Vendor Feature: Calligraphy & Stationary

17 minutes ago

Your wedding invitations are the first glimpse your guests get of your big day—why not make them unforgettable? This week, we’re excited to feature Mikaella Tecson from Mikaella Writes, a talented artist specializing in creating stunning, custom wedding stationery and elegant calligraphy.

From personalized invitations to hand-lettered place cards and signage, Mikaella brings a touch of sophistication and artistry to every detail. Whether your style is classic, modern, or whimsical, their designs perfectly capture the essence of your celebration.

Read on to learn how Mikaella Writes can add a bespoke, beautiful touch to your wedding!

How did you get into Stationary/ Calligraphy?

I fell in love with calligraphy back in 2016, when I saw a posted video of someone writing in calligraphy and it was so calming to watch, it made me want to try and see if I could do it too. The more I practiced my calligraphy the more I fell in love with different papers and pens. It was so fascinating to learn all the different pens you can use to write in calligraphy and how papers can also make a huge difference depending on the combination of papers and pens you use. I had turned calligraphy into a hobby and continued to practice my handwriting so I could find the right style of calligraphy that suited me. The goal before was to be able to make videos with my calligraphy and hopefully to have the same effect I had felt when I saw my first calligraphy video. It all changed when I experienced my first ever client for a wedding.

My sister's friend had a COVID wedding back in 2020 and was struggling to find vendors at that time. My sister had mentioned to her friend that I was doing calligraphy at that time and so she asked me if I would be interested in working on a welcome sign & seating chart. That was my first ever commission request and my first attempt diving into the wedding industry, so I was a little hesitant to take it but I was more curious to see where it would take me if I did it. At this point I have no wedding background experience and had to do an extensive research of what is usually included in your wedding signages, what type of materials are used for these signages and how do other calligraphers transfer their writing onto the sign.

On my first attempt to work on the welcome sign & seating chart I had used tempered glass and was successful with my first attempt. I was so proud and happy of how it turned out, it made me so glad of my curiosity pushing me to try something new..., until a week before the wedding, the seating chart shattered. I took them out in the cold to take final look photos and when I brought them back inside it just shattered. It broke me to see it in pieces and all I could think about was how I ruined someone's wedding because of this. I blanked out, and didn't know what to do. My mom, as my saviour, offered one of her mirrors that had the perfect size to fit all the guests. I messaged the couple right away and bless their hearts, they actually loved the mirror idea for their seating chart. After finally getting everything done, I felt happy, defeated and proud that I was able to make it through before their wedding. When the couple picked up their welcome sign and seating chart, they were in awe at how it turned out and the bride cried as well. That feeling of success and happiness from the couple made everything I went through so worth it. The feeling that I was a part of making their wedding day special is what made me fall in love with weddings. No matter what the struggles are, making it worth it for someone's special day is what motivates me to keep going. After that one wedding, it was word of mouth that kept getting me more commission requests and decided to build my business in 2020. It has been the best decision I've made and so happy my curiosity took me this far.

What is something you wish people knew before they came to talk to you?

To come with a vision of your wedding's theme, colour and décor. I always ask my client to provide me with 3 inspirational photos or share their Pinterest board with me, even if it's messy, I'd love to see them! It helps me get a better picture of what style of work I can design.

I also wish clients knew before they reach out to me that all cursive writings are my signature calligraphy and are hand-lettered by me. It is my own font that I have mastered and created. I often get asked by clients to change the cursive writing to match a font they found in Canva or from a sample design. I am an artist that has their own style of creativity and loves showcasing them.

What is your favorite piece of stationary to do and why?

I love working on invitations, especially if it's a full-suite invitation. There are so many different ways to combine papers, writings, colours, textures and accents when creating an invitation. I'm at my creative peak when I think about putting together an invitation, I can even dive into doing different shapes, cutouts and letter-pressed invitations. Truly so many different possibilities and helping clients narrow it down for them to capture their wedding invitation is what I love to do.

What is your number one piece of advice for couples?

Decide what truly matters to you both and focus on that--everything else is just details.

What should people budget for their stationary?

Wedding Invitation

For semi-custom wedding invitations minimum $1500 for 100

Full custom design wedding invitation minimum $2500 for 100

Wedding Day Items- minimum $1500 which includes welcome signs, seating chart, menu & place cards, and table numbers for less than 100 guests

What kind of timeline should couples plan for when preparing their stationary?

For wedding invitations, start reaching out at least 2-3 months before you plan to send your invitations, especially if you are wanting to do a custom design invitation. This gives us time to go through the design and enough time for me to process the order.

For wedding day items such as; welcome sign, seating chart, menus, place cards and other items you will need on your wedding day, it is best to reach out 4-5 months before your wedding. The earlier the better always, so I can prioritize your booking with me.