Meet the Creative: Something Lettered

Wedding + Elopements, Wedding Wednesday

March 20, 2019

I am so incredibly excited for today’s Wedding Wednesday. If you are a KAP Bride, you already know Denise from Something Lettered from your gifted vow books. I connected with Denise late last year for a styled wedding and we instantly connected. At the time, Denise was just about to deliver her daughter and my son was turning one. I am so thrilled to be able to introduce her to the KAP Family. Personally, I have loved getting to know her over the months and spending time with her. We both share a passion for the wedding industry, good food & drinks, and traveling. I just know that you will love her just as much, if not more! Be sure to check out Part Two: 5 Reasons to Invest in Calligraphy + Stationary.

Part One: Meet the Creative

Something Lettered

Let’s get to know you!

My name is Denise Chandler: wife, mommy to 2 kiddos, and owner of Something Lettered. one boy and one girl (I love that we are flip flopped!!!!). My husband, Justin (shameless gush–he is seriously so handsome), is literally the hardest working man. Not only in his career but also within our home, that man never stops. I am absolutely obsessed with my children. My children challenge me in ways I never imagined possible. Of course, some days are most definitely harder than others, but I cannot complain. I’m so proud of the life and family that Justin and I have created together and they are my ENTIRE world.

What do you specialize in?

I specialize in Modern Calligraphy. Modern Calligraphy is the less fancy (but just as exclusive) version of traditional Copperplate Calligraphy. Something Lettered’s foundation started with signage such as seating charts and welcomes signs. Since, Something Lettered has grown into custom wedding invitation suites.

Why calligraphy?

One simple reason: I suck at drawing and painting. Yet, I’ve always had pretty good penmanship and an artsy crafty side. I always get compliments on how my handwriting looks like a font. So I thought, “what the heck, I’ll try calligraphy, it can’t be THAT hard!”. Jokes on me. because let me tell you, once I started learning calligraphy, I realized how different handwriting and calligraphy are. Since, calligraphy was such a challenge, I kept practicing and started to really appreciate it. Now, it’s become relaxing! I know I know..my work is relaxing, I have such a rough life.

What is one guilty pleasure you enjoy too much to give up?

Eating. I am a hugggeee foodie and I’m not just saying that because it’s the cool thing to do. I literally plan my days around meals and I’m always down to try the newest restaurant in town. Every time we go out to eat, I try a different entree, even if I’ve been to the restaurant before. I also love food and drink pairings. It’s super fascinating to me that a chef can create a meal to perfectly compliment a beverage.

What’s your favorite part about being in the wedding industry?

Ah! So many things! Before I started Something Lettered, I was a wedding coordinator. I always loved getting to know my couples and looked forward to their wedding days to see everything come together after the months of planning. It was amazing! Now I’m not typically there on the day of the wedding, I miss it. Due to my background in wedding coordination, I try to get to know my couples as much as possible. However, now that I’m a little less involved in the day of festivities, I love working with my friend-ors, who send me THE best clients. The relationships I’ve built with them are pretty special.

One random fun fact.

I was a band geek! I started playing the clarinet in 5th grade and ended up being the head drum major my senior year of high school. My husband still makes fun of me for it, but I’ve been all over the world because of it so I’m not complaining!

Why did you decide to do the work you’re doing now?

About half way through my first pregnancy I stopped coordinating. I was working on site at a wedding venue and the stress of the job and the extremely long drive, combined with the pregnancy was causing my blood pressure to be too high. It was an extremely tough decision, but for my baby’s health and mine, I decided to leave. Knowing full well my job would be there when I wanted to come back, I never did. Thankfully my husband has a fantastic job and I didn’t have to go back to work right after having my son. When he was about 9 months old, I started to get a little stir crazy and wanted to work, but I knew going back to coordinating was not something I saw for myself anymore. So, instead I started Something Lettered! It started by creating and putting so much time and energy into learning my craft. It’s been about a year and a half since I officially launched my website and started my business!

Who/what inspires you?

SO MANY PEOPLE. This industry is extremely saturated with some serious talent. People that I idolize are asking ME to work with them. It’s unbelievable and sometimes I still suffer from imposter syndrome. Aside from professional inspiration, my husband inspires me! I see how hard he works and I want to be just as useful and work just as hard. He is constantly telling me how proud of me he is for starting my own business and sticking to it. I can’t let him down!

If you could go on one adventure where would you go and why?

Ok, so I wouldn’t necessarily call myself the “adventurous type.” Hiking, biking, swimming…not my jam. I do love to travel and see new places though! I would love to travel through Europe again. This time more in depth and try all types of different cuisine, drink all the best wines and sight-see. I guess I’m a little bougie that way, definitely not a down a dirty type of gal.