Calligraphy Katrina was created after a friend saw Katrina Centeno writing a grocery list. Impressed with Centeno’s penmanship, the pal asked Centeno to address her wedding invites. So Centeno picked up some better-than-ballpoint pens and had her first business transaction at 35 cents an envelope. “I started receiving requests for cards and stationery sets from more and more people. It was a snowball effect,” says the Pasadena-based designer.
Two years later, Centeno opened Maison du Papier, the line under her main company that she describes as “the marriage between my calligraphy and stationery design.” She continues to astound with unique services like Calligramme: On-site at the wedding, guests are asked to pen personalized messages to the bride and groom. Afterward, Centeno works her magic by calligraphing their words in beautiful, keepsake notes. Want even more calligraphy flair on your big day? Centeno also offers Couture Medium, “Whether it’s wood, glass, mirrors, fabric or even real fruit, send me your canvas, and I will write on it!”