It’s what everyone fears. You spend $200 on the perfect party invitations, another $75 on having a calligrapher hand-write your envelopes, and then you put the invitations in the envelopes and mail them and then realize later that you haven’t yet had one RSVP. The next day you receive all your invitations returned to you with hideous markings all over them from the post office for insufficient postage. Now not only did you waste money on stamps, you now have to re-stamp them, add extra postage and purchase new envelopes, putting you another week behind. Believe us, we’ve been there, and it happens to the best of us!
Make sure your next party mailing isn’t a postage catastrophe by checking the required postage requirements prior to mailing out your invitations. At InvitationBox.com we do our best to alert our customers when an item automatically will require postage, be it due to size, weight or bulk. There are so many factors that go into postage that you may not think of. It’s not just the size of the item. It can be the size, for example, a square envelope, which adds 20 cents to your normal postage fee. It can be the weight, which adds another 20 cents, or the size, which can start at 80 cents an envelope, plus 20 cents an ounce for weight. Remember that things like rhinestones, bows or pockets also increase your postage costs due to the “bulk” of the envelope when mailing. Many of these types of invitations may need to be “hand cancelled” at the post office, which means someone, (or you), hand stamp the envelope for mailing, rather than having the invitation envelope run through a machine, as with a normal bill or mailing envelope.
So how do you avoid a postage disaster? I always say, if you are concerned or have the slightest feeling that your envelope may be too heavy or too large, go to the post office and have the postman check for you before you mail them – especially if you are sending multiple cards in one envelope, like an invitation with a registry card or a directions card. Remember that even the slightest thing, like the humidity, can affect the weight of your paper, especially if you have a textured or particularly porous stationery. When in doubt, add on an extra stamp or two, it may just save you from a return postage mishap. And remember, you can always contact our experts before mailing one of your invitations and we’ll be happy to suggest postage for you!