Mailing out your wedding invites may seem like a simple task, but for a generation of young couples who go to the post office about once every five years it can be a bit tricky. Here are a few helpful tips for sending out your special delivery...
Getting Addresses
Most couples we work with only have a handful of their guests' actual mailing addresses when they get engaged. We always recommend using Postable.com to collect your guests' information because it's free and super simple. Just sign up for an account and create a custom link (i.e. "postable.com/yournames"), email that link to your friends and family, and once they click and fill in their info your Postable address book will be automatically populated. Plus you can export your list at any time. It's pretty great.
Addressing Your Envelopes
To send out your invitations you should have your guests' addresses on the front of the main envelope, with your return address on the back flap. If you're using physical reply cards make sure to include your mailing address on the front of the reply card envelope as well.
We offer a few addressing options... We can letterpress print the return addresses only, letterpress print the return addresses and digitally print the guest addresses, or digitally print everything. Or we're happy to leave the envelopes blank if you plan to use a calligrapher or tackle the addresses yourself.
Preparing Your Invitation Suite
Most couples prefer to see their invitations before they go out in the mail, so unless it's requested we don't stuff and seal your envelopes before they're shipped to you. We like to assemble the invitation and enclosure cards facing out toward the envelope flap so your guests will see the pretty design right away. And for the quickest and cleanest sealing method, use a wrinkle-free permanent glue stick.
Postage
This step is super important to ensure your invitations get to all your guests. Since wedding invitations are often uniquely sized or heavier than standard mail, they can require extra postage. Here's a quick guide to the USPS 2018 postage requirements...
- Standard rectangular envelope, 1 oz or less — requires 50¢ postage or a forever stamp
- Square envelope — requires an additional 21¢ of postage
- Each additional ounce — requires an additional 21¢ of postage
Our standard suites come in a 5.25" x 7.25" envelope and weigh between 1 to 2 oz when stuffed, so each one will need at least 71¢ of postage. And if you're using physical reply cards, don't forget to put a 50¢ stamp on the reply card envelope before stuffing the suites.
We love mixing current stamp designs with some or our favorite vintage designs. You can find out-of-circulation stamps on Etsy or the USPS Amazon Store.
Mailing Your Invitation Suites
And now for the final step, actually getting your invitations out in the mail. Uniquely sized and overweight mail should be hand-canceled, because it can't always fit through the automatic machines at the USPS. That means an actual person at the post office will stamp over the postage to ensure it can't be used again. Different post offices have different policies, but hand canceling is usually free or has a small fee. Before you drop off your invitations just double check that all the envelopes are addressed and have the correct postage, and then the postal workers will take it from there.
Happy mailing!