Mailing wedding invitations should be straightforward.
You put your invitations together, write the address, stamp and send the parcel through the mail.
Then your guest will receive it and pick it up from there.
But while the process looks simple, sometimes there may be challenges, like the cards getting lost in the mail.
So, What Should You Do If Your Wedding Invitations Get Lost in The Mail?
It will be unfortunate if your invitations don’t get to your guests. The best thing you can do is re-mail them and hope everything will go well this time. This is why the invitations should be mailed ASAP. That way, you will have enough time to resend invitations that get lost and get a response from your guests.
You can also try to file a claim and see if it will go through. But this is a long shot and might take a lot of time. If you are working with a deadline, the best thing is to mail your invitation cards to your guests again.
Three Ways To Mail Your Wedding Invitations Safely
1. Use Wedding Invitation Tissue
If you’ve opened a wedding invitation before, chances are you have seen vellum or tissue paper covering it.
This paper mainly intends to protect the envelope with the invitation from smudging.
Although the tissue is delicate and can’t withstand strong forces like the post office canceling machine, it is a great protective layer for the card in the envelope.
Plus, using this piece can help make your guests more interested, especially if you opt for a colored piece or vellum.
2. Ask The Post Office Person For Hand Canceling
Another great way to prevent your envelopes from wear and tear is through hand-canceling.
When you send a parcel to the post office, it is run over a machine that “cancels” the postage stamp.
This way, the parcel cannot be reused.
The problem is that this machine is sometimes rough and can damage delicate or three-dimensional elements, rip the invitation, or smudge ink.
The most effective solution to this is hand-canceling.
Meaning the post office person will cancel the parcel by hand instead of running it through the machine.
Hand canceling usually doesn’t come with an extra cost.
3. Hand Deliver Your Invitations If Possible
Hand-delivering your invitations is the only sure way your guests will receive them in the condition you designed them.
This will save you money on postage.
However, it may not be possible to hand-deliver invitations to guests that live far.
But you can still take advantage of the other benefits this delivery method offers.
Five Tips for Mailing Wedding Invitations
If you have no option but to mail your invitations, here are some things that can help you:
1. Check The Rules And Prices Of Your Postal Service
Designing wedding invitations takes a lot of hard work.
But imagine how frustrating it is that after assembling everything, you find out that you have the wrong postage or your envelopes are not the recommended size.
To avoid such issues, ensure you know the details of sending a parcel using your preferred postal service.
2. Opt For A Light Envelope Color
Plain white is the most common.
But you can choose other colors like green, blue, cream, light pink, or any other light color you wish.
Please avoid shimmering colors or with reflective bits. Remember, the aim is to contrast the address and envelope.
We must also mention that some services will stamp barcodes on the envelope’s bottom to help mail it to the right location.
This should be visible on your invitations.
3. Use Standard Wedding Envelopes
We understand the desire to be creative and unique with your invitations.
But when it comes to mailing them, it is not the time to showcase these qualities.
Please indicate the address where it usually goes, stamp it where it is expected, and indicate the return address at the normal corner of the envelope or at the back.
Please stick to these rules to reduce the chances of losing your invitations.
4. Use Postal And Zip Codes
Before you start mailing your invitation, ensure you know the zip codes or postal codes of the cities.
This will ensure that your parcel is sent to the right location.
Usually, this information goes to the end of the last line on the guest’s address.
5. Separate Numbers And Letters In The Zip Code
If you address the invitations by hand, keep the numbers and letters in the zip or postal code separate.
If they overlap, your parcel can be sent to the wrong location. Avoid being too creative when calligraphing this section.
Should You Consider Digital Wedding Invitations?
Paperless invitations are not common. However, they offer various benefits compared to the traditional paper ones.
One is that they are affordable. Since you aren’t using paper, you won’t need to print anything.
Plus, you won’t have to mail them. As such, you can save money in this area.
With digital invitations, you design and send them online for free. If your wedding budget is tight, they are worth considering.
Another benefit is that these invitations are eco-friendly.
They don’t use paper, which helps one have a sustainable wedding.
Plus, you will be sure your invitations will not get lost or damaged as with mailing the invitations.
The problem with these invitations is that they are less traditional.
Many of us are used to physical paper invitations sent via the mail. Also, they won’t suit guests that are offline, like the elderly.
Final Thoughts
It is normal to lose a few invitations in the mail.
But usually, most parcels arrive at their intended address.
However, in the event that your invitations get lost, your best bet will be to resend them.