Wedding Thank You Notes

Your wedding is most likely the most expensive and most important celebration of your lifetime. It is only proper to express your gratitude to everyone that helps in anyway to make this day possible. Whether they contributed in huge ways or small, every person involved should receive some type of formal thank you.

Most people will not express an expectation of this kind of thanksgiving from you but it is only fitting that you would offer them thanks. Everyone needs to feel appreciated when they are doing things for those that they love. There are many ways to say thank you and some important guidelines to keep in mind. Anyone at all that helped relieve some of the stress and pressure should be acknowledged.

Thank You Notes

Thank you notes most definitely should be made to every guest that attends your bridal shower. Any person that gives you a gift of any kind or treats you to a special event in honor of your wedding should always receive a written thank you card.

It would be a good idea to order or purchase a large supply of thank you cards before any of these things take place. You can order them to match your invitations or not. The main thing is to give a thank-you card to anyone that acknowledges your wedding or does anything to make it special. Don't let to much time pass between the gift and the thank-you. Be swift and generous with your gratitude to others.

The Wedding Shower

There are some very important etiquette tips you need to follow for thank-you notes that go to those who attend your wedding shower. This area should be paid close attention to and not taken lightly.

Tip #1
A personal note is really the only polite gesture.  A verbal thank-you is not enough and is considered very rude.  You need to pen a hand written personal note to each guest telling them how grateful you are that they took the time to provide you with this gift.

Tip #2
Do not send pre-printed thank you notes.  This is tactless and makes you appear to be only interested in receiving gifts.  You should hand write your thank-you notes. This provides your gift givers with a clear appreciation of what their gift has meant to you.

Tip #3
Your thank-you note should mention the type of gift that they gave you.  Thanking them specifically for the beautiful china with the pattern that you love is more personal and polite than just saying thanks for the gift. Make sure to always mention the specific gifts that have been given to you.

Tip #4
Those that organize and host the wedding shower for you should also be thanked through a personal, hand written thank you note.  If they also give you a gift on top of hosting your shower, then you express your gratitude for both in your thank-you note.

Tip #5
Thank your guests promptly after the shower for the gifts that they have given to you.  You should send out thank you notes within ten days of your wedding shower.  You should send out thank you notes for your wedding gifts within two weeks of returning from your honeymoon.  If you get a wedding gift at a different time, then send a thank you note as soon as possible.

Tip #6
Personalize the thank you note by using this trick.  Instead of saying “I” throughout the note, say, “you” in it.  This focus's on the giver and less on you and the gift. This is a technique that will make your thank-you sound more like you value the person that gave the gift than the gift itself.

Tip #7
Black or blue ink is the most common type of ink to use on a thank-you card.  It is most clearly seen and gives the card a more formal look.

Tip #8
If you receive more than one gift from a person on separate occasions, you should hand write separate, specific and personalized thank you cards, one for each gift.  If they give you two gifts on the same day, then both can be included in one thank-you note.

Tip #9
When you address your envelopes be sure that your new address, if you have one, is the one printed on the front for the return address.  This supplies your gift givers with your new address.

Tip #10
If more than one person gave you one gift, you should write an individual thank you note for each person.  If there are more than ten people that have given you one gift, then one note to all of them is usually sufficient. This will often depend on the size and cost of a gift.   A very expensive gift should warrant a thank you note for each person regardless.

Tip #11
Take you time when writing your thank you notes.  Make sure that they are neat and well written.  It shows that you took your time because you value them and want to thank them in a personal way.

Wedding Gift Etiquette

When the wedding day finally comes you will most likely have more gifts to write thank you notes for. In many cases they will be money gifts. Either way they should be properly acknowledged with a thank you card.

Thank-you cards given for monetary gifts should keep a generic tone to them. For instance "Aunt Mary, Thank you so much for the check that you gave to us on our wedding day. We plan to use it on our honeymoon for extra spending money. It will be enjoyed greatly". Don't mention the amount of money that you were given.

All gifts should be given the same level of gratitude and personalized attention. Any gift that you receive should get a thank-you card in response that is a personal message of you thanksgiving and appreciation. People really feel good when their gifts are appreciated and enjoyed.

Don't forget to thank all those that join in helping your wedding be the special event of your lifetime. Those that sponsored your wedding by helping to fund the celebration as well as those who stood by you at the altar. Anyone who offered any kind of assistance or support to your wedding success.