Wedding Invitations & Paper

Envelope liners - do people EVER see them (since most use letter openers)?

Hi all, 

There are SO many boards on here about envelope liners, and everything I see is very positive about them, which the exception of a couple brides saying they are a pain to DIY. My mother nixed the idea right off the bat by pointing out that nearly everybody opens envelopes with a letter opener, which would cut the top in a way that nobody would EVER see the envelope liners!

I considered sealing the envelopes with a wax or vellum seal, but have read that you still need to seal them with adhesive so that they don't come apart in the mail. Then, I decided I could just add an outer envelope, and line only the inner envelope. On the forums, however, it looks like most brides actually suggest lining only the outer envelope!! 

I'm stumped by this, so I'm just looking for opinions on whether people actually see envelope liners, and advice from any other brides who actually thought this one through and came up with a good solution. I'm kind of in love with some patterned paper I found and really would like to incorporate it in some way - if not as an envelope liner then somewhere else in the invitation suite. Tips and ideas for that are also appreciated!

Re: Envelope liners - do people EVER see them (since most use letter openers)?

  • I don't know anyone who uses a letter opener. That said, I still think envelope liners are unnecessary.
  • We didn't do them. We had the outer env, the inner env, the reply env, the reply card, the reception card, the info card, the tissue, and the invitation. That was a lot of paper and postage!
  • Like PPs said, it's really unnecessary and it's just gonna cost you more in postage in the end.
  • I did get quite a few unexpected compliments on our envelope liner - a muted peacock pattern that I loved, although I didn't think anyone else would notice.  I had our guestbook border made with the same peacock liner. I doubt very few, if any, guests noticed the coordination of my guestbook with my invitations.  However, I noticed and it made me happy.  I would make the same decision (using the envelope liners and coordinating the guestbook) again if I got to do my wedding over.
  • I use a letter opener, but I can still see the inside of the envelope because I need to pull it apart to get out whatever is inside.
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  • I wish I was together enough to sit down, open mail with a letter opener, read it, file it, etc.  The reality is that I just rip it open, take a look, and toss it in a pile of "pay bill," "shred/toss," or if an invite, "stick to fridge with magnet."

    If you really love liners, do them for yourself but not because your guests are expecting them.  Or, just buy a couple pages of decorative paper and line the invite you keep for your wedding scrapbook, but not the ones you send out.  I think invites get too fussy with a zillion envelopes, tissue, etc.  Instead of spending my invite money on all the envelopes, I went with higher quality printing and a unique invitation from Hello Lucky.  I'm pleased with the choice.  Too much fru-fru stuff makes me think of the bridal shower invites in the movie "Bridesmaids," that had the box with butterflies in it.  Makes me laugh.
  • I prefer ripping the envelope open with my finger and then bitch about the paper cuts, but that's mostly because I stabbed myself the first and only time I used a letter opener...

    I don't think 99% of people will notice or care, but if you love the idea and can afford it, go for it. :)
  • jlr92588jlr92588 member
    First Anniversary Name Dropper First Comment First Answer
    edited September 2013
    I've seen paper bands (I think they are called belly bands) that go around invitations or around the envelope. You could incorporate your patterned paper that way...maybe? Here are a few examples:




    Hope this helped :)
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  • I thought letter openers were just for killing people in Lifetime movies.



    Anniversary
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  • I don't use a letter opener.  

    That said, I do notice envelope liners when they're there.  I like all the little details of a wedding.   We opted to use them because I liked it and it was probably the fanciest invitation I'll ever send out and I wanted it to look it.  It was also in the budget.  

    However, if a couple doesn't use them, it's no big deal.....I'm not sitting there wondering "where's the envelope liner?".
  • I want to know who all these people using letter openers are.  I actually own a letter opener from Tiffany's (weirdest gift ever), but I've never used it.  

    Use the liners if you love them and they are in budget.  Most of your guests aren't going to pay that much attention to the invitations.  Do them for you.  
  • I use a letter opener daily. Just a little plastic one from Office Depot or Staples. I like that it keeps the envelopes neat and not torn up all over the place. But I guess I am one of those people who "sits down, opens mail with a letter opener, reads it, files it, etc."

    photo fancy-as-fuck.jpg
  • The only person I know that uses a letter opener is my 85 year old boss. I like envelope liners, I DIYed mine and it wasn't that big of a deal. I had made my own patterned paper and the annoying part was cutting them out. I used a guillotine paper cutter and a rounded corner punch. The weight difference was negligible.

    Other options for the patterned paper is to use it as a backer to any of the components, a belly band, or you can make inner or rsvp envelopes out it if it's thick enough. 

    Having done invitations for other things with wax seals, the liners are easier to do, take less time, are lighter and hold up better in transit. 
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  • My soon to be father in law uses a letter opener. he owns a business and hes old. but hes the only I know. But, i never even notice envelope liners.
  • I never notice envelope liners to be honest.

  • I did DIY liners. I only had an outer envelope (with a pocket-style invitation instead of an inner envelope) and the envelopes I ordered were thin enough to see through. I hadn't planned on lining, but loved the result. Like spunky I used a guillotine style cutter (must have!) and I applied them with double sided tape. Nothing that I couldn't do handle in a few hours in front of the tv. I posted pics in this thread if you have any questions: http://forums.theknot.com/discussion/991887/custom-designed-invites-how-do-you-find-a-printer#latest
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  • I think envelope liners are a waste of money if you're on a budget. They're pretty, but unless your wedding is super duper formal and fancy I think they're unnecessary. We did, however, use a pretty monogram wax seal on our envelopes that I bought at Michael's [after I "spit sealed" them (which is what DH likes to call it.)] We thought it would be really messy and a pain in the butt, but really it was kind of fun and the wax dried pretty quickly.
  • My inner envelope has a liner...not the outer envelope.


    I like it...and I already managed to get my invites for a lot less than I expected - so I splurged a bit.
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  • I know the original post is a month old, but just in case someone gets to the bottom of this thread and is still debating: I cut my own, and I'm so happy I did. 

    The envelopes we got for the StDs from Vistaprint were so flimsy and the rest of the elements looked so well-done, that I felt like I had to do something to make the envelopes better. FYI: color copies at Staples cost $0.50 - well worth it, and paper cutters make everything go super fast.
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