Lettering Your Own Vow / Writing a Love Letter in Calligraphy

So maybe your first anniversary is coming up, and you want to stick to the tradition of gifting paper for your ‘the one’? Maybe you’re well into your marriage years, and decided that a kind of ‘vow renewal’ is due? Or you just want something romantic and beautiful to hang on your bedroom wall, or even just practice your calligraphy with this project? Well, something hand-lettered is always special. Here are some things you might want to consider when making your own hand lettered vow.

First Ideas

If you have a vision of how you want the final result to be right now, stop reading and jot them down on paper. You can make a rough sketch or just put down bullets of the description. Be as specific as you can. This will be the first ideas of your final piece. You might decide to stick to it or scrap it, but at least you’ve got them on record before further research change your mind.

Final Piece

• Are you giving it to your partner for safekeeping in the wardrobe, framing it as the living room decor, or hanging it on your bedroom wall? How about other mediums such as writing it on hanging banner, or on glass/acrylic? Do you need an envelope or some kind of box to store it?
• What about the colors? Color of paper, ink? If you’re putting up the piece on display, how will it fit with the overall look of the room?
• Lettering style: Consider the options and the feel it would invoke. Traditional lettering will feel solemn and elegant, while modern gives a more informal look. Extra: if you’re giving this as a gift, maybe let your partner’s design preferences play bigger role than your personal ones.

The Words

You might want to use the vow you said on your wedding day, or you’d like to write a renewed expressions of your love. If you’re quiet at loss of what to say or can’t go on a poetry writing hiatus, there are tons of inspiration online (google ‘How to Write Marriage Vows’) just to get you started. To consider putting it on lettering, think about length and justification (left/centered/justified). Also if you’ll include your names and date of wedding in your layout.

Okay, so on to our next step: How to Hand-Letter Your Vow (The Simple Way)

S.