Wedding Invitations

Did you know that there’s an upcoming postal rate increase scheduled for stamps? At first glance, brides across the country might not think much of it, and might even wonder why this would be newsworthy or applicable to them and their wedding planning. But when those same brides suddenly realize that the now-traditional “Love” stamps issued by the U.S. Postal Service might not be available to send their wedding invitations out, there could be quite a bit of flustered and worried brides first in line at their local Post Offices tomorrow morning.

American brides have been mailing their wedding invitations using “Love” stamps since 1973, which was the first year that the U.S. Postal Service issued them. Back then, the inaugural “Love” stamp was designed by pop artist Robert Indiana and cost eight cents apiece. In the 35 years since that first stamp was issued, “Love” stamp designs have ranged from images of cherubs, flowers, candy hearts, animals, and love letters to abstract designs. My personal favorite? The Hershey’s Kiss stamp issued in 2007. Yum!

Some good advice to brides is to make a special trip to the Post Office to weigh an invitation before buying the stamps. Also, brides, don’t forget, you may need to buy double the number of “Love” stamps to mail out your wedding invitations. After all, you will likely need to stamp both the invitation itself in addition to the reply or RSVP cards. While modern-day wedding etiquette no longer requires RSVP cards go with all invitations, it sure makes life easier on both the bride and the caterer.