Sean provided his handwritten wedding vows to us for his upcoming wedding to Jennifer. He told us he wanted to frame the finished vows for their one year (paper!) anniversary.
We suggested an 11×14″ paper that could be folded for a ceremony and easily framed later. Sean appreciated this idea. He wanted an off-white paper so we selected a slightly textured Canson paper.
Handwritten Calligraphy
Sean was happy with the italic calligraphy sample we sent over as well. Cursive calligraphy is beautiful, but at the altar, I didn’t want legibility to interfere with this pivotal moment. I used sumi ink and a size 6 (tiny!) broad edged Mitchell nib for the text. Each line of text is just 1/8″ tall, with 3/8″ between each line.
Since Sean will frame these for display, I added a small decorative element between each paragraph. I drew 2 leaves together with a vine emerging from either side of the couple. I kept these simple.
Finishing Touches
For a neat, crisp fold, I scored, or made an indentation in, the paper down the vertical center using a bone folder. Then, I carefully folded it and creased the fold with the side of a bone folder. We call a page folded in half a folio.
Packaging the Wedding Vows
To conceal and protect the handwritten wedding vows, I wrapped the folio in tissue paper and secured it between a heavy piece of corrugated cardboard. Using the same method as above, I folded the cardboard. I also secured a large rubber band around the package so the vows wouldn’t fall out before it was time!
