How Hand-Canceling Wedding Invites Saves You Money

Wedding invitations are often embellished with ribbons, twine, or wax seals, and can be bulky or uneven. This means that they may not be suitable for processing by a machine at the post office. Hand-cancelling wedding invitations means that each stamp on your envelope is marked by hand, rather than by a machine, to prevent them from being torn or damaged.

Why hand-cancelling is important

Wedding invitations are often embellished with care and creativity, be it with ribbons, twine, wax seals, or fabric-covered boxes. These adornments, however, can cause the envelopes to become bulky or uneven, making them susceptible to damage when processed by the post office's machines. This is where hand-cancelling comes in.

Hand-cancelling is a process that ensures your carefully crafted wedding invitations are not crushed, ripped, stained, or damaged by the postal service's machines. When you drop off mail at the post office, it typically runs through a machine that sorts and confirms the postage by stamping over the stamp to prevent its reuse. However, for wedding invitations, this process can be detrimental.

By requesting hand-cancelling, you are asking that each stamp on your envelopes be marked by hand, bypassing the need for the envelope to go through the sorting machine. A postal clerk will use a special rubber stamp to note the current date and postal location, ensuring that your invitations are processed separately and carefully. This service is particularly important for invitations that are delicate, bulky, or larger in size, as they are more likely to be damaged by the mail sorting machines.

Additionally, hand-cancelling can provide peace of mind. While there is no guarantee that every hand-cancelled suite will be pulled for hand processing, taking this step significantly increases the chances of your invitations arriving safely and in one piece. It shows that you have taken the time to ensure their protection, and it allows you to avoid the potential disappointment of having your carefully crafted invitations damaged or returned due to insufficient postage.

Overall, hand-cancelling is an important option to consider when sending out wedding invitations. It provides an extra layer of care and protection for your special mail, ensuring that your invitations are delivered to your guests in the same pristine condition in which you sent them.

What is hand-cancelling?

Hand-cancelling is a process that involves manually marking or cancelling a postage stamp on an envelope with a hand stamp, instead of using a machine. This is typically done by a postal clerk, who uses a rubber stamp to note the current date and postal location on the envelope. This process bypasses the need for envelopes to go through sorting machines, which can sometimes damage them.

The hand-cancelling process is often used for wedding invitations, which tend to be bulky and delicate, with embellishments such as ribbons, wax seals, and thick paper. These types of envelopes are more likely to be damaged by mail sorting machines, so hand-cancelling helps ensure that they arrive at their destination unblemished and in one piece.

To hand-cancel envelopes, individuals must bring their completed and addressed envelopes to the post office, where a postal clerk will verify that the correct postage has been applied. The individual can then request that their envelopes be hand-cancelled. The postal clerk will then stamp each envelope by hand, setting them aside to be processed separately from machine-cancelled mail.

It is worth noting that hand-cancelling can cost extra, and it may take longer for the envelopes to be processed and delivered. Additionally, some post offices may not offer hand-cancelling or may refuse to do it, in which case individuals can speak to a manager or try another branch.

Steps to hand-cancelling wedding invitations

Check with your postmaster

Before applying any stamps, assemble a mock-up of your wedding invitation, complete with all inserts and accoutrements, and bring it to the post office to be weighed and checked by the postmaster or another USPS employee. They will be able to tell you if your envelope is too bulky to be cancelled by machine and how much postage you'll need.

Purchase the correct postage

Now that you know how much your invitation weighs and if it requires hand-cancelling, purchase a combination of stamps (or a single custom stamp) that reaches your required postage. For example, an envelope that is light enough to be mailed using a $0.63 first-class stamp (up to 1 oz.) would require $0.76 of postage if it needs to be hand-cancelled. Remember that hand-cancelling requires an extra cost (currently $0.21), so this amount needs to be included in the postage.

Organise your invites

Devise a strategy for organising your invites. You could organise them into piles by family and state, alphabetically, or in order of your guest list. One idea is to assemble invites into clear plastic bags in groups of 10, making it easier to count and ensuring no one is forgotten.

Make an international plan

International invitations should go into separate bags with clear labels. Fill out customs documents for your international guests before you go to the post office. Confirm postage for different countries individually.

Know your post office policy

Different post offices will have different policies for hand-cancelling. Some won't charge you, while others will. Most post offices won't charge for the first 25 to 50 invitations, with the next invites usually costing between $0.05 and $0.25 apiece.

Hand them off

Now, all you have to do is give the invites to the teller at the post office for them to be hand-cancelled. Going first thing in the morning can help you avoid the lunch crowd.

How much extra does it cost to hand-cancel?

The cost of hand-cancelling wedding invitations can vary depending on your location and the number of invitations being sent. Some post offices may not charge for the service, especially for smaller batches of invitations (usually the first 25 to 50 invitations). Beyond this, most post offices will charge a small fee per invitation, typically between 5 and 25 cents per item.

It is worth noting that the cost of hand-cancelling is in addition to the regular postage cost. As of 2024, the additional fee for hand-cancelling is around 20 to 25 cents per envelope, though this may not be uniformly enforced.

To avoid unexpected costs, it is recommended to check with your local post office about their specific policies and fees for hand-cancelling.

Who hand-cancels the envelopes?

Hand-cancelling is a service offered by the post office to ensure that your wedding invitations are not damaged by the usual machine-cancelling process. This means that instead of a machine sorting through your mail, each envelope is cancelled by hand with an ink stamp.

Your local post office employee will most likely be the one to hand-cancel your mail for you. However, due to understaffing, they may ask you to hand-cancel the envelopes yourself under their supervision. In this case, they will provide you with a stamp and then check your work before sending the invitations out.

If a postal worker refuses to hand-cancel, you can ask to speak to the branch manager or take your invitations to another branch.

Frequently asked questions