Ladies and Gentlemen, our next luxe finishing touch needs no introduction - the Wax Seal! Hands down the most popular request we get is for luscious, ooey gooey wax in everything from vintage monogram stylings to modern, fresh foliage inspired designs. We’re not going to lie - we get a little more than a little giddy when a couple expresses interest in including a wax seal, partly because we love the look, but also because the possibilities are sooooo endless!!!
There’s a few things you should think about when considering adding a wax seal:
Where will it go? On the invitation itself, on a vellum wrap, as part of a belly band, sealing twine around the invitation, or the classic - on the envelope?
What do you want it to include? A monogram, a single initial, a cute saying or perhaps a simple design?
What color do you want? Something soft and romantic, or a bold pop of color?
Shape? Are you classic and round, oval, square, diamond?
Placement is everything - here these perfect copper wax seals have been used as part of the invitation design, in a simple and chic way. Photo by the lovely Briana Nicole Photography.
Let’s talk about placement first. There’s a few things every couple should know about wax seals - the biggest being that the post office is kind of not their biggest fan… modern post offices push all enveloped mail through machinery that scans them, sorts them, adds barcodes, etc. that way they can get to their intended destination. Because of their machinery, wax seals that are used to actually seal an envelope have the tendency to be destroyed during the mailing process. This is something we never want to see! So we recommend that if you absolutely want to use them to seal the envelope (as is the traditional way),. then we will want to do so on an inner envelope, and then place that into an outer envelope for protection. Unfortunately some of our invitations are sized a little differently and an outer envelope may not be available for them, so it’s always important to discuss these details with us before hand.
If you’re open to incorporating a wax seal in a different way then yay!!! There are lots of fun ways to do so. We’ve already shown you what they’re like when used with lovely gold twine (up above), and as part of the invitation suite - but we also love using them to seal a vellum wrap!
Our Greek Laurels vellum wrapped suite is perfection when sealed with a rose gold wax seal!
What do you want it to include? Monograms, initials, fun sayings and lovely design details are always great options!
Initials are always going to be in style!
Geometric shapes add a fun touch!
Incorporating shields in a monogram is a design choice that we don’t see fading out anytime soon!
If you haven’t noticed yet, color is our jam, babes!!! Our two most requested wax seal colors (as if you didn’t know), are gold and rose gold *gasp* shocking!! hahaaaa. But we love getting to work with other fun options like blush, champagne, copper, lavender (shown above), and even mint! Special request - can someone puuuuuleeeeeease ask us for black wax seals already??????
A mint green wax seal in a diamond shape? You know it! Checking off two style options in one design, Kayla will forever have our hearts!
When you’re choosing to go the custom invitation route, it gives you a LOT of freedom, and a lot of options! We looooove when our clients are open to a fun shape for their wax seal! Yes, circles are classic, timeless and elegant, but let’s see more oval, square and diamond shaped beauties in the future, pink promise??? Beauty comes in all shapes and sizes!!!
These oval seals in champagne feel so fresh and make our hearts happy!
Want some good bonus content? Well, if you’ve read this far then you deserve it - wax seals are not just for invitations, we are OBSESSED with incorporating them into day of/reception stationery!!!! Menus, place cards, programs - we can’t get enough!!!! If you plan on using them for your day of pieces as well, be sure to let us know that in advance so we can order enough to cover all of that.
These place cards for Jamie + Kara’s wedding were such a hit - and one of our most asked about place card designs! Photo by the amazing Emily Joanne Photography.
Vellum? Check! Wax Seal? Check! Hand Dyed Silk Ribbon? Check! These place cards are a trifecta of awesome! Pro tip? We can color code the ribbon to indicate your guests’ meal selection!
These deckled edge menus just wouldn’t be the same without the rose gold wax seal!
Show of hands - who wants us to do a nice tutorial vid on how to make the perfect wax seal? Let us know in the comments! Are you planning on using wax seals in your big day? If so, let us know! Happy planning babes, xoxo - Team Funky Olive