Calligraphy sets the tone of a wedding invitation before a single word is read. Here are the styles couples in India choose most often, and how to pick between them.
Popular calligraphy styles for invitations
- Copperplate: formal, slanted and flowing, with thin upstrokes and thicker downstrokes. A classic choice for traditional and luxury weddings, and the style we use at Lettering Buff.
- Modern brush calligraphy: relaxed, bouncy strokes with a hand-written feel. Works well for contemporary and destination weddings.
- Spencerian and ornate scripts: decorative, vintage-inspired lettering with elaborate capitals, suited to heritage themes.
- Blackletter (Gothic): dramatic, dense lettering that suits bold or royal themes, best used for short lines such as names.
- Devanagari calligraphy: lettering for Hindi and Sanskrit text, popular for shlokas, blessings and bilingual invitations.
- Gurmukhi calligraphy: lettering for Punjabi and Gurbani text, often used for Anand Karaj invitations and blessings.
How to choose a style
- Match the style to your theme: formal scripts for traditional weddings, brush styles for modern ones.
- Prioritise legibility for names, dates and venue details.
- Use one main style and at most one accent style.
- Pick an ink colour that contrasts with the paper. We offer gold, silver, black, red and mauve inks on our handwritten letters.
Hand-lettered pieces beyond the invitation
Calligraphy also makes wedding keepsakes. See our handwritten letters and scroll letters, engraved wedding gifts, and the calligraphy services on our services page. To discuss invitations, message us on WhatsApp at +91 78303 50013.