Wedding Thank You Cards!

Your wedding has come and gone, and it was lovely! Everyone had a blast and you are on cloud nine… Now for the inevitable thank you note task. Of course you are thankful that everyone was able to share in your special day and really thankful for their generosity so do yourself a favor and end it on a good note, a thank you note that is! This is the last point of contact your guests will have from your blessed wedding therefore sincerity and promptness must not be taken lightly. There are many "time lines" out in the world for how long you actually have before you are officially behind and dare I say… On the cusp of being rude!?! I follow my etiquette rules from the one and only, Emily Post… And according to her you have THREE months to get your cards out. I know, I know, I have heard the year rule or even six month rule too… But it just isn't so!

Here are some helpful tips and proper etiquette rules to consider when writing your thank you notes:

• Your thank you note must never be preprinted or typed, it's a personal thank you to that specific guest and therefore needs to be a personal handwritten note. The same rule applies to the envelope, it should be hand written, showing your guests they were special enough for you to take this extra step.

• Simply writing “Thank you for your gift” is considered ill mannered. Each gift must be noted and discussed, even if more than one gift was given. "Thank you for the beautiful crystal vase, it will look lovely when we cut fresh flowers from the garden we plan to start!" This lets the guest know the gift is appreciated and how you look forward to using the gift. If you receive a gift of money, never mention the amount or the words “money,” “cash,” or “check.” “Thank you for your generous gift. It is going towards our savings for a house” is a nice way to acknowledge the monetary gift, and it also lets the guest know the gift will be put to good use.

• Another thing to remember is to thank them for coming to the wedding and sharing in your special day. This will let them know you aren't just thankful for the gifts, but thankful for them being there!

• It’s a good rule of thumb not to start the card with the words, “I,” “me,” “my,” “we,” or “our.” keep as many of these words out of a thank you note as possible.

• Make special note to those that had official responsibilities at your wedding (Bridesmaids, Groomsmen, Readers, etc.) and let them know how thankful you are that they were there to support you in your special day and for all that they did to help it come to fruition.

• For those that want to include a wedding picture in your card, listen to me when I say, do not let that delay the process! I know, you want a cute picture of your wedding day, as did I… If it puts you past your three month deadline I am sorry but you need to move on. Try to ask your photographer if they could at least send you a small handful of formal shots of the two of you to expedite the process.

• Lastly, and most importantly, always always send a thank you card to each and every single person that gave you any sort of gift along the way of your wedding. Before, during, after… They all get one! Even if you are past the three month deadline, or even the fictitious year deadline… Please still send them.

It may seem like a lot to remember and a humongous task to achieve but if you break it down to manageable steps it's really not that bad. I personally had a goal to write 10 notes a day, and I was done in a week and a half! And when you are done make sure to celebrate your accomplishment with your hubby and toast to a new chapter that has been started in your life!


Here are some of my favorite thank you cards:

Back of card above