Wedding Invitations are Lost!

Sometimes things legitimately get lost in the mail. This has happened to me before but not very often.

There are a few ways you can help yourself to make sure that things get to their destinations.

1. Make sure you have the proper last names on the envelope. The USPS delivers by last name and letters can end up in dead letter if they do not have the proper names.

2. While calligraphy is beautiful and most of the time it will be fine, please use a font (or write) so that the address is legible. There are many times when letters are not delivered due to the USPS machines not being able to read the writing.

3. Be careful when using ink colors besides black. There are many ink colors that can be used that will not cause a problem but your best bet is to do a white envelope with black writing. When your letter goes through the machines (Yes, even hand-stamped envelopes go through machines.) a bright, white light flashes the address in order to read it. If you are using white writing on a black envelope, for example, this can make it difficult for the machine to read. (I wanted to do black envelopes but chose not to for this reason.)

4. Metallic ink. Metallic ink can really mess with the USPS machines. The refection can make it difficult for the machine to read the address.

5. Putting your return address on the back of the envelope can also cause problems. Let us say that my letter, for some reason, gets turned around in the sorting process. When the letter is read, the machine will assume my address is the intended address. The letter could end up back at my house or the problem could be caught. If this happens, however, it may take a little time for your letter to reach its destination.

There are a number of other reasons why things can not be delivered. Sometimes things just get lost and that is a shame.