As though creating the perfect wax seal impression wasn’t difficult enough, add in the stress of dealing with the post office and you might be tempted to give up on mailing your wax sealed envelopes all together!

But never fear! In today’s video, I’m going to do my best to uncover the challenges we face when mailing wax seals, share some of my favorite solutions and even talk about application techniques and the type of wax you should look for (if you’ve asked me about using crayons before, this one is for you!). Whether you’re mailing wax seals on your favorite snail mail to grandma or your penpal across town, or sending a ton of wedding invitations out, carefully decorated with your favorite wax seals—this video should clear up any troubles and give you peace of mind as you set out to USPS with your envelopes in hand.

How to Mail Your Stationery:

Let’s start with WHY wax seals can cause problems in the mail: Canceling and Sorting Postage.

When we mail stationery through USPS, the envelope is sent through a machine that “cancels” the postage for us in order to pay for the delivery service being performed—basically inking over the stamp so it can’t be removed and re-used. Makes complete sense! Brilliant on their part to create a machine that is a streamlined, faster way to cancel postage than to do it one at a time. Bravo.

The problem arrises when you step away from their standard envelop. This applies to handmade paper, vintage postage, oversized envelopes, etc. But when you add a wax seal—it’s like a bolder being thrown into the path! It can get caught in the machine, tare envelope or even rip the wax seal right off! Now, in my experience thinner envelopes (something with just a card or invitation in it) are usually okay as long as you are using quality materials. Even the exact envelope that I’m sharing in this post went through the mail—no special system or precautions made—and it came through JUST FINE. We’ll talk a little more about why that is later, but for now just know that a thinner envelope isn’t as much of an issue. A thicker envelope, on the other hand, is already making a tight squeeze through the machine. So adding the extra width can cause some problems, even so much as to make your “envelope” a “parcel” in the eyes of the postal service (which simply means that it’s more than 0.25” thick).

Okay, so now that we know that the main problem is with the machines—how do we avoid it?

Well, my darling, I’m so glad you asked! Here are a few of my favorite solutions:

Solution 1: Hand Cancel

Honestly, I recommend hand canceling all of your fine stationery. Anything that you want to keep pristine and beautiful should be hand canceled. It’s like the white glove treatment (or as close as they will get) at the USPS. Now for this step, I HIGHLY recommend visiting your local post office and asking them what their policy is. Bonus if you take a finished invitation with you so that they can weigh (check for postage costs), measure it (envelope vs parcel) and give you exact instructions for their mailing process

The “handbook” for hand canceled invitations must be pretty vague at USPS, because each post office seems to have it’s own little nuances about their process. It’s always best to visit ahead of time to make sure you are in like with the particular office you ship out of.

When you hand cancel and/or purchase a non-machinable stamp, it’s just a nice way to give your invitations a little more security, a little better care as you send your beautiful stationery out into “the wild”.

Solution 2: Use an Outer Envelope

Outer envelopes were first used when letters and mail would go across great distances on horse back, train, etc. It was a messy ride! The outer envelope served as a barrier against the dirt, moisture and even curious eyes. Today they are still used for formal events and traditionally have the full names of the guests or recipients on the “inner” envelope with the a formal names and address on the “outer” envelope. The outer envelope is also a wonderful option if you are mailing wax seals. Stick the wax seal on the inner envelope and place it inside the outer—which will then protect the wax, prevent it from being caught by the lip of the edge, and create a smooth transition from invitation to wax and back again.

While I think that using inner and outer envelopes is a great solution to the wax seal mailing “problem” (especially if you are planning to have a really formal event), it isn’t necessary in order to send the invitations through the mail successfully. If you’re dead set on skipping hand canceled invitations, then I recommend using inner and outer—just to be safe.

Solution 3: Apply Your Wax Seals To LAST

If you plan to send your wax seals through the mail, I highly recommend making sure that you are using proper techniques as you apply your wax seal. Making sure that the wax is hot enough to form that seal and attachment is important, whether you are using a spoon or a melting gun technique. If you want to use remade wax seals, be sure that you are purchasing quality adhesive. Regular glue or double sided tape won't be enough—you want something that will bind to both the surface of the wax AND your envelope (paper). I have used and can attest to the quality of Artisaire’s “stickers”. I have used them on a few projects and have zero problems.

Solution 4: Use QUALITY Wax

In order for your wax seals to last, it’s important that you are using quality materials. Candle wax or crayons, while convenient and affordable are literally designed to break down. This is exactly what you want to avoid if you’re making wax seals to send through the mail. Are you playing around with wax seals and just want to create some? Go for it. Crayons for days.

But if you want it to actually stay together, if you want wax seals that won’t “bleed” or stain your envelopes, that won’t chip off, melt or transfer, you need to purchase quality wax. And yes, that means that you might have to skip out on the super affordable sealing wax you can find on Amazon.

Artisaire is one of my favorite brands (shocker) and I have also used Stamptitude in the past with success.