Voilà! Customs by Nicole » postage stamps

Address Labels and Stamps

admin — Sat, 25 Jun 2011 16:12:02 +0000

Traditional, hand addressed invites are always nice and calligraphy is even better. But busy brides don’t have to adhere to the “rules” in 2011 any longer. Many brides find it not only faster and convenient to use labels, but it can add to the overall design of their invite. This also expands your envelope options because you can choose any color you want and not worry about printing on it.

Remember my wonderful sister-in-law-to-be’s invites? She wanted metallic onyx envelopes, so that’s what she got. Long rectangular labels that fold over to the back of the envelope are big trends now, so we used a white 2.25″x5″ label and it was simple to set up a design integrating her fonts and the swirl graphic from her Save the Dates. She had a stationery party with her bridesmaids and everything was put together in an afternoon!

It’s also important to know that your invitations will typically require a 2 ounce stamp for the outer envelope. If you have a pocket fold invite or many inserts, it’s almost always safe to assume you’re over the 1 ounce mark. But if you would like to save a little money and check the weight, take your invitation set to the local USPS and have them weigh it. I’ve also used a food scale in a pinch, but I wouldn’t depend on it.

Current 2011 stamp prices are as follows, so plan accordingly:

Postcard stamp – $0.29
1 ounce stamp – $0.44
2 ounce stamp – $0.64
3 ounce stamp – $0.84

If your invitation is square (like above) or bulky (maybe you added an actual peacock feather to the design?), the USPS will not be able to put it through their machine. In the case of hand cancelling, you will need an additional $0.20 on your postage. So grab a 3 ounce stamp for those 2 ounce square pocket folds.

It all adds up, so remember to take this into account when planning your invitation budget!

USPS Price Changes

admin — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 20:31:00 +0000

FYI – from usps.com:

On May 11 the price for a 1-ounce First-Class Mail stamp will increase from 42¢ to 44¢. Prices for other mailing services — Standard Mail, Periodicals, Package Services (including Parcel Post), and Extra Services — will also change. The average increase by class of mail is at or below the rate of inflation as measured by the Consumer Price Index.

Customers can use their Forever Stamps — regardless of when purchased — to mail 1-ounce letters after the price change, without the need for additional postage. Forever Stamps are widely available through Post Offices, commercial retail outlets such as grocery stores, and online.

Prices for mailing services will continue to adjust each May. Prices for most shipping services, including Express Mail and Priority Mail, were adjusted in January and will not change in May.

Click here for more information.

Introducing custom postage from Voila and Zazzle.com

admin — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 18:07:00 +0000

We decided to expand a bit and offer some new designs for postage stamps. Made for any event, the collection will have themes ranging from sweets to the Philly love statue and more.

All stamps are able to be customized with names, dates, and other info at Zazzle.com. Visit us here.