The Journal

A space to learn about wedding invitation Design, etiquette and stationery history

This is part ten of a series called One a Day in May, where we will review one wedding stationery term every day in May!

This collection included vintage stamps from states the bride & groom grew up in, the state they are getting married in, and one with wildflowers because she loves flowers!

These vintage stamps are a great compliment to the colors that are already in this suite.

Postage stamps come in thousands of different designs and have been in use since the mid-1800s. For years the postage stamp has had a predetermined rate, printed on the stamp. To mail an envelope, you had to make sure you had enough postage to cover the weight and size of the envelope.

Today a one-ounce envelope requires 55¢ in postage to be mailed. Since vintage stamps hold their face value as long as they are unused, you can use them to mail envelopes today! If you have a 25¢ stamp from the 1980s, you can use it to mail an envelope today, you will just need to add additional stamps so that the total postage adds up to 55¢ or more.

When you opt for Vintage Stamps, you have the entire collection of stamps ever created in the United States at your disposal, assuming they are available to purchase. You can combine them with Forever Stamps to create really beautiful combinations of postage designs.

Forever Stamps are stamps that will always be valid for the current postage rate for a one-ounce stamp. If you purchased a Forever stamp a few years ago for 44¢, it will work to mail an envelope today – even though postage is now 55¢!

Vintage stamp curation is a great way to add to your wedding story. You could include stamps from places you have both lived, where you met, your favorite flowers, or birds! The possibilities are endless! We recently created a collection of stamps that included stamps from places they both grew up, where they met, and their love for traveling together. It was a challenge to find colors that matched the invitation suite without overpowering the design. We were able to settle on a forever stamp with four additional vintage stamps.