each card.

For name-only place cards, we also prefer a Microsoft Excel file, sent electronically. Please put each name in a single cell in Column A, just as you wish each to read.

As with envelope addressing, we will write everything out exactly as you have it on your list, so please be sure to proof your list prior to sending so that every name is spelled correctly. Thanks!

After our order is complete, we may need to have additional envelopes or seating cards written out. How does that work?

As long as our schedule allows, we are more than happy to accommodate stragglers and changes after your order is complete. Please note that such requests will be subject to a $25 set up fee plus the cost of the actual work. You will also be responsible for postage/packaging costs if the stragglers need to be shipped back to you.

+ CLASSES AND ON-SITE EVENTS

I really want to learn calligraphy! Do you offer classes?

Yes! As featured in Southern Living magazine, Washingtonian Magazine and Washington Post Express, we are pleased to share that we regularly teach modern pointed pen calligraphy and modern brush lettering workshops in the Washington, DC area (including Washington, DC proper, Alexandria, Fairfax, Charlottesville, Middleburg and Baltimore) and we would love to have you join us! You can find out information on and register for the classes we teach on our Workshops page. For returning students, we offer both our Continuing with Modern Pointed Pen Calligraphy workshop quarterly as well as our less formal, monthly Calligraphy Study Table sessions. We can also teach a private class for your group of six to ten students. Please contact us to discuss, if that's of interest.

We are having an event and we think it would be fantastic to have a calligrapher on site to create custom note cards (or write our custom valentines or New Year’s resolutions or something similar) for our guests as takeaway favors. Do you ever do on-site calligraphy?

Yes! We are able to appear at select events with pen and ink in hand to surprise and delight party-goers with a live demonstration of our craft. Please contact us to let us know more about what you have in mind.

+ REFERENCES

Has any of your calligraphy been featured in print in wedding magazines and/or online in wedding blogs?

We are thrilled to say that our work has been featured in a myriad of places, from print publications such as Martha Stewart Weddings, Brides, Southern Living, Southern Weddings, Southern Living Weddings, Weddings Unveiled, Destination I Do, Washington Post Express, Washingtonian, Washingtonian Mom and Washingtonian Bride & Groom (the latter of which named us “One to Watch” in 2012 and “Top Vote Getter” for years 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018 in its elite Washington’s Best Vendor Guide) to blogs such as Style Me Pretty, Green Wedding Shoes, Ruffled, Oh So Beautiful Paper, 100 Layer Cake and many more. Our work also appeared in Abby Larson’s gorgeous book, Style Me Pretty Weddings, and a book called I ♥ Stationery, by UK-based author Charlotte Rivers, as well as the title treatment for Ellen McCarthy's book The Real Thing. You can find more about many of the places where our work has been shown on our Accolades page.

Do you have examples of how your calligraphy has been used in real weddings and parties?

Yes! Happily, many of our clients have had their weddings and events featured in magazines and wedding blogs such as Martha Stewart Weddings, Washingtonian Bride & Groom, Style Me Pretty, Oh So Beautiful Paper and elsewhere. You can find links to features on many of our clients’ weddings (and parties!) on our Real Weddings + Celebrations page.

Can we read reviews from some of your past clients?

Absolutely! We are always grateful when our clients take the time to write a review of our work. You can read those reviews here.

+ PAYMENT

Do you require a deposit?

At present, we do not require a deposit, but we do appreciate and require payment in full upon completion of the finished work.

What sort of payment do you accept?

We can accept cash or a check, made out to Meant To Be Calligraphy. At present we do not accept credit cards for custom work.