Etiquette Q&A: "Should I Hand-Cancel My Wedding Invitations?"

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spring wedding invitation
Photo Credit: Lucky Invitations

Q. "I’ve been told that we should have our wedding invitations hand canceled. What does this mean?"

A. Without hand canceling, your invitations are run through the post office’s machine-operated sorting system (which cancels out the postage so it can’t be used again), and there’s a chance the envelopes can be damaged by the machine. With hand canceling, the postage stamp is hand stamped to cancel out the postage, and your invitations should arrive at your guests’ doors in perfect condition. You will definitely want to have your invitations hand canceled, especially when you consider the amount of time invested in selecting the style, handwriting names and addresses and stuffing the envelopes. 

Plus, check out more Common Wedding Invitation Q&As.

—Diane Forden