When one of her dearest friends failed to show up for her wedding, bride Donna Sidebotham was left feeling decidedly snubbed.
She tactfully decided not to the raise the issue with pal Chris Kimber but, not surprisingly, their relationship cooled markedly as time rolled by.
Now, though, the riddle of Chris’s no-show has finally been solved – after the invitation landed on his doorstep five years late.
Donna and Brian on Monkey Island in the River Thames at Bray, Berkshire, was a huge success, with 50 other guests attending their wedding day in 2013
Stunned Donna, 36, originally posted her invitations in July 2012 – giving guests plenty of warning of the service in April the next year.
She said: ‘I had put my address on the back of each, assuming they would come back to me if there were any problems with delivery.
‘After a few weeks, I had received no response from Chris so sadly assumed he couldn’t make it.’
Apart from Chris’s unexpected absence, Donna’s marriage to Brian on Monkey Island in the River Thames at Bray, Berkshire, was a huge success, with 50 other guests attending.
Donna said: ‘I didn’t see Chris much after that. But then last week, out of the blue, he sent me a text saying, “Oh my God – your wedding invite arrived.” ’
Donna and friend Chris (pictured) in 2011. Chris didn’t attend good friend Donna’s wedding as the invite didn’t turn in the post
Accountant Chris, 31, had been baffled when he didn’t receive an invitation before the big day. But he explained: ‘I didn’t think it was the done thing to ring someone up and ask where my invitation was.’
Donna, of Bracknell, Berkshire, said: ‘I can’t believe that it took five years for Royal Mail to deliver a letter.’ It has emerged that Mrs Sidebotham originally sent the invitation to the wrong address ten doors down from Mr Kimber’s London home.
It was unclear what happened after that, but on Thursday last week, the letter finally found its way to its rightful recipient.
Mr Kimber added: ‘When I got the invitation through the door, I just thought it was really funny. You don’t expect it to turn up five years late.’
A Royal Mail spokesman said: ‘Royal Mail has investigated this matter fully and it is likely that the letter has been put back into the postal system by someone, rather than it being lost in the post. Once an item is in the postal system, then it will be delivered to the address on the envelope. We will also be directly contacting the customer about this matter.’