The ultimate guide to wedding postage stamps

Since the Post Office allowed customized stamps, thousands of brides across the country have stamped their invitations with their own personal touch.

With new new postage rate increase in effect, summer brides will be looking to see what the new postage stamps designs are for their wedding mailings. While the price of wedding postage goes up, the good news is there are several nice designs.

With this ring ... Here is the 44 cent stamp with two gold wedding rings. Photographed by Renée Comet of Washington, DC, the rings rest on a small white pillow united by a slender ribbon of white silk.


3 tier Wedding Cake Stamp - The 61 cent stamp features a wedding cake with intricate scroll design on the fondant. Sure to add a touch of beauty and romance to wedding correspondence, the 2009 Wedding Cake stamp is being issued at the two-ounce mailing rate in order to accommodate the heavier weight of an invitation. The 61 cent 2009 postage also covers other mailings such as oversize cards or small gifts that require extra postage. The cake was photographed by Renée Comet of Washington, DC.

King and Queen of Love - a fun design at the 44 cent rate, is fun and fresh. Vegas brides could get a kick out of using this for their wedding invitations. Using images from 18th-century French playing cards as reference, artist Jeanne Greco created the stamp art.


Celebrate! This stamp, first issued in 2007, helps to acknowledge a host of happy occasions, from birthdays to engagements to anniversaries and more. This will be available at the 44 cent rate. Artist Nicholas Wilton of San Geronimo, CA, designed the Celebrate! stamp.


Polar bear postcard stamps - While this may not work for all brides, this is the 28 cent postcard postage that will be issued. Illustrator Nancy Stahl used a collection of photographs to create this design. Stahl has created several stamp designs for the Postal Service, including the Florida Panther in 2007 and Dragonfly in 2008.

If these don't suit your taste, you do have options. Create your own or choose a pre-designed stamp from thousands on the web.

When choosing a custom stamp, you'll pay a bit more. A sheet of 20 1st class 44 cent stamps from the post office is $8.80. A sheet of 20 small custom stamps runs about $17.45 when you buy in bulk (10 sheets or more). If you buy only one sheet, the price goes up to anywhere from $18 to $20, depending on which size postage you purchase.

If the cost of custom postage for ALL your invitations is out of reach, you can purchase just one or two sheets for special wedding guests. (Note to scrapbookers: one sheet of stamps fits perfectly in a standard scrapbook page.)

Although they cost more, photo stamps do give the wedding envelope the "wow" factor. With a little bit of effort, you can create your own. It's easy to do - and the results are fantastic!

The steps are simple:

1. Find a great quality photo of the happy couple.
2. Make sure the size is appropriate (or resize to fit).
3. Upload your photo, choose the rate, size and quantity.
4. Enter your credit card and delivery information.
5. Your stamps will be delivered to you in about 5 to 7 days.

The sites listed below give you the recommended size for your photo based on the size stamp you choose.

Tip! If your image is smaller than the sizes, you'll have extra white space around the photo. If your image is bigger than the maximum sizes, it will automatically be scaled down to the maximum size. So, it's actually better to have it 2 or 3 times bigger than the maximum as the image will be printed at a higher resolution than the standard.

Let's look at some of the major players in wedding stamps.

PhotoStamps at stamps.com has a great interface ... plus a page called "the Wedding Advisor" with great postage and mailing tips.


Simply upload your photo, tweak as necessary and purchase. They also have a choice of graphics you can add as a frame.

PictureItPostage prints stamps in packs of 20 or in rolls of 3,000 for high volume mailings. Good to know if you're inviting a small city.

They also allow customized backgrounds (shown below) to match the colors in your photo or in your wedding.

has an easy interface, 3 sizes to choose from and allows you to add text. They also offer the largest image space of any custom postage.
Stamps are sold in sheets of 20.

While photo stamps are great for some, there are plenty of other options. From elegant to just plain fun, there's an incredible selection of wedding stamps - available to purchase right now - from Zazzle.com.

You can purchase custom postage from a variety of original images from the The Knot Collection on Zazzle. These are just a few of the many fun images the Knot has to offer.

Hawaii ... Vegas ... beaches ... and more. If you're having a destination wedding, it might be fun to have a wedding stamp that shows your guests where you'll be tying the knot. You can upload your own photo ... or use some of the creative designs and excellent photos that are already available for purchase.





These designs, as well as the rest of the designs shown, are available for purchase on Zazzle.

Nothing quite says wedding like a luscious looking cake. Ask your baker if she can send you a photo of the type of cake you have chosen. Or, browse through great cake pics already out there.

For a lighter touch, try a fun cake drawing. Many designers create a space on the stamp for the bride to be to add her special touch. When you go to purchase the stamp, there is an easy to use text tool that gives you creative control over font, colors, size and, of course, the words!






Fun, colorful cake stamps also make great bridal shower stamps. When you select stamps with "Add your text", delete the text through the customize tool and add your own in the font and colors you prefer.

This designer put her excellent photo in a variety of colors on this great wedding stamp - pink, green, blue, yellow, purple - they all look fantastic.




Tip! If you see a stamp design that you like but need another color or different wording, go to the designer's home page. You'll find their home page by selecting the link next to the title of their stamp. Then select Send Message and ask if they can upload another version. Many designers will be happy to accomodate.

Here are a few ideas to personalize your custom wedding stamps:
Add part of the verse from your ceremony
Include wording from your vows
Add your date and initials
Include your new last name

Ask your florist to send you photos of the flowers you've chosen. Upload the picture to one of the photo stamp sites above - and you're good to go! Or - choose from several of the gorgeous wedding flower stamps that are already pre-designed.

Personalize your postage with your wedding month ... here's some great stamps for the January through December bride.

























Whether you're getting married in January or December, Perfectpostage.com has wedding themed postage for your special day.

Add some elegance to your invitations with RSVP stamps for the return envelope. Most RSVP stamps are designed for smaller return envelopes. One of these designs (or the monograms shown below) might be perfect for your RSVP.

If you're sending out "Save the Date" mailings, you can purchase one of these designs or create your own. With most of the stamps below, there's plenty of room to add your own text.

Many couples use their engagement photo or
a fun candid shot for their save the date postage.

Wedding stamps with a monogram - classic look or fun - plenty to choose from.

Shower guests - and the bride to be - will surely notice these fun bridal shower stamps. You can also upload a photo of the bridesmaids, maid of honor or other special guests. As a keepsake, keep a copy of the invitation and postage stamp for the bride.

Thank you stamps can put the final touch on your wedding correspondence. You could also design a "Mr & Mrs. Soandso" stamp for your first married mailings.

If you have a great design idea in mind, you can coordinate all your wedding postage.

• Engagement



• Save the Date




• Wedding



• RSVP



• Thank You



• Monogram

From festive to formal, there's a wedding stamp out there just for you. While the size of the stamp is limited, there is no limit to the imagination when creating your own custom wedding stamps.

If you don't have the time or desire to create your own wedding stamp, there are several designers who would be glad to help. I invite brides to be and wedding planners to visit Perfect Postage if you're interested in customized postage for your wedding.

Thank you for stopping by the wedding_postage_freak's lens!