There are few things in life more exciting than getting married! You have the prospect of spending the rest of your days with the person you love, the ability to start a whole new chapter in your life, and — of course — a festive wedding! However, weddings require a lot of planning in advance. You can’t expect to have a beautiful, magical day without a lot of forethought and preparation. This includes sending out invitations to all of the people with whom you want to share your special day!
But as you probably already know, weddings can get very expensive, very quickly. Consequently, you should always be on the lookout to save on anything you can, including wedding invitation postage. There’s no need to spend a fortune on postage just to invite people to your wedding. Additionally, you will want to make sure that your invitations are correctly sized so that they can arrive at their destination without any complications. So, in today’s post, we are going to look at 4 key factors to consider when you are preparing your wedding invitation postage!
Wedding Invitation Postcards
Wedding Invitation Weight
The weight of your wedding invitation is extremely important, as it can greatly affect the cost to send your invitations, particularly if you need to invite anyone who lives overseas. In any case, you should always use at least 53 lb card stock, but you should try to keep it as thin as possible to reduce the weight. This may sound confusing, but the 53 lb does not mean that you will actually be buying 53 pounds worth of card stock. It actually means that 500 uncut sheets of your cardstock would weigh 53 pounds. You can learn more about how card stock is weighed and measured in our Paper Weight Guide.
When it comes to the actual weight of the invitation and the envelope, you can typically get the measurements when you actually purchase the card stock and envelopes. However, if you do not have this information, you can use any traditional scale and weigh a stack of card stock. Count the number of cards and divide the total weight by that number. Then, do the same thing with your envelopes. Finally, add these two numbers together to get a relatively accurate measurement of your total invitation weight.
For example, let’s say that you have a stack of 50 cards. They weigh 2 pounds (32 ounces). You divide 32 by 50 and you are left with 0.64 ounces per card. You do the same with 50 envelopes and find that they weigh 3 pounds (48 ounces). You divide 48 by 50 and are left with 0.96 ounces per envelope. Added together, this means that every invitation (card stock + envelope) will weigh roughly 1.6 ounces.
This number would actually be ideal because it is far cheaper to keep each invitation under 2 oz. If the invitations are more than 1 oz but less than 2 oz, you can use a 2-ounce stamp, which is cheaper than two 1-ounce stamps. Speaking of weight and keeping the postage price down, it’s best to skip the double envelopes. Double envelopes have been a wedding invitation tradition for centuries, but they’re losing popularity due to the high cost. So, keep your invitations light by skipping the unnecessary second envelope.
8.5 x 11 Wedding Invitations for #10 Envelopes
Wedding Invitation Size
If you are looking to save on postage, you should always stick to standard sizes. It can be tempting to send out huge, jaw-dropping invitations for your big day, but this could end up costing you a fortune in postage alone. Instead, make sure that your wedding invitations are not too big to fit in a standard No. 10 envelope.
To fit in a standard envelope, your invitation cannot be wider than 11.5 inches. You can always find unique ways to fold your invitations, but this could alter the thickness of the invitation too much (more on that later). So, in order to send your invitations without breaking the bank, you should plan on using card stock that can either fit in standard envelopes or be easily folded to fit using the traditional 3-fold method. You can learn more about your options for invitation sizes right here.
In most cases, wedding invitations are small because of the context and the cost. First, you need to send out dozens, perhaps hundreds of invitations. This will naturally come at a cost that grows with the size of your card stock and envelopes. Second, weddings are generally considered sacred affairs, so smaller, more intimate invitations often set the right tone before the special day has even arrived!
Wedding Invitation Die-Cut Shape Samples
Wedding Invitation Shape
Many soon-to-be brides and grooms want to create unique shapes for their wedding invitations. Unfortunately, this is a quick way to make the cost of making and mailing the invitations skyrocket. If you want to save on costs, it is best to go with a standard rectangular shape. This will make it easier to fit into standard envelopes.
Alternatively, if you go with a square invitation, it will require non-traditional or even custom envelopes. As you can imagine, this drives up the postage cost, whether you choose to mail your invitations through the USPS or a third-party service. In short, unless it is really important to you to make invitations that have a specific, non-rectangular shape, it is best to go with a more standardized shape!
Wedding Invitations in A-Envelopes
Wedding Invitation Thickness
The thickness of envelopes can be very tricky because most people cannot measure envelope thickness accurately. You can get a general idea of the thickness using a standard ruler, but it still won’t be 100% accurate. If you happen to have a caliper that can measure small objects, you can get a much more accurate measurement. However, this may not be a tool that you just have lying around the house.
In any case, if you want to mail your invitations without raising the postage costs, make sure that they are less than 0.25” thick. This does not sound like very much, but unless you plan on using double envelopes or very thick folded paper or card stock for your invitations, you will likely be able to keep your invitations under the limit with ease.
It’s also important to remember that decorative items can increase the thickness of your invitations. This includes ribbons, stickers, or other items that you attach to the envelope. Therefore, you should keep any decorations small or remove them entirely if necessary.
Additional Wedding Invitation Tips
Finally, there are a few more tips we would like to provide to ensure that you avoid potential pitfalls when creating and mailing your wedding invitations:
- Mail invitations early – You should always send out wedding invitations with at least two months’ notice so that invitees have enough time to respond and clear their schedules. It also allows you to manage any postage issues or invitations that are returned to your address with time to spare.
- Hand-cancel manually – Many post offices will allow you to hand-cancel stamps manually, as long as you do it at the post office. If your invitations need to be canceled by a post office worker, this will greatly increase the cost of postage.
- Seal without licking – Sealing envelopes with your saliva is not very sanitary. Instead, opt for water, wax, or even self-sealing envelopes. You can learn more in our guide on how to seal envelopes without licking!
Ready to start preparing for your wedding? Check out our products on Fine Card Stock today, and let us know how you put our card stock to good use!