Often times, brides and grooms-to-be forget to factor in what it will take to get those pretty invitations in the mail. With so many details that go into a wedding, from flowers, to the cake, the invitations are just as important! Remember, they're the first thing your guests receive and they offer a sneak peek of what's to come on. We've put together a few helpful tips to keep in mind when preparing to mail your invitations.

Put it in the budget!
Don't forget -- postage costs extra and is a necessity. Wedding invitations cost more than the standard letter rate, thanks to all the fancy add-ons, like envelope liners, belly bands and response cards. Even the shape has an effect on price. For example, square envelopes cost extra! Be careful, as being even a few cents off, you risk having invitations sent back due to insufficient postage, which will lead to major delays in invitation delivery and will cost even more to remedy.

Weigh in!
Once you have all of the elements for your invites, put together a complete invitation and weigh it to calculate exactly how much postage you will need. If you are going to use personalized photo stamps or a collage of vintage stamps for a unique and creative look, this step is even more important. Custom postage stamps add that additional special touch to your invitations. You can choose a design that matches your wedding stationery theme, or personalize the stamp with a photo of the two of you, your pet, special monogram, or any image that is representative of your wedding -- the possibilities are endless!

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Image via Wedding Paper Divas

Time to visit the post office!
DO NOT drop your invites in the corner mailbox. They'll end up going through automated postage machines and can get bent, torn or be left with an unattractive scan mark on them. Especially if you splurged on calligraphy, have a wax seal or a really thick envelope, you are going to want to set aside time to go to the post office and ask the postmaster to hand-cancel those pretty pieces of mail!

Hand-cancelling is when the postage is marked individually, by hand, which ensures that your outer envelope will stay in perfect condition. There can be an additional fee associated, or sometimes they will ask you to stamp them yourself. After all the time and effort that went into creating the invitations, it's well worth it, we promise!

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Hand-cancelled envelopes, image via Charleston Crafted

Machine-cancelled envelope, image via Sarah Drake Design

Pro tip: Make sure you call ahead to ensure that the specific post office location offers this service.

And once you've finished the task, don't forget to celebrate with a cocktail -- or two! Show off your pretty parcels on instagram using the hashtag #smalltalkbigday.

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Watch the Small Talk. Big Day. Mail Madness video!

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