Buying guide
Shagun Envelopes: What They Are and How to Choose Them
The envelope is the part everyone holds. Here is what separates one that feels like an occasion from one that feels like stationery.
A shagun envelope is the decorative envelope that cash goes into at an Indian wedding, a Diwali dinner or a birthday. It is not packaging. It is handed over in front of people, held, read, and very often kept in a drawer long after the money inside has been spent.
That is the whole reason to care which one you buy.
What makes a good shagun envelope
Paper weight
The number to look for is gsm, which is grams per square meter. Below about 200 gsm an envelope feels like a greeting card and creases in a jacket pocket on the way to the venue. At 270 gsm it has body. It stands up on a table, it does not bow under a stack of bills, and it survives being carried around all evening.
Every envelope in our luxury shagun envelope range is printed on 270 gsm cardstock for exactly this reason.
Lamination
A matt laminate over the printed surface does two things. It stops fingerprints showing, which matters when an envelope passes through several hands in one evening. And it stops the ink scuffing, so the one handed over at eleven at night looks like the one that left the studio.
Foil, and the difference that matters
This is where most cheap envelopes give themselves away. Printed gold ink is flat. Under the warm uplighting at a reception it reads as beige. Hot stamped foil is metal pressed into the paper under heat, so it catches light and throws it back, and you can feel the impression with a fingertip.
If a listing does not say foil, assume it is printed gold. The price difference is real and so is the difference in the hand.
Size
Around 7.5 by 3.5 inches is the standard, and it matters more in the US than people expect. American bills are 6.14 inches long. An envelope sized for Indian currency can force you to fold, which looks careless and creates a bulge at the flap. Check that the envelope takes US bills flat.
Choosing designs for the occasion
Weddings
Traditional motifs read correctly at a wedding: peacock, pichwai, elephant, floral borders, all in gold foil. If the couple has an invitation suite with a color scheme, match to it rather than against it. Ordering your names printed into the foil turns a nice envelope into something the couple can trace back to you without opening it.
Diwali and festivals
Diya, rangoli and lamp motifs, usually in deeper reds and golds. Festival envelopes tend to be handed to more people in one evening than wedding ones, so buy generously. Pair them with Diwali gift tags if you are also giving hampers.
Children
Children get money at weddings and festivals from visiting adults, and a panda or a unicorn genuinely lands better than a peacock. Kids envelopes are built for this, on laminated stock so small hands do not tear them open at the flap.
Corporate and housewarming
Cleaner, more restrained designs without heavy traditional motifs. Premium money envelopes cover the occasions where a peacock would be too much.
How many to order
Take your guest count, add ten percent for the people who appear at the last minute, and order in one run.
Why one run matters
Paper and foil vary very slightly between production batches. Ordering fifty now and fifty in a month can leave you with two subtly different stacks on the same table. Ordering once removes the problem entirely.
Where the price falls
Unit cost drops meaningfully at 100 pieces and again at 500. If you are covering a whole wedding season or a store, our bulk order page will quote your exact quantity.
Personalizing them
Names, a family name or a short greeting can be set into the foil at no design fee. Send the wording exactly as you want it printed, including spellings and any honorifics, and check the proof carefully before approving it. Foil cannot be edited once stamped.
For a wedding, the two most common choices are the couple's names for envelopes the family is giving out, or your own family name for envelopes you are giving. Decide which before you order, because they are not interchangeable.
Timing your order
Non personalized designs leave in 1 to 3 business days. Anything with names on it takes 3 to 7 business days to produce, then ships across the US. For a wedding, give yourself three weeks of margin. Two is workable. One week means someone is going to be anxious, and it will probably be you.
Full timelines are in our shipping policy.
If you are buying to resell
Shagun envelopes sell steadily in the US and very few stores stock good ones. If you already sell Indian groceries, jewelry or party supplies, they are a high margin add on that takes almost no shelf space. Terms are on our stockist page.
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Related reading
FAQ
1. What is a shagun envelope?
A decorative envelope used to give cash as a blessing at Indian weddings, festivals and celebrations. The tradition is called shagun, and the envelope is the visible part of it.
2. What size envelope fits US dollar bills?
Around 7.5 by 3.5 inches takes American bills flat without folding. Envelopes sized for Indian currency can be too short, which forces a fold.
3. What is the difference between foil and printed gold?
Foil is metal stamped into the paper under heat, so it catches light and has a physical impression. Printed gold is ink and goes flat under warm lighting. The difference is obvious in person and in photographs.
4. How many shagun envelopes should I order for a wedding?
Your guest count plus about ten percent, ordered in a single run so the paper and foil match across every envelope.
5. Can I have our names printed on them?
Yes, set into the gold foil at no extra design fee. We email a proof and print only once you approve it.
6. How far in advance should I order?
Three weeks is comfortable for a personalized wedding order including production and shipping. Non personalized designs ship faster, in 1 to 3 business days.
7. Do you sell shagun envelopes wholesale?
We do, with low minimums and white label options. Details are on our stockist page.