Wax Seals for Invitations

ballerinabek27

Hello,

I was wondering if anyone could shed some light in regards to wax seals. I love the elegant look of it. I'm planning to have a navy or burgundy envelope with a gold wax seal. 

I do not have any experience with wax seals, so...

Are there any downfalls when using wax seals? 
Do they make it through the mail without becoming damaged?
Is this something I could do myself at home? Or, should I find a professional?

Thanks for any feedback!

ahoywedding

I've not used them, but I have seen a bunch of DIY "kit" type things that come with the wax and stamper thing (especially on Etsy!). Some of the shops will even make a custom stamp. I have used similar type products and they're not too hard but I would definitely recommend testing on a scrap paper first.

We've gotten a couple invites with seals on them that weren't damaged at all! If you're worried about it, maybe send yourself a test letter to see how it looks. You could ask a friend to drop it in their mailbox, or throw it in one of those big public ones to get it a little more beat up  

ballerinabek27

That's a great idea! Thanks   

ILoveBeachMusic

You also might want to check to see if it will require extra postage or to be hand stamped at the post office. 

I personally wouldn't spend the money on it because people aren't going to really remember that you did it. It is one of those unnecessary things.

knottie1027

I bought my wax seals from Etsy and I love the look it added to my invitation! It was not hard at all. I watched a few youtube videos to get a general idea of what to do and I tested it on scrap paper. It is tedious, took about 2 hours to seal 50+ envelopes since the wax melts slowly. I bought my stamp and wax sticks from CognitiveSurplus, their wax is approved for USPS mailing. I had forever stamps so I did not have to use extra postage, although I'm not sure if it really makes a difference. Good luck!

ahoywedding

knottie1027 said:

I bought my wax seals from Etsy and I love the look it added to my invitation! It was not hard at all. I watched a few youtube videos to get a general idea of what to do and I tested it on scrap paper. It is tedious, took about 2 hours to seal 50+ envelopes since the wax melts slowly. I bought my stamp and wax sticks from CognitiveSurplus, their wax is approved for USPS mailing. I had forever stamps so I did not have to use extra postage, although I'm not sure if it really makes a difference. Good luck!

Just FYI for lurkers, Forever stamps (in the US) are only for standard mail that is one ounce or less. If your invites are oddly shaped or heavy, you DO need to include extra postage. If you bring one bundle of everything you want included in your invites to the post office, they'll weight it for you & you can purchase extra stamps to make up any additional cost.

knottie1027

@ahoywedding Thank you for clarifying that information! I was so excited about wax stamps I forgot >.<

knottie81fa860c3b557926

I'm going to order some off etsy! I think they're really unique and memorable.

knottie6f05dc9f7907d7da

We used was seals for our invites! We ordered the wax pellets and stamps from Amazon. We have a seal-n-send style invitation without an outer envelope. With postage: wax seals can get caught in machine sorters at the post office; we had to pay .21 extra for "hand stamping"
The trick with the seals: don't overheat the wax. 

knottie6f05dc9f7907d7da

*wax. You don't want it boiling and make it too runny. You want it just melted

Jen4948

How do the seals hold up once you send the invitations? 

knottie6f05dc9f7907d7da

The seals hold up really well!! They may rip yhe paper when the guest opens it--I sent 2 practice invitations in the mail to my MOH. Trust me, they hold!

MairePoppy

I love wax seals and hope someone will start a new thread on this subject. This is a zombie thread.