In this round up you'll be able to see many of the quilled marriage certificates and invitations I've posted on the blog over the years all in one convenient place. For more images and information about each design, as well as wedding quilling tips, click the link under the photo. You'll also find a link within each post to the professional calligrapher who did the lettering.
Pardon the odd angles of the photos... it's tricky capturing the shine of gilded-edge paper, not to mention the nuances of quilling.
Because these custom designs were tailor-made for my clients and their particular requests, you will want to incorporate your own ideas and/or your client's ideas into your work.... trust me, it's far more satisfying than replicating, not to mention more ethical.
This is the first Quaker marriage certificate I completed... a request of an engaged student at one of my classes. It was a big project (i.e. many hours) as certificates and ketubahs are quite large (22 x 30 inches) to allow room for signatures.
If you are wondering what a ketubah is, it's a Jewish prenuptial agreement signed by the couple, rabbi, and two witnesses. Traditionally read out loud during the wedding, it is framed after the
wedding and hung in the home as a reminder of vows and responsibilities to one another.
The design was inspired by the printed pattern on the invitation.
Recognize the certificate below? It's the design that does double duty as the site's header image.
Large S scrolls have often been popular with clients, but oh boy, they take lots of measuring to mirror one another perfectly.
This woodland design was another popular design that I customized with different creatures per clients' requests.
I've done variations of this modern scroll invitation quite a few times.
Waves and whitecaps for a waterside wedding...
...and I was given carte blanche for the invitation below, so I quilled tiny seedlings, appropriate for the time of year and the start of a new life together.
Usually the client takes care of framing, but in this case I purchased a ready-made frame to hold the invitation mat.... nice to hang or stand on a table.
Vivid colors were requested for a summer wedding.
A similar palette toned down by gray. I quilled it after the wedding so guest signatures were already in place. In Quaker tradition, those who are present at a wedding sign the marriage certificate as a show of support for the couple. Non-Quaker couples have adopted the idea and sometimes use it in place of a traditional guest book.
You'll need to click over to see the damask pattern printed on the invitation below to understand why I came up with this white and aqua design.
Hydrangeas, white roses and thistles on this mat were reminders of the wedding flowers.
Ivory, blush, and navy with silver foil calla lilies made for a dramatic palette on this ketubah.
Do you have a favorite design you enjoy doing time and time again or questions about wedding-related quilling? Let me know in the comments below.
On another note, a nice surprise arrived at my door recently... the first foreign language version of my newest book, The Art of Quilling Paper Jewelry! If you speak Czech and would like to learn to make stylish, durable, and inexpensive jewelry, check with your local bookstore to see if a copy can be ordered.
