While the design process may be the most fun (and most unique!) part of wedding stationery, there is another VERY important piece we need to talk about – mailing your save the dates and wedding invitations! The ultimate goal of your wedding stationery is to inform your guests of your wedding date or all of the details of your exciting wedding day. In order to do that, your guests need to receive your pretty paper. So, let’s start chatting!
Time is of the Essence: When working with a stationery designer, one of the most important pieces to talk about is when you would like your stationery to be in the mail. Just like your wedding day timeline, we will work backward from that date to ensure your stationery is complete. The reason this is so important is because once your stationery is printed, our job is far from done. Next up is assembly, a trip to the post office, followed by more assembly, postage, hand cancelling, and finally mailing your pieces! We always want to make sure there is enough time for every part of the process, so the earlier we can print your save the dates or invitations the better!
A Trip to the Post Office is a MUST: Mailing a save the date or wedding invitation is so very different from mailing a standard piece of mail. While a letter may cost a standard price, your wedding stationery will likely cost more. The key is to make sure to assemble a complete save the date or wedding invitation and make a trip to the post office. If your suite has multiple inserts, ribbon, bellybands, monograms, and more, make sure to add each and every piece to your envelope BEFORE going to the post office. Your complete suite needs to be weighed in order to be certain how much postage is required.
Shape Matters: If you think about it, fun mail (letters, cards) and not so fun mail (bills) are all shaped very similarly. However, save the dates and wedding invitations are so different. When designing, stationery designers like to think outside of the box in terms of shape. I’ve designed plenty of rectangular invitations, but I also know a number of couples who are drawn to irregular shapes too – squares, circles, and even suitcases (a fun detail for a destination wedding!) are not uncommon. The shape of your piece also affects the price, so it’s another detail to keep in mind when working with your stationery designer.
Stamp Safety: One of the wedding stationery trends I love is vintage stamps. They’re beautiful, and I love the layouts we can create on your wedding invitation envelopes. Plus, vintage stamps are always unique, so almost every invite will have its own flair. However, vintage stamps, just like current stamps from the post office or sites like Zazzle, all note an amount on them. This is important for a few reasons: 1. The post office will have informed you how much it will cost to mail each piece. Make sure to add enough postage to each envelope! 2. Postage rates increase from time to time, and you will want to take note if an increase is occurring when you need to mail your wedding stationery. You don’t want to send everything into the mail only to learn you don’t have enough postage on your stationery!
Mail Your Stationery at the Post Office: While a trip to the mailbox is tempting, I cannot recommend mailing your wedding stationery at the post office enough. Yes, this means taking a trip inside just like you did when you had your suite weighed; however, help from a professional truly is the best! As long as you have paid close attention to all of the details I’ve mentioned above, I don’t expect you to experience any problems. However, meeting with a USPS pro will ensure your wedding stationery is mailed perfectly and hand cancelled.
Do you have any questions about wedding postage or mailing your wedding stationery? Leave them in the comments! I’m more than happy to help.