Time to Write your Wedding Thank You Notes! Ya Gotta! #WeddingThankYouCardTips

time-to-write-your-wedding-thank-you-cards-the-gilded-gown-knoxville-tn
You did it!!! You had the big wedding day. Yay! All your hard work and effort tending to the millions of details needed to pull off your special day paid off with a happy wedding.
Man Wearing Black Dress Shoes
And now you’re back home, fresh from your honeymoon and all you want to do is nest with the hub. You are weddinged-out, exhausted and ready for a well-deserved break.
But you can’t slip out of “wedding mode” yet, because it is time to write your Thank Yous!

You have to. You really, really need to send those thank yous out.

Check out these cute thank yous on Etsy at VeronicaFoleyDesign

But don’t feel anxious and overwhelmed, cuz help is here! Writing tons of thank you cards won’t be such a chore if you can come up with a few heartfelt phrases and re-purpose them over and over. And, remember this job should be shared by both you and your partner. This mutual task is a great way to start your coupledom, thanking the loved ones that celebrated with you and bought ya’ll  your stainless steel toaster. That said, make sure you let your guy come up with his own heartfelt phrases and don’t dictate or micromanage. Say he comes up with “I sure do like the big ole’ frying pan, it’ll come in handy with bacon.” Perhaps it is not the carefully crafted missive you wanted, but it WILL get the message across just fine. And, if you can accept that HIS way might not be YOUR way… but it is getting the job done nonetheless, well then you’ve learned an important lesson for your marriage.  Accept that there are different ways of accomplishing the same goals as a married couple.

So there are some established ground rules for notes of gratitude:

Technically, you should mail your thanks yous within 2-3 months of your wedding day. Realistically, IMO,  you are better off sending them right after the wedding. That way everything is still fresh in your mind, your Aunt Elma doesn’t have to wonder if you received her crocheted plant hanger, and you are starting your marriage with a responsibility nicely completed.

Believe it or not, you need to send out a thank you to everyone who attended. (EVEN IF THEY SHOWED UP EMPTY-HANDED!) So what if they didn’t contribute to your china collection? They made the effort to be there and witness your vows. And, after all, that is the most important part of the day anyway.

When you are composing your notes remember to address the giver by name and mention the item received, if there was one, but don’t mention actual monetary amounts.

Be sure to use black or blue ink to honor tradition and leave the pink glitter pen for another occasion. Yes, you need to write these by hand.

So gather together the names and addresses of your wedding guests. Find that list of gifts too. Collect your wedding thank you notes, stamps and pens and get comfortable…it’s time to start writing….

Thank you notes don’t need to be very long, thank goodness. Short and sweet and sincere wins the day. Remember to address each giver by name and refer to the gift they gave, no matter how small. Or if they came sans gift, still thank them for their presence. If you are on a first name basis use that in your card. If they are folks you are not that familiar with, then go with a more formal form of address, such as “Mr. and Mrs. Rockefeller” as opposed to “Jack and Diane.” If the person contributed in some meaningful way to your wedding day (traveled a long distance, helped Aunt Edna onto the dance floor, etc.) be sure to also mention your appreciation for that as well.

Below are some nice examples of wedding card wording for ya, based on different scenarios:

If they brought a GIFT:

Dear Marc and Chantal,

Thank you for joining us on our special day! Having all of our family and friends there made us very happy. We were thrilled to receive the blender, and we look forward to using it for years to come. We appreciate your thoughtfulness.

All the best,

Freddy and Olive

If they gave you CASH (don’t mention the amount):

Dear Uncle John and Aunt Jane,

Thank you so much for joining us at our wedding! We were so happy you were there to share in our special day. We appreciate your lovely gift, and look forward to using it towards the down payment on our new home. Thank you again for attending our marriage. We look forward to visiting with you at Thanksgiving.

Love,

Todd and Liz

If they just attended the wedding with NO GIFT:

Dear Paul, Johnny and Little Doc,

Thank you all so much for attending our wedding! It was wonderful to see you again after all this time. It means a lot that you all traveled so far to share in our special day. Thank you for filling our hearts with gratitude.

Much love,

Aspyn and Parker

If they sent GIFT, but couldn’t attend:

Dear Heather,

Our wedding was a happy and special day, but we were very sorry you could not be there to share it. You were missed. Thank you for sending us the lovely gift of the hibachi grill. We will use it often on our back patio and we will think of you each time. Your kindness is much appreciated.

With gratitude,

Jacqui and Beau

 

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