Mailing wedding invitations doesn't have to be overwhelming if you have all the tools, time, and help you need. Keep in mind this does take several hours, so set aside at least four hours to assemble, stamp and seal your 100-125 wedding invitations.
Remove some of the stress by doing this one week in advance of your targeted mailing date. Invites can get lost, returned, etc. and it's great to have a window of time to account for this.
If you are doing the ribbon, tags, liners or any other details, this can add to the time of assembly by 5-8 hours. If you're not sure if your invitationer is doing these tasks for you, ask!
1. Visit your local post office.
This is your first and last step, actually, not just the last. The amount of postage you will need for your invitations is dependent on Size, Weight, and Thickness of your Invitation Suite. A bulky wax seal, for example, could add postage costs, as will oversized and square envelopes.
2. Purchase correct postage for the reply envelope and the outer.
You may choose to do this online so you are sure you get the stamps you want. There are more options than what the post office has in stock: Vintage stamps that equal the postage you will need are an interesting choice for classic invitations. Or, you can order any forever stamps that have been in circulation a few years back, as long as they say forever on them. These Vintage Rose Stamps are one of my favorites and still widely available on Amazon.
3. Count it out.
Once you have cleared some time and space to start assembly on your wedding invitations, count out all of your inserts into piles of how many you are sending. For example, if you have 123 invites to mail out, count out 123 Invitations, Response Cards, Response Envelopes, Reception Cards, etc.count out in stacks of 10s or 20s, so you have less chance of miscounting. I do this so you can be sure each insert makes it in the envelopes. It's easy to leave something out, so this way you can be confident that everyone got their invite to the Brunch! If you are inviting only certain people to certain events, like only 35 people are getting rehearsal dinner invites, separate those outer envelopes and treat those invites as a separate mailing so you don't accidentally invite the wrong people to your rehearsal. Make sure your response envelopes get a forever stamp in case of postage changes, which usually happens in January.
4. Order of cards.
There are many schools of thought on this, and honestly, you can stack the cards however you visually prefer. If you're curious, though: Traditionally, the invite is on the bottom with the reply card on top, with any inserts under the reply card in order of height. (Reply card is under the reply envelope flap, not inside) The invite faces the envelope flap, top to the left. To see if you have the invite in the envelope correctly, pull the invite out with your right hand; you'll be able to read it without turning the invite.
5. Seal the outer envelopes.
Once you are sure everyone has the proper inserts, you can use a bit of water on a paintbrush or sponge to wet the gum already on the envelope, holding the flap shut for a few seconds to ensure it is secure. In certain cases, you may prefer to use a glue stick to close the envelopes, in case the gum is not holding the envelopes shut, or if the glue is overly yellow, the yellow could offset to the other side of the envelope.
6. Final trip to the inside of the post office to hand off your invites.
You may double check that you applied the correct amount of postage, if you are a double checker like me. Last thing you want is all your invites being returned!
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