Deciding on Envelopes

StephanieDAc

I have chosen an invitation suite (here: http://www.lololincoln.com/cart/store.php/invitations/grove-park-wedding-invitation) but I don't know what envelopes I like. Our colors are black/white with some red so I am deciding between the following envelope choices:

1) Black outer envelopes w/ white inner. I don't know if this will look good, but we are doing calligraphy from Etsy in white. Would this look good or tacky?

2) Black outer w/ black inner. This is more expensive and the inner envelopes only come in gummed

3) White outer w/ white inner but black lining on the outer.

Thanks!

LittleWohlscheid

Those invites are gorgeous! I think either the first or the third option would look best. White writing might be a little difficult for the mailman to read when you're sending them though. Do you have a picture or what you're talking about?

StephanieDAc

@littlewohlscheld yes, here is what the calligraphy (I guess it's not actually calligraphy but I love the way it looks!) will look like on the black:

  https://img1.etsystatic.com/051/0/33675822/icm_fullxfull.47450733_cey91xi1w5s8wk4ok4o4.jpg

labro

I think the white outer envelope with black font for the address and return address is going to look more classic and be much easier to read. I'd be worried about USPS having a harder time processing the black envelopes with white writing.

CTYankeeBride

A word of caution on black envelopes with white writing- the USPS can consider them non-machinable and charge you a surcharge.  They also could slap a white bar code label on them so that they will go through the machines. Either of these things slows down delivery time.  Not worth the hassle IMO.  

I think a white inner with a white outer and the black lining would look nice. 

LittleWohlscheid

@StephanieDAc That's not nearly as hard to read as I would have thought and it looks really pretty. As CTYankeeBride mentioned though, you may want to check with your post office first and make sure it won't be a hassle.

southernbelle0915

I think the black envelope looks cool, but I vote for #3. 

At its most basic, you want the invitations to arrive where they're supposed to arrive. I'd worry about the white writing on black paper - as other PPs have mentioned. Black writing on white paper doesn't present this potential problem. 

jenijoyk

I love the black envelope with white calligraphy! We did dark gold envelopes with black "calligraphy" (same modern style as yours) and I freaked out about the postoffice not being able the read them, and every single invite arrived at its intended destination with suprising speed.

If you're worried, you can take the picture to the post office and ask them at the desk, but I would bet a lot of money they would have no problem. The contrast of what you're thinking is way higher than what was on my envelopes.

jenijoyk

CTYankeeBride said:

A word of caution on black envelopes with white writing- the USPS can consider them non-machinable and charge you a surcharge.  They also could slap a white bar code label on them so that they will go through the machines. Either of these things slows down delivery time.  Not worth the hassle IMO.  

I think a white inner with a white outer and the black lining would look nice. 

Does hand-canceling fix this? I don't actually understand EXACTLY what hand canceling does, and I didn't do it. My dark gold envelopes didn't get stuck with any bar codes though.

MairePoppy

I would choose a white outer envelope with black ink, classic and elegant, so #3.

CTYankeeBride

Hand canceling means they use a hand stamp to cancel out the postage stamp.  Some people are told this means the invites won't ever go through a machine if they are hand canceled, and that isn't true.  Almost all mail goes through some kind of machine at some point.  

If it goes through the machine that reads where it is supposed to go and the machine can't read it, the postal service may print out a bar code and put it on the envelope to make it readable by machine.  It's not a definite (some of them might just not be delivered at all or may arrive with a notice that extra postage is due for the non-machinable item).  Sadly there's really no "standard," it's just a lot of "this could happen . . .".