When you get married, you receive lots of gifts – lots and lots of lovely gifts! They’ll start arriving before your wedding day, and will continue to come in even after your wedding day. It’s so exciting! But you know what isn’t exciting? Writing thank you notes. But we’re guessing you really do want to thank everyone, and deep down you know that thank you notes must be written – and you can use these tips to guide you through. We also have a ton of thank you cards for you to choose from!
Every gift you receive needs a thank you note. Every. Single. One. But when do you send them?
- Within 2 weeks of receiving gift before your wedding
- Within 3 months of receiving gift on or after your wedding
Remember to keep track of gifts received and thank you notes sent using a simple notebook or your guest list spreadsheet (hey – you can even print address labels from it!). Do you know what kind of thank you notes will you send? There are lots of different styles and design elements you can use:
- Match your invitation suite (for example, these rustic chic invitations, favor stickers and thank you cards are all the same theme and design)
- Feature your wedding motif
- Your married monogram – but only for thank you cards sent after the wedding. It’s bad luck and bad etiquette to use it before your wedding. You can seal your envelopes with monogrammed stickers such as these such as these Personalized Monogram Wedding Favor Stickers.
- An engagement or wedding photo (check out these custom photo cards)
- Pre-packaged thank you cards
- DIY embossing on plain stationery
- Postcards (best for informal weddings)
You might be tempted to use DIY thank you cards, but it may be overwhelming, especially if you need to make a lot of them. Try scaling back and making them for your wedding party and family, and using another style for the remainder of the thanks you cards needed. Helpful Tips:
- Stock up on stamps. You’ll go through a lot of ‘em!
- Test your pen to make sure it doesn’t smudge.
- Split the list with your husband so you can each write thank you cards to your own friends and families
- Set aside 30 minutes most days to write a few thank you notes.
What should you write in each card? You can write as much or as little as you like, but you should stick to a few guidelines:
- Personalize your note by mentioning the person’s name and gift.
- If the gift was money, mention how you might use it (Unless it’s for shoes, and then you can be creatively vague!)
- Thank the person for attending or thinking of you by sending a gift if they couldn't make it. Don't just thank them for the gift.
- Always sign both your name and your husband's name to all of the thank you cards.
- Don't be too brief, but also don't go on and on. 4-5 sentences is a good length.
- If you want to save time and get fancy, purchase a first and last name address stamper with your new last name on it! This can also be used in the future.
Don’t get overwhelmed by the task of writing thank you notes. Break it down into smaller groups and keep plugging away a little each day. Before you know it, you’ll be able to check the last name off your list and you’ll feel good about thanking all your wedding guests for their generosity.
It’s about one month before your wedding day, but don’t panic! Use our tips on creating a creating a seating chart, tipping vendors and writing your wedding vows to help guide you through the final days.
See more tips for every phase of your planning process in our Month-by-Month Wedding Planning Guide.
Article written by: Heather Clark
