When planning your wedding you often times start with your venue and quickly begin imagining your day… Luckily for us, everyone’s vision is different and helping the design ideas come together to create the vision you’ve imagined is one of our favorite parts of our job! Sometimes something as small as the place cards can make a table setting pop. Today’s post is about Lori with Lori Raines Calligraphy Studio. Lori works her magic addressing envelopes, filling out marriage licenses, place cards…adding a special touch with paper can dress up your guest tables and bring your overall look together. Lori loves what she does and it shows in her work… Get to know Lori…

Champagne: How did you get into calligraphy? 

Lori: In 1996 I bought a book and Schaeffer calligraphy pen set at Michaels and taught myself.  In three years, 1999, I was teaching calligraphy classes at Michaels in Littleton, Colorado and loved what I was doing, so I parlayed it into a home business with my husband’s 100% support.  It’s the kind of art where you get tons of practice because you do the same thing over and over!  This is really a business of service and convenience because it is VERY time consuming to address 100+ envelopes and not have the lines slanting, or words misspelled!

Champagne: What different styles do you offer?

Lori: I offer traditional italic styles, as well as uncial, carolingian, more of a cursive style, and have recently added a Spencerian style which uses a totally different nib and nib holder than the italic styles.  It’s takes longer per envelope but looks soooo elegant and beautiful.  I also love to duplicate fonts.  Cezanne, Scriptina, Harrington, and Papyrus are some popular printing fonts I have added to my catalog of lettering styles and went over very well with brides!

Champagne: What would you say is something someone should look for when looking for a calligrapher?
Lori: Make sure they have done more than just their own wedding invitations.  I have seen some wedding calligraphy from others that embarrassed me.  We offer a wonderful service to brides, it should be professional and beautiful, not look like something you did messing around with some felt-tip pens and called “calligraphy”.  Remember, your envelopes will be the very first look into your wedding day or special event.  If you use labels, your invitation looks like junk mail.  Bad handwriting says you didn’t care enough to do your best.  Calligraphy, when done right, is so stunning.  Many of my brides tell me that SOMEONE they invited kept their envelope in a scrapbook because people rarely see their names written so beautifully!

Champagne: Do you have a minimum order?

Lori: Absolutely not.  If it’s YOUR day, then it’s important.  Make sure you are happy, whatever the size of the order.

Champagne: What do you do when you’re not doing what you do? 

Lori: I LOVE business.  The mentality behind entrepreneurship, forming business.  It fascinates me.  LOVE to crochet, have for 32 years, and am determined to teach myself to crochet sweaters I can wear after 130 afghans over the years.  I have a 20 year old daughter in the Navy, a five year old daughter I homeschool, and a husband that is responsible for me having my business in the first place.  When I told him what I wanted to do in October 2001 his response was, “So, what’s keeping you?  Get it going!” My biggest fan and cheerleader! 
1,300 brides and events later, envelopes addressed to Bette Midler, Huey Lewis, Billy Crystal, Diana Ross, Jimmy Buffett and other celebrities, dignataries, and loved ones later, I am STILL having fun doing this!  I started out with one generation of brides and now I get to work with their little sisters and cousins that contact me.  I was privileged to letter the scroll for the incoming hospital administrator of Portland Adventist Hospital a few years ago. I have worked on several Bar and Bat Mitzvahs, always a joy.  Lettering the vows of a couple I have worked with, or lettering a ketubah (Jewish wedding contract) is such a cool thing to be asked to do.  I’m watching the love go from “wedding” to “life”!
I enjoy meeting new wedding professionals and keeping strong relationships with professionals I have worked with for years.

Champagne: Anything else you’d like our readers to know?

Lori:I LOVE coordinating color schemes (I don’t charge extra for colored ink and love mixing it to match your colors) and tying in fonts with the addressing.  I learned an art deco style for a Sasha Souza wedding in 2005 and was thrilled to see it in Bride & Bloom Magazine Fall 2007 edition—the entire wedding was art deco with colors of gold, silver, bronze, and copper, and the lettering style just completed the entire look from invitation envelopes to escort cards, table numbers, place cards and favor tags.  It was stunning.  Coordinating the fonts and colors throughout your entire wedding leaves a seamless impression for your guests.  The whole day can be overwhelming for them, too, so keeping things tied together that way is not only eye-catching, but leaves them prepared to just ENJOY themselves and not have to adjust visually to so many new things.
 
Remember, there is a day after your wedding called your marriage.  It takes more work than planning your wedding day, so keep that day in perspective and remember, the real work begins after you say,“I do!” 

Champagne: Thank you, Lori, for telling us more about Lori Raines Calligraphy Studio! We look forward to working with you soon! Make sure to check out Lori’s website!

Check out previous posts from our 30 days of vendors:
Day 14 of 30: Peekaboo Portland
Day 13 of 30: Vibrant Table Catering & Events
Day 12 of 30: Joel Bock Photography
Day 11 of 30: True Love Sound
Day 10 of 30: Blum Floral Desgin
Day 9 of 30: Becerra Photography
Day 8 of 30: Black Butte Ranchy
Day 7 of 30: Cupcake Jones
Day 6 of 30: Mosca Photo
Day 5 of 30: Vibrant Table Flowers
Day 4 of 30: Premiere Catering
Day 3 of 30: Paul Rich Studio
Day 2 of 30: Bon Moment Inivitations
Day 1 of 30: Bryan Hoybook Photography
See what the 30 days of vendors is all about!

Cheers,
Mandi & Rachelle

Make sure you don’t miss our current promotion! Book your wedding or event coordination before January 30th, 2010 and receive 5% off your package!* Dates are booking quickly!

Don’t forget, we offer free consultations so you can learn if hiring a wedding planner would benefit you and if we’re the right match! We’d love to learn more about you, your fiance and your upcoming wedding plans!

*Not valid on previously booked packages. Contract and deposit must be returned by January 30th, 2010.