Miami Township calligrapher makes her mark on weddings

Often a small business can blossom from a hobby and grow steadily like it has for Miami Township resident Kerry Ellensohn, of Calligraphy by Kerry.

Ellensohn was first introduced to calligraphy in high school and then later took lessons from a local resident, thinking she would use her new skills to address the envelopes for her sister’s wedding. Soon, her friends began asking her to do calligraphy on their wedding envelopes, and then she decided to write her own for her wedding in 2004.

A couple of years later she was able to leave the corporate world to work on her calligraphy and started advertising on theknot.com. Each year she said she sees her business grow as word-of-mouth spreads. In 2012, she had 40 clients and for the first six months of 2013 she’s been booked by 19 clients.

Despite the myriad of digital printing options currently available, calligraphy doesn’t appear to be headed out of style any time soon. With origins as an art form dating back to cave paintings and Egyptian hieroglyphics, calligraphy was also the preferred method used by monks when transcribing religious texts. It flourished through Renaissance times and also is considered art in other parts of the world, such as the Middle East and China.

According to invitationcrush.com, 2012 saw an upswing in calligraphy and hand lettering and it speculates that, «Calligraphy and hand-lettering continue to be a major force in the world of custom invitations.»

«I think certain wedding trends will come and go, but calligraphy is such a classic and fun detail. Traditional brides will always find a use for some pretty calligraphy,» said Indian Hill native Ellen Cone.

Weddings are typically the most formal occasion someone may ever plan, and a lot of couples are choosing the look of traditional calligraphy to match this special time.

According to marthastewartweddings.com, times may have changed, but an appreciation for beautiful lettering has not.

Many brides agree calligraphy can set the tone for a wedding. «We wanted our guests to know from the start that this was going to be a special evening and Kerry’s work did just that. Our guests were thrilled to receive an „old fashioned“ hand-addressed envelope. The impression her calligraphy gives is outstanding,» said Bellvue resident Becky Anderson.

Natalee Regel of Madeira asked Ellensohn to address her save the date and formal invitation envelopes and their escort cards. «Brides will continue to want invitations that set that tone from the first interaction that the guests have with the wedding. Calligraphy is a great way to wow your guests and I can only imagine that brides will always want to do that,» she said.

Calligraphy also can evoke your wedding’s theme. «Calligraphy can tie a stationary theme together and convey key details about the invitation inside. For example, Kerry had samples of several fonts in several inks. One particular example I recall was a fall-themed invitation with a beige-colored envelope in which Kerry had used a very open font in gold ink. Right away guests would get a feeling of fall,» Anderson said.

Brides are not keeping calligraphy just for invitations, it can appear on almost anything from escort cards to menus and favors to help carry your wedding’s theme through to the reception.

«I did calligraphy on solid Christmas ornaments with the couples» names and wedding date as favors for a wedding in December. We used red, green and purple ink to match the bride’s colors," Ellensohn said.

Miami Township calligrapher makes her mark on weddings

Source: news.cincinnati.com