Wednesday, February 6, 2013

What monogram style to use these days can be confusing with hyphenated names, brides keeping their maiden names and same sex couples.  First and foremost is take into consideration who is the recipient.  Buying for yourself is the easiest and where you can express your creativity.  Most likely if you have searched out this information you are buying a wedding gift, housewarming or birthday gift for someone else.  If the recipient has not expressed a preference or you just don`t know where to start here are the key factors to take into consideration.  
Silver Cufflinks
Single Letter Monogram



Is the individual or couple more traditional or modern?


Today personal preference outweighs traditional etiquette.  Select the style that best suits the person or their decor style.  What is the style of accessories in their home or fashion style?  Look for clues in their work attire or weekend wear.   The etiquette in the charts explains both modern and traditional options.  Remember, decide based on what the recipient would like - not what you prefer - as tempting as it may be! 

What item is being monogrammed?


The type of item being monogrammed will help narrow down the options.  Take into consideration the amount of space available, how it is being used or how it will be displayed.  Match the space, use and visibility to the monogram style.  Is it big and bold or small and delicate?  Matching your font and monogram style to the item will make it much more visually pleasing too. 


What is the design style or font?

Let's face it.  Sometimes what we imagine just doesn't look that great once we write it down, draw it or create it on the computer.  Take the time to recreate the monogram using the design style or font to see how it looks.  If you're like me where my artistic talent doesn't include drawing, see if you can locate the font in a software program or on the internet.  Even if it is something similar it will give you a good idea of how it will look.  What you may think will look awesome in script font may end up looking awful.  Some letter combinations don't always look very pleasing to the eye in certain fonts.  Play around with the different options.   Measure twice, cut once comes to mind.  It is worth the extra effort especially if you are unsure of how it will look.  As with most customized items they're not usually returnable so select carefully.

3 Letter monogram with larger middle letter
3 Letter Monogram with Larger Middle Letter
 
3 Letter Monogram all the Same Size
 
Single Initial Monogram





Deciding on the monogram style can be confusing with so many variations.  The nice thing is, most products have preselected design options and fonts to match the type and style of the item to be monogrammed.  This makes it much easier to decide since the options are narrowed down.   Also, these days people don't get so hung up on following the traditional ways of doing things and focus more on what suits their preferences. 


3 Letter Monogram Rule :

The one rule you should follow is the order of the initials for 3 letter monograms.  Here is a little way to remember the rule :  

Same - Same : If all the initials are the same size, use the same order as a name (first, middle, last).

Larger - Last  : If the middle initial is larger, it is for the Last name initial.
 Individual -> first, last, middle
 Modern Couple -> woman, last, man
 Traditional Couple -> man, last, woman





If you are a bride or groom or have a registry of any sort with items to be monogrammed, don't forget to include your monogram preference! It will be much appreciated and you'll get exactly what you were hoping to receive.




What do you think - modern or traditional?  Do you have a monogram style? 

Does anyone have any stead fast rules stemming from their culture?  I would love to learn and share those traditions. 
 

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