Hand Canceling

To hand cancel or not to hand cancel? That is the question. You may be having this very debate right now. Or you may have zero idea what this means and how it relates to weddings. No worries! Allow me to elaborate.

When you mail your invitations, no matter the weight or postage amount, the USPS will run them through both canceling and sorting machines. The first, a canceling machine, literally cancels through the postage on the outer envelope so it cannot be reused. The second machine, a sorter, adds a barcode to the bottom of the outer envelope which assists in trafficking it to the appropriate post office of your guest.

Many brides choose to hand cancel their invitations and it's a measure I highly recommend. It's one less machine your beloved paper will be forced through and the hand canceling stamp is a much cleaner marking on your envelopes.

In New York City, the USPS hand cancels the first 50 invitations for free. After 50, they charge $.05 per envelope. I paid a measly $4 total for all of my invitations to be hand canceled and they arrived in fine condition.

The USPS is tough on mail. Your envelopes will get scratched, ripped and inked before their arrival. And there's no avoiding the sorter machine, period. But after laboring and licking 100+ invitations, isn't it worth your Starbuck's coffee in change to have the poor postal worker at your local counter hand cancel your babies? You owe it to your sanity.

left: machine cancel                                                             right: hand cancel

USPS Postage

If you're in the market for wedding themed postage but aren't interested in designing your own stamps, check out the solid options at your local USPS. Visit them online if you want to save a trip to the post office. 

 

Custom Postage

Don't let wedding postage be an afterthought. This is a chance to really make an impression on your guests and showcase your creativity. With the help of your invitation designer and Zazzle, you're well on your way to custom-postage that can coordinate with your wedding colors, theme, location or monogram. If you've been wondering what to do with all of those gorgeous engagement photos, why not upload your favorite image and turn it into personalized stamps? If you're a DIY bride designing your own invites, puruse the vast selection of custom wedding work already on zazzle. There's bound to be a bride who also shares the same rustic chic wedding decor that you do. 

It really is a simple and user-friendly process. Just obtain a jpeg of the design of your choosing. Visit zazzle's website, upload your image and select the postage amount and appropriate sized stamp to fit your envelope. Remember to have the USPS measure your entire invitation suite to determine the proper postage amount per envelope before ordering. 

Don't forget about RSVP envelopes and thank you note postage too!

 Our wedding date with the NYC Central Park skyline

Orchid design from our wedding invitation and outer envelope

Calligraphy

There is no better way to address wedding invitations than with calligraphy. It's oh-so-elegant and sets the tone for a romantic, luxurious event. So you'll understand when I was saddened to discover that my invitation stationer charges $3.95 per envelope for digital calligraphy. I'm all for computers easing the handiwork of humans but I wasn't about to fork over four bucks per guest to have addresses printed. I was sure I could do better!

To my surprise, it took only a quick lunch break browsing Craigslist to find a willing and able (and affordable!) calligrapher right here in New York. Her name is Joanne Day at Night Owl Creativity and she's fabulously talented. She promised to match her ink color to my custom blue invitations and also turn around 130 envelopes in one week for $1.50 each. She even volunteered to pick up and drop off at my place of work. She's my girl!

Here are some samples in the font we chose. Visit her website for more of her work.

You're Invited

Our gorgeous invitations arrived! Thanks to everyone at Ceci New York for fabulous design, the most professional service, the highest quality paper goods and most elegant invite suite. I'm beyond excited to mail these out. But first, calligraphy!

 Love a good belly band. 

 A necessary throw to the website. 

 The most creative but classic vellum. 

The gray orchids are really blind embossed. Obsessed.

The custom postage is a big hit. 

 The party symbols are a Ceci signature.

 A destination but also our home. 

We love everything boats!

Cinderella Shoes

I wouldn't consider myself a Carrie Bradshaw girl. I like shoes. But I don't live and breathe shoes. Which is why I'm so shocked to find myself drooling over fancy, sparkly designer heels.

This is the one time in my life that making a statement counts. That people will be photographing my feet. That I will be standing all day without an option for flats. That it is worth dropping some serious cash on amazing shoes.

Because my fiance is only 3 inches taller than me, I searched far and wide for designer sparkle with a kitten heel. God bless Jimmy Choo. I feel like Cinderella in my brand new perfect peep toes!

BM Dress For Less

I've finally found it! This cute little Alfred Sung number hit all of the musts. Chic one-shoulder cut, pleated preppy skirt, flattering on every body type, great royal blue fabric, online coupon making it under $130. Obsessed.

Bridesmaid Dresses

Here's a quick list of my favorite bridesmaid dress vendors. All fashionable, all affordable, all adorable!

Quick tip: Be on the lookout for coupons. I found one for 20% off every dress for my girls!  

Dessy

J. Crew

Two Birds

Jim Hjlem

Alfred Sung

Ann Taylor

Mori Lee

Jenny Yoo

Bill Levkoff

Showing My School Spirit

I bought this on Etsy before I ever found my dress. Or before we ever discussed a garter toss. It was that irresistible. Once a Gator girl, always a Gator girl!

Save The Date

My save the dates have arrived! I absolutely adore them. They're the perfect balance of bold and bright yet classic and vintage.

The blue color coordinates perfectly with the USPS polar bear postcard stamps, as does the season. We'll be shipping them out in January after the hustle and bustle of the holiday season. 

Props to Penelope at Shadowboxer, Ink for the lovely design.