LIVE ENGRAVING

Why choose it?

Engraving is an excellent way of personalising and making a keepsake even more unique. It is everlasting and truly unique as it is done completely by hand, takes only a few minutes, and guests can watch as it is being done!

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How does it work?

In simple terms, you hire me for a few hours for the day of the wedding to be present and engrave items. This can be an item that a guest can have personalised and then take home to keep, or even something that is engraved on the day for YOU - i.e. a guestbook. Each person writes a message on a note and leaves it with me to engrave on something that YOU can keep forever and admire. 

 

What tools are used?
I engrave items using a wireless engraving tool which is portable for a few hours at a time, though ideally I would have power to hook up to if there is a requirement for a long period of engraving.

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What can be engraved?

Engraving can be done on surfaces such as glass, most metals and stone (ceramic and marble), and even plastic!

Examples of items that can be engraved are:

• Perfume bottles

• Wine or whiskey bottles

• Glassware (e.g. champagne glasses, glasses, mugs, plates etc.)

• Scented candles

• Reusable water bottles

• Marble coasters 

• Agate crystal slices

• Lipstick and other makeup containers

• Compact mirrors

Popular things to engrave are:

• Names or monograms

• A personal message

• Simple Illustrations

*Note - I do not engrave on any bottles with sparkling drinks (such as champagne or sparkling wine). Engraving can weaken the glass and there is potential for explosion during or after engraving. If you want a champagne/sparkling wine bottle personalised, this can be done in pen (though not permanent), so if this is something you would like to do please get in touch.

 

What else is required?

I would need a table and a chair and can be placed anywhere at your venue. Ideally, it would be somewhere accessible for the guests (maybe a hall or a side room), somewhere away from the main party. This is to ensure I have enough light and don't interrupt you or the guests with the engraving noise, but guests can wander in and out and admire the engraving in action when they choose. The noise of the engraving is not too loud, however you wouldn't want your grandparents sitting next to a buzzing sound all afternoon!

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Who provides the items for engraving?

It really depends on what you want. My standard pricing is based on engraving only, but I am happy to try and source the items you want (which will be at cost price), or happy for you to provide them too. Please note if providing items yourself, you will need to provide around 10/15% extra to account for any accidents or mistakes. Please discuss this with me first as I would need to be sure it is something I can safely engrave on.

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How long will be needed for engraving?

It does depend on how many guests and what specifically you want. Simple engravings like words/dates take up to 5 mins each, but some guests may ask for a few more words or simple illustrations which could take a little longer. This also depends the material that is being engraved, and if the engraving needs to be filled in with colour (which looks nice as it makes the engraving pop! - note this is included in the engraving charges). 

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It's also important to think about the flow of guests bringing their items to engrave, as well as any breaks during (I try and keep these at a minimum so this would only include a quick trip to the loo at the most!). If guests are in charge of coming over when they are ready, there may be a slower start at one point in the afternoon, and a back-up at another, so it's best to think about a way to encourage groups of people to bring their items to be personalised at a steady rate, to ensure I can be engraving for most of my time.

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A rough estimate with this in mind is around 10-15 engravings in one hour, so if you have a party of 50 guests it would be safest to book me for 4.5/5hours. If additional time is needed, this can be added on the day and invoiced after the event. If you have more guests, this would need more time, and thus start time needs to be considered to ensure I can do all the engravings on time. 

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LIVE CALLIGRAPHY

Why choose it?

Live calligraphy is a unique way of personalising items with beautiful writing. Each item can be handwritten with my signature calligraphy, done completely by hand, takes only a few minutes (not including drying time), and just like with engraving - guests can watch as it is being done!

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How does it work?

In simple terms, you hire me for a few hours for the day of the wedding to be present and write on items in my calligraphy font. This can be an item that a guest can have personalised and then take home to keep, or even something that is handwritten on the day for YOU - i.e. a guestbook. This is a great option if you prefer not to have random scribbles from your guests (no offense to them), and instead have messages handwritten in beautiful font that you can cherish for years to come. 

 

What tools are used?
I can write using a pointed nib and ink, brush pens or paint pens, depending on the material being used. I can advise what materials would be best suited. You can choose what colour and style you may want depending on what it is you want personalised. 

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What can be personalised with calligraphy?

Paper, wood, card are the main options, though I can also write on glass - however if you are after a permanent option it may be better to engrave for the latter.

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Ideas for what you could have are gift tags, placecards, bookmarks, champagne bottles, or even a guest book. I am also open to any other ideas you may have!

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Who provides the items for personalising?

It really depends on what you want, as is for engraving. My standard pricing is based on calligraphy only, but I am happy to try and source the items you want (which will be at cost price), or happy for you to provide them too. Please note if providing items yourself, you will need to provide around 10/15% extra to account for any accidents or mistakes. Please discuss this with me first as I would need to be sure it is something I can write on.

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How long will be needed for engraving?

Timings for calligraphy are similar to engraving (see above), though it can be quicker to write but would need extra time for drying (which can be left alone once I am done). Something like a guestbook can be completed in a normal timeframe it would take to write a message normally when not using specialist tools (but still making the writing look nice), so allow approximately 20 personalisations/messages per hour. As for engraving, time can be extended on the day if needed and invoiced after the event.

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What else is required?

I would need a table and a chair and can be placed anywhere at your venue with good light to ensure I can see what I'm writing! 

Want to hire me for live engraving or live calligraphy at your event? I have set out the basic wedding pricing packages here to make things more straightforward - but if you have any questions or want to go ahead and check that I am available for your big day, get in touch!