Planning a Wedding? MEET THE EXPERTS

2012 US POSTAGE STAMP INCREASE – How It Affects You & Suggestions to Ensure the Safe Delivery of Your Wedding or Event Invitations.

Congratulations! Your invitations have been ordered! The time and effort you spent in looking over the different types of cards, designs, envelops, fonts, linings, has finally paid off and now you are ready to address them and send them out.

TIP: As part of your budget planning you should take a sample invitation, fully packed, to the post office to get it weighed and figure out what the cost will be for mailing the invitations. Also include the cost for providing the return postage.
Here is where you need to think twice!!

Postage rates are set to increase and take effect on January 22, 2012!

If you have already ordered customized stamps, we have not found any notice on the popular custom stamp websites alerting their visitors & customers that postage rates are increasing in January 2012!! In other words, any custom stamps ordered before the rate increase and mailed after it may not longer be of sufficient value for the envelope’s weight. During the last increase a few years ago, one of my friend’s daughter had all her individually hand printed envelopes containing the invitation packets, returned for insufficient postage. Her custom stamps reflected the old rates and each envelope needed additional postage.
What you can do to save money and make sure that the invitations get sent out properly..

SUGGESTIONS & TIPS
***Send out your invitations BEFORE the increase to avoid additional costs and not have to add regular US stamps alongside your custom stamps.
***If you have not ordered your custom stamps yet – wait or find out if the company can make the stamps valid for the upcoming rate increase.
***In the interim stock up on FOREVER stamps, which you can use for the return envelop postage. A forever stamp is a postage stamp in the United States that is valid for First-Class postage no matter when it is used. By concept, once purchased, a forever stamp is a perpetual stamp that never expires or declines in value. Its value is the First-Class Mail stamp postage rate for a one ounce letter at the time of use. On line you’ll find some great FOREVER stamps to choose from. There are a couple of versions of the ‘Celebrate’ stamp (great for parties and Bar/Bat Mitzvahs). For weddings and anniversary celebrations, we recommend Wedding Bands, Wedding Roses or Garden of Love stamps.

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As of January 22, 2012, the new rates are as follow
Postcard			$0.32
1st class up to 1 oz			$0.45
1st class up to 2 oz			$0.65
1st class up to 3 oz			$0.85
1st class up to 3.5 oz			$1.05
Non machineable surcharge (Square / unusual shapes)			$0.20
Priority Mail – flat rate			$4.95