How to Personalize Your Stationery with a Wax Seal

Sealing an envelope or letter with wax and a personalized stamp is an easy way to turn simple correspondence into a romantic or thoughtful gesture. It takes time, and a bit of practice, but is a skill that can be achieved by anyone old enough to write a letter. While wax seals are able to be shipped through the mail, you might want to consider an additional outer envelope to put the sealed letter in to protect from damage.

There are a few different methods that can be used to create wax seals, but the three most common are wax sticks with wicks ($12.95 for 24, amazon.com), wax beads ($29.99 for 624 beads, amazon.com), or sealing wax made for hot glue guns ($13.49 for 15, amazon.com). If you plan to create a large number of wax seals, try out a few different methods to see which you like best, and which is fastest.

For the occasional letter, we prefer using a wax stick with a wick—the only additional supply you need for this method is a match, which makes the process quick and easy. If you plan to seal over a hundred wedding invitations, you might consider using a hot glue gun to make the process faster. Wax beads are a great way to take wax sealing to the next level by mixing custom colors and creating swirled effects.

Sealing an Envelope with a Wax

Light the wick and let it burn down to the wax, then angle the wax towards the paper. Hold it about an inch and a half from the paper, making sure the flame isn't close enough to the envelope to catch fire. Drip a nickel size amount of wax on the envelope (have patience, it takes time), then blow out the flame. Use the end of the stick to stir the wax around to eliminate any air bubbles or mix in soot that's fallen into the puddle.

Before sealing, rub the stamp on a damp sponge or the palm of your hand to keep it from sticking to the wax. Position the seal so that it's right side up, then press it into the wax for a few seconds before pulling it away. If it sticks, give it a few more seconds before gently rocking it back and forth to release.