Freshen Up for Fall

Now that autumn has blown some of the heat and humidity out of the way, Kate, Julie, and I thought we'd offer up some new hand-writing samples for Elegant Scribbles. Bolder stationery colors and brighter, metallic inks are being requested more and more often, so we want to showcase some of those options.

If you're planning a wedding, one of the first things you have to consider is letting people know about your big day. But you're really busy. Or maybe your hand-writing isn't that great, but you don't want to run your expensive wedding stationery through a printer or you can't afford a calligrapher. Well, that's what we do best at Elegant Scribbles. We offer a lovely, personal, cost effective way to address your save-the-dates and invitations and hand-write your place cards and thank you notes, including three distinctive cursive styles and three distinctive block lettering styles.

Or perhaps your company or organization is holding a gala event or fund-raiser. You know if you slap on computer-generated address labels, chances are good that your invitation won't even be opened. But a hand-addressed envelope is hard to ignore. Elegant Scribbles has experience addressing invitations with guest lists of 1500+. And we're here to help with the place cards, as well.

And the holidays are coming up. We love addressing holiday cards for corporate or personal clients.

What else could you use a personal scribe for? We've filled out certificates, written letters, and hand-lettered menu cards. We'd love to help!

For now, enjoy the colors of autumn and nip in the air. And remember, we write, you relax!

The Dreaded Thank You Note

Any child receiving a birthday present or any couple opening a stack of wedding gifts knows that the downside to being showered with wonderful loot is having to write the dreaded thank you note. (Cue ominous music) It's not that the recipients aren't grateful for the time, thought, and cost that has gone into the gift or favor. It's not that anyone's shy about saying "Thanks!" It's just, well, there do seem to be a lot of roadblocks between opening the gift and slapping a stamp on a completed note of gratitude.

We write a lot of thank you notes for our Elegant Scribbles clients, so we understand how daunting the whole process can seem. A couple of big things put people off of writing notes right from the start. Let's see. There's time, of course. It does take time to assemble cards, stationery, and stamps, track down a pen that doesn't blob or skip, and then try to think of something to say that doesn't sound formulaic, silly, or ungrateful.

And skill. A good thank you note requires a little mental and physical skill. The note should contain a something personal (I always love your gifts, or How did you know this is my favorite game?, or We were so glad you could join us at the wedding!), so you have to do a bit of thinking about that. Of course, sometimes diplomacy is needed, especially if the gift is, well, just not the right thing (bunny slippers for a 12-year-old boy, or a couple's 16th gravy boat). And the handwriting should be fairly legible, so that the thankee can read what the thanker wrote.

Face it, just thinking about the whole process can cause even the most stout-hearted nose-to-the-grindstone type to run through a gamut of procrastination techniques, like cleaning toilets and mowing lawns. May I suggest a few tips that might light a little thank you note fire under any notewriter?

1. Distinctive note cards or paper: There are lots of ways to create either folded- or post-cards via various photo sites like Shutterfly, Snapfish, Kodak, etc., using your own photos and designs, so go forth and have fun. Let kids help design their own cards, and they'll be proud to show 'em off (even if they have to write a thank you note to do it). 
2. Great pens: Go to a store with a good selection, buy a few different tips and ink types, then take them home and try them out on your stationery. Select the one(s) that feel right to you. And the most expensive pen may not always be the one that suits you best.
3. Stamps: Have them handy. Order online from USPS or design your own (yes, you can do that). Nothing slows down the thank-you-note-writing process more that knowing that you have to make a trip to the post office to buy the stamps. No excuses now!
4. Template: OK, yes, you're going to need to spend a little time crafting your note. If you create a template or two, you won't have to sweat so hard over each note. I'm not talking a cookie-cutter note, but a guide to simplify things. Elements of the note do require specific information, for example what the gift was and a brief personal line, but the framework can be the same for all the notes. It doesn't have to be long and involved: a greeting, opening line of thanks for the gift, something special or particular about the gift/giver/event, closing line, and signature.
5. Address List: Names, addresses, and the specific gift.

Yes, yes, yes. It seems a lot up front, but trust me. Gather all your stuff (and have fun doing it), create your template, and start writing. Once you get the system down - say, after a couple of birthdays or bridal showers - you'll be able to zip off a lovely, much appreciated note in no time.

And who knows? After one or two wonderful thank you notes, Aunt Mabel may forego giving you bunny slippers and opt for something you'll really like!

Mastering the Ampersand

A few weeks ago a client specified the use of ampersands when hand-addressing her wedding invitations in keeping with the design of the return address on her envelopes. Elegant Scribbles rarely uses the ampersand on wedding invitations, since we follow the more formal addressing guidelines which require spelling out the word "and," streets/avenues, and state names. I have to admit that I was a little worried about the ampersand request. That little curlicue thingy that substitutes for "and" is something I don't write well.

So I set to work practicing. First I did a little research, checking on all the symbols that can pass as an ampersand, just to see which one I could master in a fluid form of writing. The backward "s" version didn't work for me at all. After attempting writing it over and over for about 10 minutes, it became clear to me that it was never going to leap smoothly off my pen.

I moved on to a version of a backward "3." The trick to this version of the ampersand is in whatever little flourish you add to the basic symbol. The good news is that I managed to master the backward "3" quickly, neatly, fluidly. But which curlicue to add? I practiced several variations and settled on a tiny squiggle at the lower tip of the mark.

The only worry I had was that the bride-to-be might want my ampersand to match the one on her envelope. If it was a backward "s," I was in trouble. I decided not to bring it up to the client until I received the envelopes to address. Imagine my relief when the ampersand printed on the back of the envelope was almost exactly like the one I'd mastered. Whew!

Since that first ampersand request, I've had two other projects that required the use of the symbol - gift tags and place cards. I'm not sure I've really mastered it, but making friends with that little flourish-connector has really come in handy.

So, how's your ampersand today?

Organizing Your Guest List

Thank goodness we live in the age of computers that lets us organize and format lists in a variety of ways. We don't have to rely on a trusty hand-written address book or a page full of white-outs on a typed page.

But as you pull together your guest list (the hardest part of planning a wedding, remember), you'll need to figure out which format and organization style works best for you. Many wedding sites like WeddingWire and The Knot offer a place to build your list into a database. Or you may opt to format your list in a spreadsheet program like Excel, or type it out in document form.

It doesn't matter how you organize it - alphabetically, by family, number of guests, geographical location, or eye color - but it must make sense to you and to whoever will be addressing your invitations. As a hand-addressing service that wrestles with wedding guest lists all the time, we Elegant Scribblers have a few guidelines to offer that will make your list's organization obvious to any and all.

1.  Many spreadsheet and databases let you add all sorts of information columns to your list - table numbers, gifts received, etc. - but please stick to these categories for the list you plan to use for addressing your invitations to avoid confusion:

• Salutation (Mr, Mrs, Ms, Dr, the Reverend, the Honorable, etc.)
• First name(s)/Last name(s): Make sure that the list is clear regarding married couples with one last name (Mr. and Mrs. Robert Smith), couples/partners with two last names (Mr. Robert Smith and Ms. Lois Jones, Mr. Robert Smith and Mr. Louis Jones, etc.), and families (Mr. and Mrs. Robert Smith and Miss Caroline Smith, or The Smith Family). If children are to be listed on the envelope, include their first and last names (Miss Caroline Smith and Mr Samuel Smith). Whatever the family make-up, make sure your list is very clear about how the guests are to be addressed on both outer and inner envelopes.
• Street Address, including apartment number, directional (NW, E), and building name if applicable.
• City, state (or country, if outside the U.S.), and zip or postal code. If you have guests from states in the northeast with zip codes that begin with 0 (like New Jersey), please double-check your list to make sure that the 0 is showing up at the front of the zip, since some spreadsheets ignore a 0 at the beginning of a number.

• Response card number, if you're numbering the response cards to correspond to the guests on your list. 

2.  Use 11pt or 12pt font size. We sometimes receive spreadsheets with 8pt, 9pt, or 10pt font size, making the list hard to read, so we take the time to reformat to larger fonts. Whether you're using your mom, your best friend, a calligrapher, or Elegant Scribbles to address your invitations, be kind to your invitation addresser's eyes, and use a larger font.

3.  Add grid lines to spreadsheets to separate the individual guests and addresses. This ensures that whatever format you're using, the names line up with the correct addresses.

4.  Print the list to double-check that categories aren't misaligned or have merged incorrectly during printing. Most of the lists Elegant Scribbles receives come via email attachment, but we always work from a printed list. Sometimes the list looks fine on the computer, but once it's printed the names and addresses don't line up, or odd character fonts show up. Printing is a good way to make sure your names and addresses are in order.

By all means utilize all the category options available to you as you organize your wedding guest list. But when it comes time to address the invitations, whittle those options down to the essentials to ensure that everything is perfectly clear to whoever's addressing your envelopes. After all, the goal is to get your invitations to your guests with correct names and addresses.

Questions or ideas? Elegant Scribbles is here to help!

Should Wedding Invitations Be Hand-addressed?

Simple answer? Yes.

I’ve heard all the arguments against hand-addressing and for pre-printed labels: nobody pays attention to the envelope, handwriting etiquette comes out of a pre-typewriter/computer age, anyone who cares about a label stuck on an envelope is petty. Well, the list goes on and on. Just follow some of the online discussion groups. It’s enough to sadden the heart of a lover of pens, inks, and fine paper. Sigh.

But let’s put this to a simple test.

You go to your mailbox, pull out a stack of mail, and start flipping through it. Bill, bill, flyer, ad, flyer, hand-addressed envelope, bill, ad, bill. Which one comes to the top? Which one do you open first, even if you don’t recognize the handwriting? I guaran-damn-tee you that hand-addressed envelope gladdens your heart in a way that no pre-printed label (even if from a friend) does. 

Why is that? Because it’s personal. It’s warm. Real ink on real paper. Someone took the time to address a card, letter, or invitation to you. Even if the script is hard to read, that’s the envelope that gets your attention. And isn’t that the feeling you want from your friends and family as they pull your wedding invitation from their mailboxes? “Oh, boy! Something wonderful!”

Your wedding invitation is the most important invitation you’ll ever send. You’ve spent hundreds of dollars on just the right paper, printing, design, and shape of these invites. It takes a wizard to assemble all the pieces correctly, tucking those darned thin tissue separators in-between the various response cards, directions, reception meal preferences, etc.

And you’re going to slap a pre-printed label on this work of art? Well, you may as well run off a few hundred “Come to Our Wedding” flyers on the old Xerox machine. All the expense for lovely paper and printing is for nought.

If you have lousy handwriting, don’t want to bother, or are short of time, you have several options:

• Call in your friends! Or family. You must know someone with lovely, readable handwriting. Ask a friend or two, a cousin, even friends’ mothers, to hand-address your invitations. Folks are always asking you “How can I help” in the run-up to your wedding, so take ‘em up on it. Have an invitation-addressing party (no wine until everything’s addressed!). This is your least expensive option. However, I suggest a gift card or bottle of wine as payment for this valuable service.

• Call in a calligrapher. This is the most expensive and time-consuming route, but there is some beautiful, interesting calligraphy out there. Check online for a calligrapher near you. Most have websites with samples of their work.

• Call in a hand-addressing service. I say this not in my own self-interest as partner in a handwriting/addressing service called Elegant Scribbles. Hand-addressing services are available in most places, or, like Elegant Scribbles, can serve clients in other locations. A hand-addressing service is sort of the best of both worlds – you get lovely hand-addressed invitations at a fraction of the cost of a calligrapher, plus a quick turn-around time.

Of course, Elegant Scribbles would love to help with your invitations, but even if you opt for a friend, a calligrapher, or a local hand-addressing service, I beg you to hand-address those glorious wedding invitations of yours.

People will notice. Whether they admit it or not.

The Hardest Part of Planning a Wedding

The guest list. There. Simple as that.

Not the dress. Not the caterer. Not the ceremony and reception venues. Not crazy vendors (though they do come in a distant second).

I guess you could argue the hardest part is finding a life-partner, but you should have that sorted before planning the wedding. If you're the only one contributing to the guest list, the level of difficulty goes way down. But usually two sides are building that list. And those two sides may have 3, 6, 12 people contributing names and addresses to one half of the list. Why, the pressure's enough to cause the stoutest constitution wither.

The very foundation of the service we offer at Elegant Scribbles - hand-addressing invitations - is the guest list. We cannot put pen to fine paper stock until we have a list to work with. Which means that your timely invitations can't be assembled and mailed. Until we have . . . The List.

Pulling that list together takes more time and effort than selecting, ordering, and receiving that lovely stationery. The guest list, after all, is a budget issue. How many people can you seat in the wedding venue or afford to feed and water at the reception? Once you determine the bottom-line number of folks you can invite, then the battle really begins. Prepare yourself for bargaining, pleading, and the downright ruthless striking off of names. Also be prepared for missing addresses, errant zip codes, and interesting spellings. Quadruple-check everything.

You may have always thought your best friend's last name was spelled "Green," only to find out that it's really "Greene." Better check that. Is it your aunt, your uncle, or both who rate the title Dr.? Better check that. The zip code for Boise doesn't look quite right. Better check that.

Wedding invitation addressing protocol is quite complex. Most stationery comes with the proper way to address outer, inner, and response envelopes. To get an idea of what you'll be facing etiquette-wise, check out resources online. One of my favorites is My Gatsby, but wedding sites like The Knot and Wedding Wire can clue you in, as well.

Many brides build their list on Excel or some other spreadsheet, or type them out using Word or a similar word processing program. Some use wedding websites like The Knot to create a database of names and addresses (and more). However you choose to do it, make sure it's easy to read and access. And that you've quadruple-checked the details. Once that's done you're ready to address the invitations.

Yep. It's easy-breezy as soon as all the names and addresses are on the spreadsheet or database. I wish you all good luck with it, brides- and grooms-to-be!

Turning Wedding Experience into a Business

This MoBster learned a lot in the year-and-a-half run-up to Daughter's wedding. Most of what I learned I've shared here, but something unexpected grew out of our wedding experience. A new business was born.

No, I'm not a wedding planner. Yikes! Hats off to folks who do that full-time. But I found another niche that has become a nice little sideline for Daughter and me. We got the idea because a) the amount of time - and sometimes money, if brides opt for calligraphy - it takes to address and stuff wedding invitations, and b) we both have good handwriting.

Kate and I hand-addressed her invitations rather than sending them to a calligrapher because we like the look of natural handwriting. It seemed a more personal approach. Might this be something we could do for other brides who don't have the time, money for a calligrapher, or good enough handwriting to do this themselves?

In December 2008, I put an ad on craigslist here in NYC offering my handwriting services. I had no idea whether anything would come of it. Believe it or not I got two quick jobs from the ad: one for addressing baby announcements and one for writing thank you notes for a recent bride (she provided the copy, I just wrote it long-hand for her). Elegant Scribbles was born.

Over the past 2 1/2 years, the business has ticked right along. Daughter joined the endeavor last year, so now we have an Atlanta branch. While we also address for corporate and non-profit events (and we have some great clients!), most of our work stems from brides-to-be - engagement party invitations, save-the-dates, wedding invitations, and thank you notes.

Over this Memorial Day weekend, I'm addressing, stuffing and stamping 175 wedding invitations for a couple here in New York. But location doesn't matter for Elegant Scribbles. Most of our clients are from New York and Atlanta, but we've had clients from Illinois, California, Florida, and other states. Daughter and I have very different handwriting styles, and neither are location-specific. Have pens, will write and ship!

So you never know what will grow out of your wedding experience. Besides a great marriage, of course!

And if you're really interested in our work, visit Elegant Scribbles at http://www.elegantscribbles.com/, our ad on The Knot, or follow us on Facebook and @elegantscribble on Twitter.