Mailing Wedding Invitations
When should I mail my invitations?
Wedding invitations should be mailed six weeks prior to the
event. If you are planning a summer, holiday, or destination wedding, you may
want to send Save the Date cards at least four and as many as twelve months before the
event so out-of-town guests can make their arrangements accordingly.
Is there a "right way" to stuff my envelopes?
Believe it or not, yes! Depending on the wedding invitation style
you choose, there is a particular, customary way to stuff the envelopes. Use
the following steps as your guide:
1. The invitation
itself will usually be the largest piece, and should be placed at the bottom of
the ensemble.
2. Any extra enclosures (reception cards, maps, etc.) should be placed directly on top of the wedding
invitation.
3. The response card is usually placed on top of the other
enclosures. It should be tucked under
the flap of its stamped and addressed envelope.
4. Slide
the entire stack into the inner envelope (if you have chosen to use one). All wording should be faced up and toward the opening of the
envelope, so it's visible immediately upon opening.
5. Next,
the inner envelope slides inside the outer envelope. The
guest's names (written on the front of the inner envelope) should face the back
of the outer envelope, so that the guests' names are seen first when the
envelope is opened.
How much will mailing my wedding invitations cost?
Please
never assume you know how much mailing an invitation will cost. Take a
completed invitation (including all your enclosures) to your local post
office. They will weigh it and tell you
the price for a first-class mailing. Do
not take the risk of having all your beautifully addressed invitations send
back to you because you were a few cents short on postage!
What is hand canceling?
Hand
canceling means your invitations will be processed by hand and should bypass
the automated processing machines, avoiding damage. Wedding invitations are often thick, oddly shaped or oddly sized
as a result of their enclosures or accessories, and run the risk of getting
caught or damaged in these machines.
You can also minimize the amount of automated printing and stamping the
post office adds to your mailings (bar codes, for example), by requesting your
invitations be hand canceled at a local Post Office. PS - it's free!
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