Remember to weigh and measure your wedding invitations

Believe it or not, the Royal Mail Pricing in Proportion change for postal charges will have been in force for 3 years this coming August.  Previously, postage prices were based upon the weight of the item. The heavier the item, the higher the price. Pricing in Proportion also takes into consideration the physical size and thickness of the item, as well as the weight.

I am sure that many readers have come across border line letters which have reached a thickness that makes you wonder, as you pop into the post box, whether it should have actually been stamped as a Large Letter.  Well, if there is ever a time when you wish to remove this doubt then it is when you are sending your wedding invitations.  If an item of mail has not been stamped with enough postage then the local sorting office will more than likely hold your invitation and request that the intended recipient (i.e your wedding guest) makes up the postal costs plus a surcharge.   This is embarrasing enough for the sender but it also means that there will be a delay in your guests receiving their invitations as they will either have to collect them from the sorting office themselves or arrange for them to be redelivered.  Worse still, your invitation will be forgotten about and lost forever.

The reason I bring this up in a blog post is that it is an oh so common occurence.  Many wedding invitations look for innovative ways to spruce up their wedding invite designs by adorning them with flouncy bows or bold embellishments without giving much consideration to the practical elements of sending the invitation.  Remember too that at an invitation may at first appear like a standard Royal Mail ‘Letter’ class but may increase to a ‘large letter’ category through either weight or thickness when you add to the envelope a reply card, a guest information card, and perhaps a gift list sheet as well.

So, if you are unsure about your finished invitations, whether hand made or bought, then be sure to check out both the weight and dimensions.  Criteria for each price band is of course available on the Royal Mail website or you may find the post room at your work will have a ready reckoner size card and scales to check the classification.  If in any doubt then take a finished wedding invitations to your local post office to have it checked out.