Wax seals were used as early as the Middle Ages to authenticate documents. Since then, wax seals have become more of an aesthetic detail than a functional one. They add such a special touch to your invitations, and there are so many ways to incorporate them. So, I’m going to explain some different methods and best practices for using wax seals.
Wax Seal Methods
Wax Stamp
This is the traditional method of melting and stamping wax. It’s not quite as easy or mess free as the stickers. However, it absolutely serves a purpose. There are certain situations, like using the wax seal to attach ribbon around an invitation, where the stickers would ruin your pieces.
While this method seems so much harder, there are ways to simplify it a bit. You can use a low-temperature glue gun to melt the wax and speed up the process.
Stickers
Wax seal stickers are by far the easiest method. They are professional grade stickers. For that reason, you don’t have to worry about them peeling off. They’re also the best for when my couples are assembling their own invitations. What I love about them is that they are still stamped by hand. As a result, they still look natural and not too manufactured!
That’s why the stickers are the only option we currently sell! We don’t want you to have to learn a whole new skill in order hand stamp the wax seal on your wedding invitations. It doesn’t need to be that complicated.
Wax Seal Best Practices
Outer Envelope
Wax seals are known to make it through the mail just fine on the outside of the envelope. However, you can be even more confident that it will arrive safely if you put the wax seal on an inner envelope. That way, the outer envelope is there to protect it. Here are a couple other tips for mailing wax seals.
Postage
One of the most overlooked aspects to wax seals is how they affect the postage of your wedding invitations. If your suite isn’t already over one ounce, the wax seal could possibly push it over. Additionally, it will definitely make it non-machinable. This means that the variation in thickness from the wax seal causes it to not be able to go through the regular machines. Obviously, this requires additional postage.
Ultimately, wax seals are one of my favorite wedding invitation embellishments. The designs can be such a special addition to the feel of your invitation suite, and I would love to design yours!