Wedding Thank You Notes
From LoveToKnow Weddings
There’s no way of getting around it, wedding thank you notes are going to have to be written. People bought new clothes, stuffed an envelope with cash, and took a day out of their lives to attend your wedding. Proper etiquette dictates you send a wedding thank you note in return.
When to Send Wedding Thank You Notes
If you’re going on a honeymoon, you obviously can’t send your wedding thank you notes until after you return, but do try not to wait much longer than that. While it’s acceptable to send it up to three months after the big day, it’s best to do it within two weeks of returning from your honeymoon. After that, people will start wondering if you didn’t like their gifts.
What Kind of Card?
Hopefully, you had wedding thank you notes included in with your invitation or photography package. These notes are perfect because they’re usually blank inside. The outside will most likely have a slot for wallet sized photographs or have an elegant “thank you” written on the front. The inside of the card should be free of printing. This is because wedding thank you notes should be heartfelt and not made up by a card company.
What to Write
The first thing you want to do is thank your guest for sharing your special day. This, after all, was the purpose of their invitation. If the recipient of the wedding thank you card was a member or the wedding party or performed a special service, take a line or two for thanking him for all of his assistance. It’s fine to elaborate, but only so much. Wedding thank you notes are to be short and to the point.
Finally, thank the wedding guest for the gift. If it was a gift of money, you’ll want to thank your guests for their generosity. No need to name amounts, but you can let them know it will be put to good use.
“Thank you for your generosity. Your gift is being deposited into a special fund to be towards a down payment on a house.”
If the gift was something purchased from a registry or department store, make note of it and give a brief testimonial of its usefulness.
“Thank you ever so much for the blender. It comes in handy in the mornings when we make our yogurt smoothies.”
Not much else needs to be said. You can close the note with a brief acknowledgement of future plans, but after that, it’s time to say goodbye.
“We look forward to seeing you at Aunt Bertha’s pool party and barbecue next month.
Warmest Regards,
Martha and Burton.”
Show You Care
Wedding thank you cards and their envelopes should be written by hand. Sending a form letter or typed envelope doesn’t show the recipient you care enough to jot down a few lines. A thank you note is supposed to be a personal correspondence between two parties. Treating is as a mass mailing is insulting.
There’s no getting out of it, thank you notes must be sent. Take an hour or two one evening or weekend afternoon to complete this task as a couple. You’ll be happy you did.
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Comments
Krystle - Yes, every guest who takes the time to attend the festivities should receive a thank you note. It doesn't have to be elaborate or gushing, just a nice note thanking them for joining the happy couple whether they gave a gift or not.
-- Contributed by: Melissa MayntzMy aunt is having a wedding.... she is much older with grown children...& to put it nicely.... has received more than enough gifts & charity from the family over the years. I am sure that some of our family will attend the wedding but will not give a gift. Would proper etiquette be to send a thank you to those people as well for taking time out of their schedule to spend the special day?
-- Contributed by: Krystle McCabeThis page has been accessed 26,513 times. This page was last modified 13:30, 20 August 2008.
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