Adara is a wildly talented artist, and a delightful human. With her background in art, she creates…read moreabsolutely stunning calligraphy. Her sense of color, scale, and materiality are top notch, and her resulting work is so inviting and beautiful, there's no mistaking that it was crafted by hand and with great consideration and care. Her work makes me wish everything could be calligraphed, or that we can at least go back to the days of hand-calligraphed notes and invitations in our daily lives! If you're lucky enough to have an occasion to seek this kind of work, she's the artist you need. And her custom engravings are to die for!

From the owner: Adara Meyers Calligraphy is a boutique bespoke wedding invitation and calligraphy design studio…read morelocated in Boston, Massachusetts, specializing in pointed pen calligraphy and serving clients worldwide. In addition to custom stationery, we also offers on-site calligraphy and engraving for corporate events, brand activations, and other social occasions.

Oh my goodness where to begin? !!! I've been doing calligraphy for years and years and in 5…read moreminutes I learned more from Liz than any other teacher. She's a joy to work with so much so that when my kids couldn't figure out what to get me for a gift they made a handmade gift certificate to study with Liz cause they knew I'd LOVE that for sure! Her styles are so much more fun, playful, varied (including romantic and modern) than anyone I've met. Her passion for lettering makes the time fly. In my first class with her there was a woman who had never calligraphied before and me - we both learned a ton and I was amazed at what a newcomer could accomplish in one class!!!! Many thanks and see you soon!!!

This review should be 2 stars but I feel bad tarnishing this page solely because I have zero…read morepatience for individuals being unable to effectively communicate via email in 2015. I will start by saying that I was perfectly satisfied with the work Liz did for me. If this review was based on quality vs. price, it would have been 5 stars. What I was not pleased with was how many times I had to poke and prod her to get an actual result. I had been working on a tattoo idea for about 3 years. Finally committed to some text and wanted a professional to draw it out in pretty font. Nothing on Microsoft word was jiving with me, so I decided to look into a calligrapher. Liz had the highest ratings on yelp. 2 stars seems really harsh, but when I write a yelp review, I think about whether I would recommend the business to a friend. In this particular case, I can't say that I would. After initially reaching out and getting no response, I sent a follow up email 8 days later to see if she was even interested in doing the work for me since it was such a small project. Frankly, overcharging someone for doing one sentence worth of work, versus hundreds of envelopes for a wedding seems kind of a no brainer to me...whatever amount she would have suggested...I would have happily paid. Courtesy is also another big thing for me--it's 2015, I know you have a smart phone and, as such, nearly 24-7 access to email. A simple "Hey, thanks for your email. Sorry I'm super swamped for the next couple of weeks, can I touch base then?" would have been more than OK. After Liz confirmed that she would do the text for me, it took another 6 days to set up a paypal transaction. I paid within half hour of receiving the email prompt and then it took another 3 days to actually get the file via email. Again, all if this would have been OK had she not emailed me that I'd have the file the next day. Again--nothing wrong with the quality--at the end of the day I got several options to work with, but I cannot tolerate this level of slowness/unresponsiveness. I can't imagine paying her to do wedding invites and then sitting on pins and needles waiting to hear back.

Working with Amy on our invitation suite was absolutely fantastic - I cannot recommend her more!…read moreHer work is absolutely beautiful and she is truly a joy to work with. I had a lot of special/custom requests (i.e using a drawing that my sister made) and she was able to accommodate everything & anything we threw at her. She also completed the work - from starting with an idea to rush shipping the products - on an incredibly rushed timeline! Amy listened to what I wanted and came with great recommendations & ideas on how to bring everything to life. She was the perfect combination of collaborative and directive, which was greatly appreciated because she has such great expertise. She also has great pricing compared to other options!

Amy is so easy and great to work with. I was so happy with the baby shower invitations she did for…read moremy family...they could not have been more perfect. You will not be disappointed by choosing her to do your custom needs :)

I went to Over the Rainbow to look for a wedding dress in May of 2009. I like to comb through…read moredressed myself rather than have someone who just met me pick my dream dress, so this was the right place for me. The owner was busy with another bride who was ordering invitations, so my mom and I went into the (small) back room where the dresses were and we pulled anything that may have caught our eye in a range of sizes. I found about 10 dresses to try on, a few of which were the exact same dresses that I had tried on (new) at other shops. 1or 2 of them fit okay, but none of them were "the one". I have a tough body to fit because I'm quite tall, so most of the problems had to do with length. The dresses are priced at half of what the original purchase price and the brands range from David's Bridal to Vera Wang. If you're lucky, you could end up with a beautiful designer gown at 50% off. Most of the dresses already have a bustle ready to go. The owner said that their stock is constantly changing and that many brides find their dress on the 2nd or 3rd visit. The owner was helpful while I was trying on dresses, but the dressing room was also the room where all the dresses were and it was cramped. Also, beware that they don't take credit/debit cards, so bring a checkbook in case you find "the dress". I may head back there to find a veil (they have a lot of head pieces) since I think it's ridiculous to spend hundreds on a veil.

I dropped off my wife's wedding gown at Over the Rainbow to see if I could sell it. When I called…read moreto check on the status of the gown, I was told that it hadn't sold yet. I called after six months to get the gown back, but she told me that she didn't know whether she still had my gown or not. She said she would check and call me back, but I did not get a call back for several months. So my wife called again and left a message. This time, she did call back and told us that she still had the dress and that we could pick it up. She was nice enough to give the dress back to us, even though she technically had the right to ownership (according to the sales agreement). Overall, I would note that it's difficult to get a hold of the owner, and it's hard to visit the store because it's only open three days a week (or by appointment). Frankly, I don't know how successful a store can be in selling secondhand wedding dresses with such limited hours. If you're trying to sell your dress here, I recommend that you write a reminder on the calendar, because Over the Rainbow won't remind you when the 6-month period is up.

If you are stressed about sending out beautiful invitations and know that your handwriting just…read moredoes not cut it, Genie is your lady! She's like a magical calligraphy fairy, and a very detail-oriented, cheerful one at that. Her process is really simple~on her Web site, you choose which font(s) you'd like and send her your list of addresses and envelopes. She will then send you a detailed cost estimate and a sense of the timing to expect. Genie will contact you with any questions (she standardized my list so that all "Apartments" were spelled out) and she really understands how to work with frazzled brides!! Genie is also gracious when taking your suggestions. Because some of our invitations were destined for British addresses, I found that the Genevieve font was much more legible for the postal code numbers than the Daniella font (which we did use for our Boston list). Genie took care of each set of addresses and the envelopes were mailed to us very promptly. I can't thank Genie enough for working with me on my invitations. Brides know this can be a stressful process (I think I've even mentioned the word stress twice in this review!), and Elite Calligraphy takes a lot of the pressure away.

Genie did an outstanding job addressing our wedding invitation envelopes. Genie provided sound…read moreadvice on etiquette and thoughtful suggestions on style. We received many compliments from our guests about Genie's work. It truly is beautiful. I would highly recommend working with Genie!

Services from Inked by Elle are performed with dedication to her craft. Every step is done as if it…read morewas for herself which makes the end result remarkable. Try it, you won't be disappointed!

From the owner: Since she was a little girl, Elle has always been obsessed with handwriting, planners, pens and…read morematerials of the like. She can remember seeing someone else's handwriting, loving their style and copying it over and over again until she learned it. She has always been the organization and handwriting queen amongst her friends and thrives with a pen in her hand. In 2017, Elle took her first traditional calligraphy class which sparked her creative passion again and led her to find artists and resources online to learn modern calligraphy on her own. Shortly after, "Inked by Elle" was born. At first, it was a way for her to showcase and practice her lettering techniques. Soon after, friends, family and others started to take note and would ask Elle to do lettering projects for them here and there. Today, she is working with clients to add a little ink to their special event or every day!

Fine Script Studio / Jessica wrote out cards for my wedding seating chart earlier this month. She…read morewas extremely responsive, easy to facilitate drop off and pick up with, and really fair with pricing. The cards were absolutely beautiful and her calligraphy added so much character. My guests and I were equally impressed! Would highly recommend Jessica & Fine Script Studios for any calligraphy needs!

I would highly recommend Fine Script Studio. Jessica led me through the process and offered great…read moresuggestions for my project. She was timely at responding to my messages. I couldn't have been happier with the finished product. She was very accommodating when it was time to pick up my product and her price was very reasonable!

Highly recommend Ally! She was so responsive and was able to turn our vision into reality in a…read moreshort month leading to our wedding. I wish I had went to Ally early on (lesson learned!) and that would have saved me the stress. But despite this short turnaround, she was able to design our cocktail sign, seating chart, table numbers, and menus for our summer wedding. All of the signs were high quality, and many of our guests complimented us on the designs! Ally was great to work with. We would highly recommend her for your wedding or any event.

Ally is a gem and her work is beautiful! Most importantly, she saved my behind…read more After planning my sisters wedding, I decided I would also take charge of the name cards for the reception. The Monday before the wedding I sat down to attempt to write out the guests names and promptly realized I was in way over my head. I ruined all of the extra cards I had and resorted to drinking. Tuesday afternoon (3 days before the wedding!!) I found Ally on Yelp and sent her a panicked message, hoping that somehow she'd be able to help. She responded immediately and put me at ease. She gave me a quick VERY reasonable quote, I sent her an inspiration photo, and we arranged for me to drop the cards off with her that evening. She promised a 24 hour turn around, as the wedding is on Saturday and she was going out of town on Friday. I dropped the cards off with Ally on Tuesday evening, and she texted me on Wednesday morning saying the cards would be ready to be picked up at 5:30 that evening. LESS that 24 hours later. The cards are stunning and I can actually relax and enjoy the wedding!! I could not recommend Ally more, she is a kind person and an incredible calligrapher.

Hestia Creations Specializing in handcrafted gifts and home…read moredécor, Hestia offers unique, locally inspired items and a paint-your-own pottery studio.

For souvenirs of the area, skip the trinket shops and head to Hestia Creations. It's a small gift…read moreshop featuring the work of several artisans who create on-site; items can be taken along or be shipped. It's located in the heart of Marblehead; you can park right outside. Like an art collective, the handmade and decorated miniatures, stationery, ornaments, plates, bowls, etc. can be selected off the shelf or custom ordered. Many have nautical themes; my ornament features Salem and its haunted history. The crèche sets for the Nativity feature figurines with such detail they seem to be people you know. Another possibility: bring your group and decorate items yourself. Whether a birthday party, wedding shower, or family reunion, you can plan in advance with owner Joanne and the craftswomen for an experience to deepen your memory. Hestia Creations is for those who want their souvenir to match the experience they had in the region. Don't miss it.