Learning from Common Mishaps of Experienced Brides: A List of Mistakes to Avoid with Wedding Invitations

2020.04.10 published

Wedding Invitation Fails We Can Learn From

The first paper item we hand to our guests is the "invitation" *

Whether you're making them from scratch or ordering them from a venue or paper goods store, you'll often have to stuff the envelopes yourself, making it a labor-intensive item.

Browsing the Instagram posts of former brides, you often see complaints like "I messed up!" or "I realized too late and regretted it...!"—such troubles are quite common.

In this article, we'll share some common "mistakes and points to note" regarding wedding invitations.

Let's be aware of common errors ahead of time and keep them in mind!

Mistake #1: Not Enough Invitations

While it's common to order more wedding invitations and envelopes than the number you need, it's still frequent for brides to face trouble such as "I ran out and had to order more, which cost extra" or "I couldn't mail them in time because I had to reorder."

The reasons for running out of invitations include:

☑ The guest list suddenly grew

☑ Mistakes in writing names or gluing them

☑ Accidentally putting two in one envelope, and now you can't find where they are

It's reassuring to prepare extra materials like the main invitation, notes, maps, and envelopes to ensure you have enough.

Point to Note #2: Poor Handwriting on Addresses

A common mishap occurs when you handwrite or print the addresses, and end up smudging the ink before it dries because you stacked envelopes on top of each other or accidentally smeared the ink with your hands.

After handwriting or printing, avoid stuffing the envelopes immediately and allow the ink to dry properly for about 30 minutes.

Point to Note #3: Mistakes in Guests' Names

A critical point to be cautious about is incorrect guest names.

"I thought it was Watanabe, but it was actually Watanabe (old kanji)."

"I mistakenly wrote Nakagawa instead of Nakamura."

"I wrote Yusuke as Yuusuke."

"I accidentally wrote Hoshi Misaki as Hoshi Misaki (with a space)."

Names can often be tricky because of old kanji or similar-looking characters, and spacing errors—these happen more than you'd think!

Mistakes in names can be very disrespectful, so double-check them before sending.

@sy1110.wedding

Point to Note #4: Incorrect Addresses

Some brides have encountered issues like "the guest's address was wrong, so their invitation never arrived or was returned."

☑ Sent it to an old address

☑ Left out the ward or city

☑ Incorrect building name (ending up at someone else's address partway)

☑ The address was truncated

☑ The postal code a friend provided was incorrect

There can be many reasons...

If you didn't catch the mistake while asking a friend for an address, it might be unavoidable, but you might notice discrepancies like "the postal code starts with 989 in Tokyo" or "the area is Ebisu, but it's listed as Toshima Ward" or "the house number is clearly missing" upon a quick check.

Point to Note #5: Forgetting to Include Items

Some brides simply forget to include certain items.

"I intended to include the map I got from the venue but forgot it altogether."

"I thought I would include the reception notes later but forgot and sent it as is."

"I wanted to include guest cards but forgot and ended up using a guest book instead."

"I forgot to include the ceremony instructions for one person, and it nearly caused issues (it was fine in the end since they confirmed with me beforehand)."

Especially for notes regarding roles like the reception or toast, or those indicating times, it’s important to double-check and ensure nothing is forgotten.

Point to Note #6: Forgetting to Affix Stamps on Reply Cards

Some brides might forget to affix stamps on the reply cards...! While some guests might notice and add a stamp, it creates an inconvenience for them, so ensure you never forget this step.

Point to Note #7: Changing from Hand Delivery to Mail or Vice Versa After Writing Addresses

Generally, wedding invitations follow these guidelines:

- For hand delivery, write only the name without the address, and do not glue (use only a sticker).

- For mail delivery, writeboth the address and name and glue it.

Some might find themselves in situations like "I was going to hand it over, but now I have to mail it, and the address space is cramped (it looks imbalanced)" or "I planned to mail it but now need to deliver it by hand (requires redoing the envelopes)."

If you're unsure about whether to mail or hand deliver, you might hold off on writing the addresses for now.

Point to Note #8: Running out of Paper or Ink Mid-Process

If you are making invitations yourself, it’s a good idea to have extra paper and ink on hand *

"The printing didn’t go well and I wasted some paper."

"I ran out of ink midway, but my home printer is old, so it took time to reorder the ink," are common complaints.

Thinking About It for Myself Can Be Terrifying...!

We’ve shared common mistakes and points to note regarding wedding invitations that former brides have frequently encountered with the phrase, "I messed up...!"

You might be thinking, "I hadn't considered that, I need to be careful!"

Before sending out invitations, do a final check to ensure you're sending "correctly composed" invitations.

➡ Check out the list of invitation articles here *