New Canadian Pansy Stamps Now Available
The annual March release of the new Canada Post floral stamp series is a welcome sign of spring and highly anticipated by some brides. Those in search of pretty feminine postage to adorn their wedding invitations are particularly eager to see the designs. This year two Canadian pansy designs have been released.
About the Stamps
There are different varieties of pansies featured on the stamps. The ‘Delta Premium Pure Light Blue’ (Link) has a brilliant yellow center surrounded by azure petals. The ‘Midnight Glow’ Icicle Pansy shines in hues of purple, yellow, pink and orange. Typically, the floral stamps are photographs, but this year they are illustrations. Their romantic whimsical look may make them even more appealing to brides. Laurie Koss illustrated the stamps, and Marcio Morgado and Paul Haslip of HM&E Design Communications designed them.
The Symbolism of the Pansy
Pansies are a uniquely Canadian flower. The name is derived from the French word “pensee,” which means thought or remembrance. The flowers were first bred in 1839 by Lord James Gambier, a Newfoundland governor, and gardener William Thompson. The two men produced the pansy by crossing different species of the viola flower. Pansies are particularly hardy and well-suited to Canada’s climate; they flourish in cooler weather. They are some of the first flowers to bloom in spring and last in fall.
Other Wedding Postage Options
There are a wide variety of stamps from which to choose for wedding invitations. If you want to go with a flower but pansies aren’t your thing, other options include roses and magnolias. Floral postage is certainly not mandatory for wedding invitations; other alternatives may more accurately reflect your personality. For couples that prefer a patriotic theme, there are stamps available honoring the 50th anniversary of the national flag of Canada. Nature lovers can choose from baby wildlife and butterflies. Fans of the paranormal will love the five options from the haunted Canada postage collection.
Another popular postage choice for wedding invitations is to design your own stamp. This can be done through www.picturepost.ca. Couples often use a picture of themselves or some other photo of significance.
Tips for Mailing Your Wedding Invitations
While pretty stamps add a nice touch to invitations, the primary concern is that they arrive at the intended destination on time. You don’t want all the money you’ve invested in production and postage to go to waste. Here are some tips that can help ensure successful delivery:
- Use the Right Amount of Postage
Wedding invitations can be unique in size and larger than standard letters. Bringing a copy of an invitation with all the inserts to a post office and getting it weighed will help you confirm the needed postage. If you are mailing any invitations to foreign countries, be sure to tell the postal clerks so they can calculate the correct postage for those invitations as well. This also applies to any prestamped reply cards you are sending.
- Send Properly Sized Reply Cards
Some reply cards are actually too small to be mailed. Be sure to ask someone at the post office if yours are the right size.
- Order Stamps Online
Ordering stamps online can be very convenient. Taking advantage of this option means not standing in line at the post office. You may also have a broader selection from which to choose when you shop online. Post offices sometimes run out of the most popular stamps, so ordering them over the Internet can be the best way to get what you want without waiting. Plan ahead and buy them in advance so you are not delayed in sending out invitations.
Postage is a necessary part of wedding invitations. For brides who want to adorn theirs with a pretty flower, the new Canada Post pansy stamps are a delightful choice.
