The cost to mail wedding invitations is an important detail that every couple should prioritize during wedding planning. While designing your dream invitations is a delightful process, understanding how much it will cost to send them is crucial to keeping your budget on track. From the impact of varying weights and shapes to navigating 2025 postage rates, this guide will cover everything you need to know to ensure your invitations are mailed seamlessly and stylishly.

As a responsible couple, you’ve likely established a wedding budget to guide your planning. But here’s a question: Did you remember to include postage when outlining your stationery budget? Overlooking postage costs is one of the most common budgeting mistakes couples make. It’s what I call an “unknown” expense because so many factors—like weight, size, and embellishments—affect the final cost. Without accounting for it, you might face some unexpected sticker shock. Let’s dive into the details to help you prepare.

Wondering how to budget for postage when you’re still figuring out how many invitations to order?  Check out my blog post HERE for a quick guide on estimating the number of invitations needed.

A HELPFUL REMINDER: It is one invitation per household, not per person. 

This blog post is meant to serve as a guide to help with budgeting for postage costs for your wedding invitations or any stationery.  However, I am not affiliated with, nor am I an employee of, the USPS. For all official questions, please refer to www.usps.com or visit your local post office.

Understanding Postage Rates for Wedding Invitations

When it comes to mailing wedding invitations, the first thing to consider is the postage rates, which depend on the size, shape, and weight of your invitations. Standard-sized envelopes weighing one ounce or less typically fall under the standard letter rate. However, the postage cost will increase if your invitation is heavier or includes additional elements like RSVP cards or maps. It’s important to weigh your invitations before purchasing postage. For 2025, the United States Postal Service (USPS) has set the following rates for mailing letters and invitations:

• Standard Letters (1 oz or less): $0.73
• Each Additional Ounce: $0.28
• Non-Machinable Surcharge: $0.46

The non-machinable Surcharge applies to items that need special handling, such as square envelopes, those with wax seals, or envelopes containing rigid materials.

Estimating the Cost to Mail Wedding Invitations

At the start of your wedding planning, you may not know every detail you’ll include in your invitation suite, so estimating is the best approach when setting your budget. This ensures you have some money allocated for postage, so you’re not caught entirely off guard by the full mailing expense later.

Mail Back RSVPs: If you are going the traditional route and having your guests mail back their responses, at the bare minimum, add $2.19 per invitation to your stationery budget. If you are also sending save-the-date cards, you’ll want to add an additional $0.73 for each of your save-the-date cards.

Online RSVPs: If you ask your guests to respond via your website, email, or text, you do not need to include the postage cost for your response cards. At a bare minimum, you’ll want to add $2.19 per invitation to your stationery budget. If you are also send save-the-date cards, you’ll want to add an additional $0.73 for each of your save-the-date cards.

You may be asking yourself, “Where in the world did she come up with that?” I’ll break it down:

The above estimate is designed to provide a starting point for understanding the cost of mailing wedding invitations. However, expect to use more postage on your wedding invitations than you think. Have additional enclosure cards? Add postage. Wax seal? Add postage. More than 1oz? Add postage. 

Several things affect postage costs, and insufficient postage is the most common reason wedding invitations are returned. Every Post Office’s scale is different, so I recommend weighing your invitations at the exact PO you’ll be mailing from before purchasing or applying stamps.

The Impact of Embellishments on the Cost to Mail Wedding Invitations

Design elements such as wax seals, ribbons, or layered cards can enhance the elegance of your wedding invitations but may increase your postage costs. These expenses are harder to estimate but will generally require a “nonmachinable surcharge” because it requires hand-canceling your invitations. Nonmachinable means your wedding invitations are too thick, rigid, or large to be processed by postal machines and require manual sorting by hand. As of January 2025, the cost of the nonmachinable surcharge is 49 cents. So if you send out a letter weighing one ounce, USPS will require $1.19 (it’s the 73-cent postage rate for a 1-ounce letter plus the 46 cents for the nonmachinable surcharge).

Sample Postage Calculations

I’ve created sample postage calculations based on the most common combinations my couples use. Please note that these estimates apply to the main invitation suite only. When planning your budget, don’t forget to account for additional items like RSVP envelopes, save-the-date cards, and thank-you cards in your total postage estimate.

Vintage Postage: Its Impact on the Cost to Mail Wedding Invitations

Incorporating vintage postage, aka postage that is no longer in circulation, into your wedding invitations is a stunning way to add charm and personality. However, this touch does come at a cost. Since vintage stamps are no longer in circulation, their price can range from 3 to 6 times the face value of current USPS rates. For example, if your estimated postage cost is $1.47 per invitation for 80 invitations (totaling $117.60 with current USPS postage), using vintage postage could increase your expense to anywhere between $352.80 and $705.60.

It’s important to note that the face value of the postage stamps does not change; the price of purchasing them does. See the example below.

Tips for Managing Postage Costs

• Consult Your Local Post Office: Before purchasing stamps, have a complete invitation weighed and assessed at your local post office to confirm the exact postage required.
• Consider Design Choices: Opting for standard-sized, rectangular envelopes and minimizing bulky embellishments (ribbons or wax seals) can help reduce postage costs.
• Budget Accordingly: Allocate funds in your wedding budget for postage, considering both the invitations and any additional stationery like save-the-date cards or RSVP envelopes.
• Vintage Postage: Include at least one “Forever” stamp on your invitation. This stamp will typically cover most of your postage cost, reducing the number of additional stamps needed and helping you manage expenses and envelope space efficiently.

Every Post Office is run by a human; thus, every single one will be slightly different. To ensure the best results, check in with your local Post Office and discuss your wedding invitations with them directly. While I do my best to provide accurate postage estimates for my couples, your local postal staff will handle and send your invitations. Their requirements should always take precedence when preparing to mail your wedding invitations.

Conclusion: Planning Ahead For A Seamless Mailing Experience

Understanding the cost to mail wedding invitations is a crucial part of your overall wedding budget. By familiarizing yourself with 2025 postage rates, weighing your complete invitations at your local Post Office, and considering the impact of embellishments, you can avoid unexpected expenses and ensure your invitations are mailed seamlessly and stylishly.

Ready to plan for your postage needs? Follow these tips to create a mailing experience as elegant as your wedding day itself.

If you have any questions or need extra guidance, don’t hesitate to reach out—I’m here to help! Just email me directly at janeil@seventhandanderson.com or message me via my Contact Page, and I’ll be back in your inbox with a response in no time.

*This post was originally published on March 24, 2020. It was updated and republished on January 5, 2025