3 Myths About Mailing Wax Seals
Wax seals are a beautiful way to add embellishments to your wedding invitations or snail mail. But will they make it safely through the post office?
Every time I post a wax seal video on TikTok, I get comments from people telling me how wax seals will cause issues in the mail. I’m happy to report that most of these comments are incorrect. I have been using wax seals for my wedding invitation clients for many years now, and below are the 3 biggest myths I hear about mailing wax seals.
Myth #1:
Using wax seals means you’ll have to pay more for postage.
While you may have to pay for more postage, it is not always the case. There are three reasons why you might need to pay more for postage with standard first-class mail:
WEIGHT. If your envelope weighs more than 1 ounce, you will have to pay more. Wax seals are actually very lightweight, so they will not cause you to exceed that 1-ounce threshold. What may cause this is the other items inside your envelope. If you have super heavy paper or a lot of items inside your envelope, that may cause your weight to go above 1 ounce.
BULK. To go through the sorting machines at the post office, your envelope must be less than ¼ inch thick. A wax seal will add more bulk to your overall envelope, to be sure, but the wax seal alone will not cause you to go over ¼ inch thick. If you have really thick paper and many items inside your envelope that contribute to the overall thickness, you may need additional postage.
ENVELOPE SIZE. Larger envelopes typically require more postage. If your envelope falls into this category, you will need to pay that additional large envelope fee. You can see the dimensions on USPS here. However, since the wax seal is contained inside the envelope, it does not contribute to this whatsoever.
Myth #2:
Wax seals will break or damage in the mail
Wax seals are not rigid. Most sealing wax today is made from a modern formula that is flexible. Therefore, it can bend and go through the mail without breaking. It will even go through the sorting machines without any issues. Now, if you have your wax seal on the outside of your envelope, it may get minor scuffs and scrapes as it is exposed to the various machines and hands going through the mail.
I recommend to all my clients that you embrace the imperfections that occur when mailing your invitations. The truth is, once envelopes are in the post office it is out of your hands. However, if you want to go the extra mile, you can look into hand cancelling your invitations. This will cost more, but it ideally prevents your envelopes from going through the sorting machines. I generally don’t recommend hand canceling because, in my experience, you’ll spend extra time and money to do this, and the envelopes will still end up going through a machine.
Want to learn how to make your own wax seals?
Check out my online course, the Wax Seal Society!
Myth #3:
Wax seals will melt in the mail
Of all the comments I get, this one makes me laugh every time! Wax seals would have to undergo an extreme amount of heat to re-melt in the mail. Even in the middle of summer, your wax seal will not melt in the mail.
Signed, sealed, delivered.
The wedding invitations I sell feature wax seals inside the envelope as belly bands. In my experience, the wax is actually the most durable of all the items that make up my invitation suites! Paper may get scuffed and bent, and the outer envelope will almost always show some wear and tear, but not one wax seal has ever been damaged in the mail.
Now, it is always best to take your envelopes to the post office and ask them how much postage you will need, but you do not need to worry about your wax seals going through the mail. Almost everything that goes through the mail will endure some wear and tear, so it's best to remind yourself of this and embrace the imperfections.
So there you have it! Now, you can confidently use beautiful wax seals for your invitations and snail mail, knowing there won’t be any issues with them going through the mail.
Want to learn how to make your own wax seals?
Check out my online course, the Wax Seal Society, here!