To obtain a high-resolution image of the stamp for media use only, email mark.r.saunders@usps.gov.

ALEXANDRIA, VA — Brides to be can get ready to mail their wedding invitations now that the Postal Service is issuing a 65-cent Wedding Cake stamp that goes on sale today. The stamp, issued in sheets of 20, is a perfect addition for mailing wedding invitations weighing up to 2 ounces or other First-Class Mail such as oversize cards or small gifts requiring extra postage.

“Sure to add a touch of beauty and romance to wedding correspondence, the Wedding Cake stamp, first introduced in 2009, is a timeless addition to the U.S. Postal Service's Weddings series,” said U.S. Postal Service Stamp Services Manager Stephen Kearney. “Often the centerpiece of a wedding reception, the cake has been a wedding tradition for many generations.” The stamps are available at Post Offices nationwide, online at usps.com and by phone at 800-782-6724.

Pastry chef Peter Brett of Washington, DC, created and designed the cake photographed by Renée Comet of Washington, DC, under the art direction of Ethel Kessler of Bethesda, MD. The three-tier wedding cake topped with white flowers and green stems leaves a delightful contrast to the cake’s creamy white frosting.

Other 2012 Stamps
Customers may view the Wedding Cake stamp as well as many of this year’s other stamps on Facebook at facebook.com/USPSStamps, through Twitter @USPSstamps or on the website Beyond the Perf at beyondtheperf.com/2012-preview. Beyond the Perf is the Postal Service’s online site for background on upcoming stamp subjects, first-day-of-issue events and other philatelic news.

How to Order the First-Day-of-Issue Postmark
Customers have 60 days to obtain the first-day-of-issue postmark by mail. They may purchase new stamps at a local Post Office, at The Postal Store website at usps.com/shop or by calling 800-STAMP-24. They should affix the stamps to envelopes of their choice, address the envelopes (to themselves or others) and place them in larger envelopes addressed to:

Wedding Cake Stamp
Postmaster
1100 Wythe Street
Alexandria, VA 22314-9998

After applying the first-day-of-issue postmark, the Postal Service will return the envelopes by mail. There is no charge for the postmark. All orders must be postmarked by March 20, 2012.

How to Order First-Day Covers
The Postal Service also offers first-day covers for new stamp issues and Postal Service stationery items postmarked with the official first-day-of-issue cancellation. Each item has an individual catalog number and is offered in the quarterly USA Philatelic catalog. Customers may request a free catalog by calling 800-STAMP-24 or writing to:

Information Fulfillment
Dept. 6270
U.S. Postal Service
P.O. Box 219014
Kansas City, MO  64121-9014

Philatelic Product
There are three philatelic products available for this stamp issue:

• 577561, First-Day Cover, $1.09.
• 577565, Digital Color Postmark, $1.60.
• 577599, Digital Color Postmark Keepsake, $14.95.

The Postal Service receives no tax dollars for operating expenses and relies on the sale of postage, products and services to fund its operations.

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Please Note: For broadcast quality video and audio, photo stills and other media resources, visit the USPS Newsroom at http://about.usps.com/news/welcome.htm.

For reporters interested in speaking with a regional Postal Service public relations professional on this issue, please go to http://about.usps.com/news/media-contacts/usps-local-media-contacts.pdf.

A self-supporting government enterprise, the U.S. Postal Service is the only delivery service that reaches every address in the nation, 151 million residences, businesses and Post Office Boxes. The Postal Service receives no tax dollars for operating expenses, and relies on the sale of postage, products and services to fund its operations. With 32,000 retail locations and the most frequently visited website in the federal government, usps.com, the Postal Service has annual revenue of more than $65 billion and delivers nearly 40 percent of the world’s mail. If it were a private sector company, the U.S. Postal Service would rank 35th in the 2011 Fortune 500. Black Enterprise and Hispanic Business magazines ranked the Postal Service as a leader in workforce diversity. The Postal Service has been named the Most Trusted Government Agency for six years and the sixth Most Trusted Business in the nation by the Ponemon Institute.
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