The wedding is over. And it's time to write the thank you notes. It's not the most fun thing in the world to do. You want to be personable but they all start to sound the same after you've written a few. If guests can't attend and they send a gift prior to the wedding, you can go ahead and write their thank you card and send it out to get those out of the way. The suggested timeline to send a thank you cards is 2 weeks after you received the gift. For gifts received on or after the wedding, you have 3 months to write a thank you note. I will go over how to write thank you notes, what to write for certain types of gifts, how to address them, and a few other tips.
Who Gets a Thank You Card?
Purchase Thank You Cards Early
You may be able to get a discount if you order thank you cards when ordering your wedding invitations. Be sure to make several copies of the guest lists your parents and future in laws give you. Or you can use a website to keep track of guests and their addresses. On either your list or website keep track of what each guest gifts you. Be sure to get extra thank you cards in case of mess ups or for unexpected gifts. Use only blue or black ink and ink that will not smear or bleed. Also purchase the Forever stamps.
Saving Money
You can save money for opting out of getting the most fancy, over the top thank you cards. You can dress up plain cards or use a photo from your wedding day as a postcard. Your photographer may offer this as a product you can purchase. Don't forget the turn around time it will take for your photographer to get these. You could also make these yourself but be sure to get your photographers permission so you are not breaking your contract.
Who Writes Them and What to Write
Typically just one person writes them and mentions the other spouse. You can both sign the thank you card, but still only one person should write them. Don't think too hard about what to say. Don't make it harder than what it is. The wedding planning was the hard part and that is over. You don't have to be a great writer to write a thank you note. As long as it comes from the heart it will be appreciated. Thank them for the gift(state what they got you), why you appreciate it, and if you want, how it will be used. You will want to thank them for more than just gifts. If the guest drove a long distance, thank them for making the trip for your special day.
What to Write in Thank You Cards
Depending on how well you know the guest that gave you the gift will determine how you write your thank you card. Another factor is what you were gifted. If someone gave you money as a gift, you do not need to mention the amount that was gifted. You can use the word "generous" in place of the amount. So it would say, "thank you for the generous gift. We plan to put it towards the remodeling of our kitchen." If a group of people purchased a wedding gift such as employees at your work you will want to send each person an individual thank you card. If you don't know the person very well, address them in a formal manner. When writing a thank you card for someone who sent a gift but was was not able to attend the wedding thank them for the gift, mention why you appreciate it and add that you wish they could have attended and/or that you missed them.
How to Sign Off
How you sign off on your thank you card should reflect your relationship with the recipient. If it is family or close friends you can sign off with "love". For those you work with, don't know well, or friends that you aren't very close with you should use "sincerely". You can sign off with your first name on thank you cards for family or close friends. If it is someone you don't know well or business associates you should use your first and last name.
Additional Do's & Don'ts
Was there any special things you did to thank your guests? Are there any tips you would have for future couples that will be writing thank you cards?
1 Comment
9/1/2021 03:53:03 pm
I like how you said to not overdo it. My husband and I are wanting to look into sending wedding thank you cards in a couple of weeks, and we want to make sure that we know what to write in them. We'll make sure to keep these tips in mind once we find thank you cards to send to our guests!
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