We are thrilled to roll out the first of our Wedding Pro Highlights Series. Our series will feature a Houston based wedding pro that we absolutely love every month. Every wedding pro we have worked with, we love and know they will do an amazing job for your wedding. Working with pros that I trust makes my heart happy.

Jen Bowen is the owner and creator of She Made it Like That, a Houston-based boutique wedding calligraphy and design studio. She is organized, detail oriented and can make your calligraphy dreams come true.

Here’s a fun little interview we did with Jen so you can learn all about this amazing woman!

Tell me about your company

She Made It Like That, LLC is a calligraphy and engraving business that specializes in signage, unique day of details, and engraving. My main focus is weddings and in-store engraving events but I also take on custom projects. My favorite weddings are the ones where I can talk with the bride/couple about their interests and story and then beautifully design unique touches and elements into their signage. This allows me to create t that is special specifically to their wedding. While I work on all the most common surfaces, unconventional surfaces and materials are my favorite.

What’s one thing you wish couples knew about hiring a calligrapher?

When you hire a calligrapher, you get an artist whose specialty is creating carefully designed and beautiful letters. Discuss your desired style, vibe, colors, and story with your calligrapher and they can use that information to design pieces that will be custom to your wedding. Often sharing a Pinterest board showing pieces that you like will be the best way to share this for inspiration though you’ll want to avoid asking them to directly copy another’s work. No need to just go along with cookie cutter ideas. This is a chance to get creative and experiment with different materials and layouts and a skilled calligrapher will be able to bring it all together in a cohesive way. Each calligrapher has their own style. When choosing a calligrapher, look through examples of their work to see if their lettering and design style create a look you love!

What are three words to describe your brand?

Creative, Unique, Connection

What inspired you to enter the wedding industry?

Family means everything to me. I love that at weddings we get to celebrate the start of a new little family while surrounded by the most important people in their lives. It is such a privilege to get to create special details like signage that help things run more smoothly for guests, smaller details like place cards or custom gifts to help loved ones feel extra cared for, and special keepsakes like vow books and engraved wedding perfume bottles that can be treasured keepsakes long past the wedding day.

What is one common myth about your profession that you want to debunk?

Myth: “Calligraphy is a font” – Calligraphy and hand lettering is a craft, and part of the beauty is the imperfection of the art. A calligrapher spends a lot of time practicing to build the muscle memory for consistency in developing their signature style. Most Calligraphers have less than a handful of styles that they can adapt to the needs of each piece. Finding a font or a piece of work online and asking your Calligrapher to “match” it goes against the nature of the trade, and will not result in the artist’s best work.

What is the best compliment you have received regarding your work?

My favorite compliment to receive is when someone tells me that I have met or exceeded what they had envisioned for the piece. I strive to listen closely for details from my clients and bring their special moments to life in a way that is meaningful to them.

What is the first step you recommend a couple takes after booking their venue?

Choose a wedding planner that you connect with and that you can count on to successfully carry out your vision for your big day. Finding someone that “gets” what you are going for makes a huge difference. There are so many details to coordinate and implement and the right wedding planner can take so much off of your plate. They also have worked with a large variety of local vendors and can give great recommendations as well as help handle a lot of the communication and coordination.

What do you think your favorite wedding trend right now is?

I have a hard time picking favorites but one of them would have to be the one of using dried or pressed flowers. There are so many beautiful ways to incorporate them into escort card displays, place cards, table numbers, welcome signs, and more. There are techniques to dry flowers that preserve their beauty. With dried flowers, you don’t have to worry about a last-minute date change (hi Covid) wilting your beautiful arrangements!

What is something special you are able to offer your clients?

I’ve taken the time to develop a variety of creative talents that I can use which opens up a lot more options we can use when designing and creating pieces that are customized for each couple’s wedding.