Your Complete Guide to Mailing Wedding Invitations

From envelope and ink colors, to postage stamps and sealing, I’ve curated your complete guide to mailing wedding invitations. With expert advice from all of my many interactions with the United States Postal System. Whether you plan to DIY wedding invitations, or work with an all-in-one professional like me, this wedding invitation guide is the best way to get started.

Color, style and accessories like wax seals are so exciting! They’re likely what you think of first when getting started on your wedding invitations. But I have to ask you to pump the brakes. As someone who did her own wedding invitations, and did all the right things in the wrong order, my complete guide to wedding invitations is here to save you the time, stress and heartache I went through.

So what are the most important considerations for mailing wedding invitations?

Wedding Invitation Envelopes

The color and size of your envelope can make or break how likely your guests are to actually receive your wedding invitations. What do I mean?

Sizing: The standard envelope size for wedding invitations is an A7 (5×7 inch) envelope. And those can be mailed using one one-ounce stamp. Provided the contents weigh one ounce or less. For perspective, one 5×7 invitation, one 4.25×5.5 Details card, and one 3.5×5 RSVP card (all printed on the luxuriously thick 130lb cardstock that is standard with me), with an RVSP envelope, in a standard A7 envelope, all combined usually weighs-in at just under one ounce.

Some couples like to use wedding invitation pocket folders, which require an oversized A8 (8.125 x 5.5 inch) envelope. And additional postage because of added weight and size. Or a square invitation (of any dimensions), requires a non-standard sized envelope. And those require additional postage, regardless of weight.

Color: does it matter? Yes! Having spoken with multiple Postmasters, from Indiana to Florida, darker or black envelopes with light or white ink are being discouraged. That is because the sorting machines do have a difficult time reading light on dark. It’s true! I now strongly encourage calligraphy clients to choose lighter envelopes with darker ink.

Increasingly over the last few years, I’ve had multiple clients, with light lettering on dark envelopes, receive numerous “return to sender” wedding invitations back to them after I’ve addressed and mailed them for them. Talk about frustrating! Skip the hassle and worry, stick with lighter envelopes and darker lettering. There are gorgeous options that won’t take away from the beauty of your wedding invitations, that don’t include dark envelopes with light lettering.

Wedding Invitation Postage

I implore you, don’t let the beauty of wax seals and multiple invitation pieces (like multiple inserts for Details, wedding maps, wedding timelines and wedding registries) lure you into forgetting about how much the postage will cost to mail each envelope. Whether you DIY wedding invitations yourself, have me create a design and then you handle addressing and mailing, or you have me create, address and mail for you. Postage is required. And can add significant costs to your wedding invitation budget.

Buying the Correct Amount of Postage: it is recommended by Postmasters across the nation to bring one complete invitation to a USPS branch to be weighed. You don’t need to seal the envelope shut yet. Just assemble it in its entirety, then have it weighed. Your local Postmaster will tell you in dollars and cents, how much your envelope needs.

For example, a full suite with standard-sized pieces includes: invitation, Details card, RSVP card with RSVP envelope, all wrapped with a ribbon belly band, and custom wax seal. Then, put in an envelope with an envelope liner (these both add weight – don’t forget!). On average, that full suite weighs approximately 1.15 ounces. Meaning each envelope requires more than one standard one-ounce Forever stamp.

So, if you’re mailing wedding invitations to 150 addresses, that’s three stamps per invitation. Two for the outer envelope, and one for the RSVP envelope. As of today’s posting, Forever stamps cost 73¢ each. For your 1.15 ounce invitation, you’ll need 73¢ for the first ounce, 28¢ for the additional 0.15 ounce, and one more 73¢ stamp for the RSVP envelope. Totaling $1.74 per wedding invitation envelope. Which totals $261 for all 150 invitations.

Buying Speciality Postage: in my opinion, the USPS is hit or miss with wedding invitation appropriate postage stamp designs. For my calligraphy addressing clients, I send them a link to what’s currently available on the USPS website. But I also curate collections of vintage postage stamps, with costs (more on that below!).

Important things to keep in mind regarding buying postage: Every post office branch varies in what stamp designs they have in-stock. And how many! To save yourself the hassle of driving to multiple branches to get the correct amount you need in the design you want, I recommend either ordering your stamps online or asking your Postmaster to order them for you. Just make sure your allot enough time for them to be delivered. I love my local Postmaster and post office, but the Indianapolis hub unfortunately is known for causing significant shipping delays. So I allot 2-3 weeks for receiving all supplies.

Vintage Postage Stamps: Because vintage postage stamps are not sold at their original face value, you’ll end up paying more per envelope to use them. Meaning, a vintage postage stamp with a face-value of 29¢ is often sold for two or three times that amount. So what would cost you $1.74 (see above) with current stamps, will likely cost $3-4 per envelope instead. I also recommend having your invitations hand-cancelled (more on this below) when using vintage postage or any embellishments, like wax seals.

How to use vintage postage stamps on wedding invitations: first things first, make sure you have enough postage to cover the cost. That “standard suite” mentioned above would need $1.74 worth of postage to cover the cost based on weight. Which means you may need anywhere from four to seven stamps, depending on the design you choose and the face-value of each stamp. Collectively, all stamps would need to total $1.74 at minimum to be enough for that previously-mentioned standard wedding invitation suite.

International Postage: mailing wedding invitations to guests outside of the domestic 50 US states or territories (like Puerto Rico, Guam and the US Virgin Islands), will require more postage . Any non-domestic addresses will require international postage. Which is different than those 73¢ Forever stamps. As of posting, an International stamp costs $1.65 for one-ounce.

Don’t forget to allot more time for mailing to international guests as well! Nationally, provided everything is running smoothly and it’s also not the month of December (holidays equal a massive influx in volume, delays and lost mail!), wedding invitations will start arriving to domestic guests as quickly as next-day, and up to two weeks after mailing. Internationally, it can take as long as 4-6 weeks for delivery.

Hand-Canceling: What is hand-canceling versus regular mailing? Instead of machine processing and sorting, you can request that your envelopes be processed by hand. I recommend this when using belly bands or wax seals, as they add extra bulk to envelopes. Sometimes, so much so, that they won’t fit through the USPS sorter, which allows up to 1/4-inch thickness. I also recommend this option when using vintage postage.

To have your wedding invitations hand-canceled, you must take your invitations in-person to your local post office. There, a postal clerk will use a special rubber stamp to mark each postage stamp on each envelope. Thus canceling the postage by hand, instead of allowing it to be done by machine. Where there is a greater chance of bulkier envelopes (because of wax seals, etc) getting damaged.

Keep in mind, there is an additional fee for hand-canceling. As of posting, hand-canceling costs an additional 44¢ per piece, in additional to postage.

Sealing Invitations Shut: For wedding invitations with greater bulk (hey again, wax seals!), I recommend using adhesive in addition to the moist-and-seal adhesive on the envelope. I’ve found roll-on permanent glue tape, like this one, work best for sealing wedding invitation envelopes. Especially those that seal a little uneven.

Best way to mail invitations: Hands down, bring them to the post office and hand them to a clerk. Even if they aren’t bulky. Even if you don’t need hand-canceling. Even if it’s only 20 of them. But especially, and if for no other reason than, it’s going to likely be a lot of them! Don’t assume your mail carrier can, or even should, be expected to take 150 invitations out of your mailbox and carry them safely all the way back to the post office. That would be, quite frankly, rude and reckless. You’ve just spent a lot of money on your wedding invitations. Why would you not want to ensure they arrive safely to the post office?

Best time to mail invitations: and by mailing wedding invitations, I mean, hand-delivering to your post office branch or clerk, because again – see previous paragraph. “Slower times” like on a weekday mid-morning, especially if they need to be hand-cancelled are best. This helps everyone involved avoid rushing or missing anything because there’s a line of patrons all (im)patiently waiting their turn.

Now in regards to how soon prior to your wedding you should mail your invitations? Well, that’s another post entirely. Keep an eye open for that, coming soon! In the meantime, check out my Etsy shop or my Boutique right here for new wedding invitation designs year-round!