Couples trying to save a bit on wedding expenses may want to buy stamps for their invitations before Jan. 18.

“There is going to be a price increase. The 49 cent is going to 50. The stamp that is now 70 cents will go to 71 or 72 cents,” said Karen Butterfield, postmaster of the Boyers Post Office, 1188 Boyers Road, Boyers.

She said the 49 cent stamp is a Forever stamp but other stamps are not.

“The extra postage stamp, for example, the 70 cent stamp that we have now, is not a Forever. Only the 49 cent is Forever,” Butterfield said.

Tad Kelley, spokesman for the Western Pennsylvania District of USPS, stressed that Forever stamps always will be worth the first-class postage rate.

Butterfield said the Celebration Boutonniere Forever stamp is still available as well as the Celebration Corsage for items that require a 70 cent stamp.

A price increase is not the only new thing for wedding-related postage.

“There is a new stamp that's going to be coming out,” Butterfield said. “The on-sale date is Jan 18.”

The new stamp, Love Flourishes, has a floral design.

The USPS website, USPS.com, offers the option to view and purchase stamps but a local post office may not have every stamp shown on the website.

“Normally we do carry a wedding stamp for the first stamp and then a second ounce wedding stamp,” said Tammy Gregg, postmaster of the Sarver Post Office, 705 Ekastown Road, Sarver. “It would be good to check with your post office to be sure they're available. If not, we can order them.”

Butterfield said the stamps ordered by postmasters usually arrive in a week.

She said the Boyers Post Office will have only 60 to 100 of the new Love Flourishes stamps in stock. Wedding couples also will have competition from other customers wanting to buy the stamps when they arrive.

“Anything that's flowery or pretty, they like that as a change over the ordinary stamps we carry all the time,” Butterfield said.

Couples also can order other stamps themselves at USPS.com. In the “Postal Store” section of the site, customers can do a search for wedding and love stamps and find four stamps, including Love Flourishes and Celebration Boutonniere.A third stamp is Love Skywriting. It shows an airplane writing the word love. Another stamp from the search is Colorful Celebrations. It features flowers, hummingbirds and other birds depicted in papel picado, a Mexican pierced paper art.More Forever stamps a couple might consider are Flowers from the Garden, depicting still-life paintings of exuberant floral arrangements; Botanical Art with pictures of idealized, romantic floral illustrations; and Neon Celebrate! with letters in bright colors.Kelley said as long as a Forever stamp is still on the website, it is available.When a couple cannot find stamps they like, Butterfield said there's another option through links on USPS.com.“You can actually import a photo to make the stamps,” she said.“In addition to the stamps, you can make up your own cards and envelopes. You can import your guest list. You can do this all from your computer,” Butterfield said.She tried the system for a birthday. She even scheduled the mailing electronically.“It was great,” Butterfield said. “It's worth the time that you save as well as being able to really personalize your invitations.”Butterfield said most invitations she sees in the post office do not require extra postage but she and Gregg advised customers to be sure before preparing invitations for mailing.“We always suggest to have them weighed because they're including the R.S.V.P. card,” Gregg said.Some couples include maps, directions or other instructions when they mail their invitations. Kelley said putting less in the envelope can be a cost-saving measure.

“I have seen invitations all be returned to the sender for additional postage. I recommend putting one invitation together and take that one into a post office and have them weigh it for postage. That will eliminate a lot of anxiety,” Butterfield said.According to Gregg, most invitations are within USPS size restrictions. Even so, buttons or ribbons on more elaborate invitations are a factor for postage. She said those make the item “non-machineable” and can add another 21 cents for each invitation.“The extra postage is to cover the cost of processing them so they do not go through the machinery,” Butterfield said. “If there's a ribbon or a button that causes a little bump in there, it would actually damage them if they went through normal processing.”Kelley said an envelope moving through an automated process has a rigorous path. Not only are some decorations on the invitation a problem, he said, in general, there are more flimsy envelopes going through USPS.“Quality envelopes are very important,” Kelley said. “We wouldn't want anything to happen to an invitation, especially for a wedding.”Today's couples may consider eliminating postage completely. Although it's possible to use digital methods to invite guests to the nuptials, it's not as popular as regular mail.“We're very proud of our history of supporting weddings and putting out beautiful stamps that are attractive and speak to the moment. It's the most popular mechanism for prospective brides and grooms to invite their guests to their event,” Kelley said. “It still maintains its importance and significance as part of the bride and groom's special day.”