2023 Wedding Invitation Postage Requirements

You’ve carefully crafted your gorgeous wedding invitations for friends and family. Now it’s time to mail them out! It's important to ensure that the invitations reach your guests on time, and this requires careful attention to postage. In 2023, there are specific requirements for wedding invitation postage, and in this blog post, we'll go over the details.

2023 Price Increase

The two most commonly used stamps for wedding invitations are forever stamps and two ounce stamps. In February 2023, the price of a forever stamp increased to 63 cents, and the price of a 2 ounce stamp increased to 87 cents. How do you know which stamp you need for your invitation suite?

Invitation Weight

First, it's essential to understand that the weight of your invitation affects how much postage will be required. Several factors affect weight, including the number of cards included in your wedding invitation suite and the thickness of your paper stock. If you include additional pieces, such as details cards, maps, or other inserts, the total weight of the invitation will increase, and you may need more postage. It is hard to say exactly what a suite will weigh before it is assembled. For this reason, we recommend that you go to your local post office with an invitation suite fully assembled and have it weighed. Ask the postal clerk how much postage is required for mailing. If you are working with us, we will be glad to estimate the weight of your suite so that you can purchase postage in advance. We also offer full suite assembly and mailing, if that’s a service that interests you.

Outer Envelope Size

The dimensions of the assembled invitation suite also matter. Our standard size wedding invitations are 5x7 inches, also referred to as A7 size. If you choose to upgrade to the larger size invitation (5.5 x 8.5 inches, or A9 size), your suite will require additional postage. If postage cost is a concern, we recommend opting for the smaller 5x7 (A7) invitation size. Typically, an A7 invitation suite on single-ply paper will mail with a single 63 cent forever stamp.

Reply Envelopes

You should provide postage on your reply envelopes so that guests can easily return their response to you in the mail. Unless you have selected a nontraditional reply card size, your reply envelopes will require a single 63 cent forever stamp. You can browse the current forever stamp offerings and order online with USPS here. We strongly discourage ordering from Amazon or other third party sellers, due to counterfeit postage concerns.

What about Vintage Postage?

Many brides like to curate a collection of vintage stamps for their outer envelopes that include elements special to the couple. This can be a beautiful addition to your suite. The key is to add up the postage of the vintage stamps until you reach the total required for your invitation. For instance, if the postal clerk says your invitation requires a 2 ounce, or 87 cent stamp, the vintage stamps you affix will need to total at least 87 cents. We can help you curate stamps that coordinate well with your suite if this is an add-on you are interested in.

In conclusion, both weight, size, and thickness determine the correct postage for your invitation suite. Our recommendation: visit your local post office with a fully assembled suite in hand and ask the postal clerk how much postage is required. This is the most reliable method to ensure that your guests receive your invitations on time!