Spoiler Alert: This story contains information about Episode 10 of Love Is Blind.
When Love Is Blind producers were planning a date for fan-favorite couple Taylor Krause and Garrett Josemans (the adorably geeky duo with similar science tattoos), they reached out to Michele Hatty Fritz of Del Ray-based Meant To Be Calligraphy to teach a private class. Hatty Fritz, who has been offering calligraphy and brush lettering classes since 2011, accepted the offer, but not before bringing in Amy Rutherford of Old Town Alexandria stationary store Penny Post to host the workshop. The NoVA businesses are featured on Episode 10 of Season 7, available now on Netflix.
“When the production crew reached out to me and asked if I could teach a private class for one of the couples, I immediately thought of Penny Post as the perfect place to gather,” Fritz says. “My home studio is pretty tiny and Penny Post is a fantastic place for people who love all-things-paper to spend an afternoon. I have had the pleasure of collaborating with Amy and the team at Penny Post on several projects over the years and this felt like a great opportunity to share this extremely unexpected spotlight with another local, independent business that I personally adore.”
In the episode, Krause and Josemans make a sign for a letter-writing station to be featured at their wedding. In the pods (before meeting face-to-face), Krause shared a love letter that her grandfather had written to her grandmother. The meaningful accent to their expedited nuptials builds on that epistolary connection.
To prepare Penny Post for its close-up, Rutherford tasked visuals director Doug Mueller with sprucing up the shop. Only one person could go in at a time during filming, and because they might take close-ups of other artists’ work, they had to get materials waivers from their vendors, Rutherford says. “The crew and team from Kinetic Content were easy and lovely to work with. We are grateful to them and Michele for this opportunity!”
Love Is Blind fans can reenact the moment for themselves at one of Meant To Be Calligraphy’s workshops in the new year. Registration is now open for Intro to Modern Pointed Pen Calligraphy and Intro to Modern Brush Lettering workshops.
“I think taking a calligraphy class is a great activity for couples because it offers a chance to relax and be creative together. And I think that’s exactly what it ended up being for Garrett and Taylor,” Fritz says. “They had fun playing with ink while also having time to just talk and laugh and continue to grow in their relationship together.”
Feature image of Meant to Be Calligraphy and Penny Post with Taylor and Garrett of “Love Is Blind” courtesy Meant to Be Calligraphy
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