The History of the Monogram
The monogram began its existence as a royal signature. The Greeks and Romans used them on coins for the identification of the rulers. During the Middle ages crafters used them to mark their work. During the Victorian period people used them as a status symbol.
Why Monogrammed Wedding Invitation Make Great Themes
Monograms are a truly wonderful way to symbolize a marriage. They can be elegant and simple. A monogram is essentially like making a logo for the couple that are getting married. It is their “mark”. It also works very well symbolically because it shows the merging of two people.
The great thing about having one of these made is that they can be used over and over even after the wedding. If one chooses to have thank you cards made with just the monogram on the from then extras can be used later for other occasions. You will always have a nice supply of thank you cards and will remind people of your wedding.
A monogram can be used on many things once it has been created. It is important to keep consistency with your monogram once you have it created. Make sure to use the same fonts on everything you have created. You don’t want more than one version or two at the most of your monogram. When having two different versions, each version should be different so that you can use them in different instances. When everything matches it will look more coherent and professional. Doing this costs no extra money; it is just about paying attention to it.
The Rules of Using the Monogram on Wedding Invitations
In the past monograms had simple rules. It was common for the first and middle initials to be on the edges, with the last name initial being in the middle and larger. The three initial monogram is a tradition Victorian style. The female monogram had the varying sizes, but a male monogram would have the sizes of the initials consistent and would keep the order first, middle last. Now the common standard for the couples monogram is to put the bride’s first initial on the left and the groom’s first initial on the far right with the new last name being in the middle and a bit larger.
What to Look for with Monograms for Wedding Invitations
Monograms should typically be balanced. This can be difficult to achieve depending on how you want the monogram to be created. Sometimes a monogram is created using the couple’s names with the name initial being in the center. This can work well, but if one of the names is a lot longer than the other, this can be a problem. The shape of the letters can also be problematic if they do not balance well. This is also a good time to really look at the spaces between the letters to make sure there is not a giant gap between some of the letters. This is important because typically a monogram is used on many things once it is perfected. It is best to do many different versions of monograms before making a selection so that the best balance can be achieved.
Something to keep in mind about monograms is that the entire theme of the wedding does not have to revolve around it. It can be apart of the wedding theme. In fact, it seems best if it is just one part, but an entire them developed around just the monogram can be done successfully.
Other Things Monograms Can Be Used For
Monograms can be put on just about everything at your wedding. You can have monogram stickers created for favors, you can put them on the invitations and the thank you cards. You can even put them on your wedding cake. I have even known a woman who had an ice sculpture out of her monogram!
I'm a graphic designer who has been working in the field for 7 years. Currently I am finishing up my graphic communications degree from the University of Houston. I have created many invitations for friends over the years including some wedding invitations. I actually really enjoy designing them and hope to be able to supply them sometime in the future. For now, I am just going to have to settle with sharing what I know about them.