vintage postage for your invites.
Using vintage postage on your envelopes is like telling a story. There’s something magical about those little squares and rectangles with the squiggly edges and endless variety of small photos and artwork within them that makes a letter in the mail even more special. We often forget the magic of snail mail and it’s one of the reasons I’m so passionate about mailing wedding invitations, as opposed to sending them digitally. I do see the appeal to virtual invites. More convenient, more cost efficient, etc. All of that is a personal choice and I’ll never tell another person what is right for them. But what’s right for my clients is creating a personalized stationery experience. And it truly is an experience. When you receive a tangible wedding invitation in the mail, what do you do? You stop. You open the envelope a little more carefully than you would with say, a credit card statement. You slowly lift the flap to reveal the beautiful, cherished invite tucked inside. You slide it carefully out of the sleeve to see who sent you this invitation to celebrate their life, love and new adventure. Where will the celebration take place? What will you wear? Will it be a DJ or a band? Does it even matter when you get to dance the night away? It’s a moment to stop. To pause everything. It’s like a little vacation has been planned for you and all you need to do is show up in the outfit. If that doesn’t sound fun, you have come to the wrong place!
Before the stamps are applied, I go to work investigating the perfect combination of postage artwork to reflect you, your wedding and your style. Like I said, the postage is telling a story and it’s almost like a clue to your guests on what is to be revealed inside! I have an array of vintage postage sources. Some will custom curate a collection for a fee, based on the design details provided. Other sources offer the postage individually by design and I do the curating myself for each client!
Please note, the cost of vintage postage is more than double the amount of standard USPS postage due to their covenant nature. They also require more time to source, curate and apply, so this is to be considered when thinking if your timeline and mailing date!
With vintage postage, one thing to keep in mind is the application. Normally they come in a sheet with a dried adhesive glue on the back side that needs to be moistened in order to stick. It’s not like the sticker style of our modern day stamps! The way I apply the vintage postage is by first tearing the stamps apart using the dotted tear line. I then set up a moist sponge and a cup of water next to me so I can continue wetting the sponge as needed. I then dab the back side of the stamp on the moist sponge until it feels damp, but not too damp, and then it can be stuck one the envelope! A tweezer is optional at this point for holding the damp stamp but I feel comfortable doing this with my hands.
This is certainly an assembly step that can be done in a DIY fashion if you are one who enjoys small, tedious tasks. You can also do the sourcing on your own using Etsy, amazon and eBay. If you are not one to enjoy these kinds of tasks or simply don’t have the time, I am here to offer the service!
Assembling the wedding invitations that we have worked on together is absolutely exhilarating for me! After curating all of the design elements for weeks or even months, seeing it all come together and sealing the deal with the vintage stamps is *chefs kiss *
If you’d like to work together, fill out my inquiry form!
