Introducing Georgia Williams and Queen’s Hand Calligraphy
A serendipitous inter-web “oops”
A few weeks ago, I received an email from another wedding professional, Georgia Williams, owner of Queen’s Hand Calligraphy, on the other side of the U.S., who was taking time to research and contact wedding planners across the country to begin networking and promoting her business. You all know that I am not a wedding planner, but I DO love to help people whenever I can, especially other wedding pros, so I looked at her website and social media and then we set up a time to chat. After spending a few minutes talking with Georgia, I knew I wanted to find a way to introduce her to my friends, family and couples…anyone who may love the idea of something beautifully handwritten (think custom wedding invitations, announcements, place cards, poems as a gift, holiday card envelopes, thank you card envelopes).
So, here we are…my little blog post…(and just because I know some folks will wonder, I do not receive anything from Georgia or Queens Hand Calligraphy for introducing her to you or for any future business she may receive – I just think she does amazing work and someone would love to see it.)
Meet Georgia Williams, the founder, owner and head Calligrapher of Queen’s Hand Calligraphy
Georgia has more than 40 years calligraphic experience with 15 of those years as a professional. She has a Bachelor’s degree from Loyola University and taught school for over thirty years. (maybe we should call her Saint Georgia?) Georgia told me that as a school teacher, she required her middle school students to write in cursive because she believes it develops a discipline in them for the rest of their lives. That sounds very teacher-like, doesn’t it?
Cursive writing – a lost skill
“Handwriting is more connected to a movement of the heart.” – Natalie Goldberg
I am of the age where penmanship was still taught in elementary school and our papers/homework still had a penmanship grading component through high school. If your assignment wasn’t neat enough for the teacher to read, you were going to get a bad grade. End of story. So…we learned to write as neatly as possible. I still admire the penmanship of my aunts, grandmother, great-aunts and even some friends. Their letters flow together so nicely with curves in the right places and it’s so easy to read. Unfortunately (or fortunately if you don’t like writing), with the entry and domination of the computer in the home, workplace and now schools, penmanship (aka cursive writing) is one of those skills that is truly being lost.
“Sending a handwritten letter is becoming such an anomaly. It’s disappearing. My mom is the only one who still writes me letters. And there’s something visceral about opening a letter – I see her on the page. I see her in her handwriting.” – Steve Carell
I see it each time one of my couples goes to sign their marriage certificate. There is a glint of panic in their eyes as they ask the question, “Do I have to write in cursive?” which is quickly followed up by “I don’t know how.” For those of us who have been out of the classroom for decades, this might not be a surprise, especially if our work doesn’t involve any writing, but even at my most recent elopement, the witnesses were young and still not confident in just signing their name in cursive.
Personally, I love to hand write notes, cards, envelopes, certificates, but I do know how intimidating it can be, so to have someone to go to who can write beautifully and create works of art on an envelope makes my heart sing with joy!
Calligraphy — the dance, on a tiny stage, of the living, speaking hand. – Robert Bringhurst
Resurrecting an Art Form
“Nothing can replace the hand-written word when it is done with beauty and grace.” Queen’s Hand Calligraphy
Back to Georgia. She began as a professional calligrapher when she and her daughter started a calligraphy business, which they ran together for about 15 years. They handled invitations and announcements for weddings, corporate events, bar/bat mitzvahs; legal certificates; love poems; Christmas card addressing for large corporations; place cards; and reception favor tags. Eventually, her daughter decided to make a career change and Georgia started Queen’s Hand Calligraphy.
Then…a global pandemic… and the world seemingly stopped – particularly the world of weddings and events. Thankfully though, Georgia hasn’t stopped and she is now in the process of resurrecting this art form that has seemingly gone by the wayside in this world of computers and machines and is sharing it with us.
Do you even remember the last time you received a hand-written letter or card in the mail? I don’t mean one with a mailing label (although these can be really nice too, especially at Christmas time), but an actual piece of mail that has your name and address handwritten (in cursive) on the front of the envelope and when you opened it up, there was paper inside with a hand-written note. Do you remember how it felt to receive it?
Do you still have it?
As you can see, I do. They’re special. I receive so few that I treasure them. I even have some of the notes I wrote to my mom when I lived in Ireland (because she saved them)!
You only get one chance to make a first impression
So, what if you would like to have custom lettered envelopes for your invitations or announcements of place cards for your reception, but it feels a bit royal-like. Well, conveniently enough, Georgia believes that just as every bride should feel like a princess on her wedding day, your guests want to feel special when they are being invited to a wedding. What better time to do this than with your invitations? After all, you only get one chance to make a first impression. All of the work done by Queen’s Hand Calligraphy is done by hand! Nothing is computer generated, which truly makes your guests feel that you (as a couple) took the extra time to make them feel special—like they are being invited to a truly wonderful event.
Most of my couples are having smaller weddings and elopements with between two and fifty guests. Sometimes, it is to save money, but most of the time, it is just who they are – they don’t want a lot of fuss or working parts that come with a large event, but they DO want their guests (family and close friends) to know how much they mean to the couple. There is an entire industry that creates custom wedding invitations now, but who do you get to write out the envelopes? Most of the time, they have typed labels or at best, they’re hand-printed; but…what if you could have your beautiful, custom-made invitations addressed by a professional, calligrapher, someone who has turned a lost skill into a beautiful art form? Now, receiving that in the mail would be something!
“Calligraphy is a kind of music not for the ears, but for the eyes.” – V. Lazursky
How does it work?
Intrigued?
Think it’s probably a “hassle” and maybe too much work?
According to Georgia, it’s not at all. It is their goal to make every one of their couples getting married have one less thing to worry about. It is obviously working. They have been told their process is the easiest part of wedding planning and they have a five-star rating on theknot.com.
All she needs from you is a type-written list of guests’ names and addresses and some envelopes. They will even stuff your invitations for a nominal fee.
Awesome, right? I know!
I’m already thinking of special items I would like hand calligraphed, including my Christmas card envelopes for next year. (OOhh!) How about you? Wedding invitations? Baby Announcements? A poem for your special someone for their birthday or Valentine’s Day?
“Calligraphy paints words.” – Author unknown
Q & A Time
So…now…for those of you with a few more questions, here are some FAQ’s (and answers) – you can also find more details on Georgia’s website at https://www.queenshandcalligraphy.com/
We have some guests with mixed names. How do you address the wedding invitation envelopes?
We advise on and use all the proper traditional etiquette in addressing the envelopes. Salutations are written out (Doctor, the Honorable Judge, Officer, Master). No abbreviations are used on street names (Court, Boulevard, Avenue, Road). Numerals up to 100 are written out in word form (three, seven, ten). However, while we advise on etiquette, we will abide with the couple’s wishes if they prefer something else.
Why do I need to send extra envelopes?
We require 25-30 (depending on the size of the order) extra envelopes. Often people move; or guest couples break up and no longer want to be on the same envelope; or a mistake was made on the list.
Can I choose the color of ink for my Calligraphy project? What colors can I choose from?
Of course. The color choice of ink and font selection is up to our customer. Black is the color most often chosen because it is the most elegant. We also letter in blue, charcoal gray, gold and silver. If you have another color in mind, we often suggest you find the color you would like and we can work from there.
Can I choose my preferred font?
Absolutely. Elegance doesn’t have to be complicated. Here are some samples of beautiful fonts to choose from. If you have questions, please ask.
How do you deliver?
With over 35 years of experience, we have handled every situation with ease. Local clients drop off and pick up their orders (Naperville, Illinois). Out of state customers ship either by USPS, Fed-Ex, or UPS and items are returned by the same method.
How long does it take to create my project?
Feel confident that Queen’s Hand Calligraphy is dedicated to giving your order the personal attention it so rightly deserves. We will notify you via email once your order has been received by Queen’s Hand Calligraphy.
Our turnaround time is 7-10 business days once we receive your complete order.
Upon completion of your order, we will notify you again via email that your order is being shipped back with a return tracking order.
Do you only do wedding invitations?
No. Queen’s Hand Calligraphy provides hand lettering for:
· Invitation envelope addressing
· Place cards
· Save the Dates
· Certificates
· Special projects
· Corporate addressing
· Thank you notes
· Birth announcements
How can I contact you about a calligraphy project?
You can visit our website for information and details at Queenshandcalligraphy.com and then send me an email or even the old fashioned method of a making a phone call: (630) 286-9382.
I hope you enjoyed meeting Georgia, learning about her business, Queen’s Hand Calligraphy and seeing some of her beautiful work. I certainly have. Please feel free to share this blog post with anyone you think might be interested in beautifully hand crafted, hand lettered invitations or gifts.
About Chanelle
Chanelle Carlin is Your Celebrant for Life. She is an ordained minister, professional wedding officiant, coach, and owner of Chanelle Carlin Weddings, LLC. Believing that life and love should be celebrated every minute, she collaborates with couples who’ve already started building the foundations of their relationship over the years and are now ready to venture forth into marriage with a custom, memorable (for all the right reasons) elopement/intimate wedding ceremony. While Chanelle works throughout the Pacific Northwest and Ireland primarily, she gladly travels to wherever her couples prefer to marry. As their Celebrant for Life, Chanelle also celebrates all the special milestones and moments that matter in each of her couples’ lives. She lives with her family in rural Okanogan County, Washington, USA, and totally LOVES her life. You can visit Chanelle at www.chanellecarlin.com, on Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest.