Wedding Thank You Notes: A Complete Guide

Thank-you notes are a must-do for every wedding gift you receive, but we all know that doesn’t mean you love them. Take the advice of someone who’s been there…

Think wedding stress ends with “I do”? No such luck. The idea of returning from your honeymoon and, like kids on Christmas, ripping through all your gifts sounds grand. But beware: Your post-present high might be killed when you realize that you have one final chore…thank-you notes. The task of writing a personal note to 180 guests is definitely daunting, but it’s not impossible. Here’s a survival guide:

preparation: what you need to know from the beginning

Keep in mind that the wedding thank you note project begins way back when you gather your wedding guests’ names and addresses to send the invitations. Do yourself a big favor: Save that list! Make a copy of it at invitation time and put it away. Before you start opening gift boxes, find the list and record each gift next to the giver’s name and address.

• Set up a designated writing area. Make sure it’s a comfortable place, with some entertainment (a TV or radio) nearby.
• Buy yourself some great wedding stationery. Hobby Lobby has some great ones – 50 for $10 with silver embossing. Gorgeous and inexpensive!  Or if you feel like flaunting your marital status, go for the heavy-duty notecards in ecru and have them monogrammed with your new initials. We recommend Blissful Prints. Check out Mary Catherine’s studio on Vivion.
• Equip yourself with pens you like to write with. Stay away from the cheap ball point and go with something that is flowy and doesn’t leave blobs.

organization: the whens and details

After the dust from the reception settles, you need to seriously get crackin’ on all those wedding thank-you notes — one for every dish, every vase, every new scarf you received.

• Start writing wedding thank you notes as soon as gifts start arriving. This may mean before the wedding, so be prepared.
• Don’t attempt to get them all done in one sitting; trust me — it simply won’t happen.
• The rule is that you’re supposed to get thank-yous out for gifts received before the wedding within two weeks of their arrival; after the wedding, within a month after you return from the honeymoon. Anything more than two months after your wedding is a bit unseemly, they’ll just think you forgot or aren’t actually grateful!
• Traditionally, wedding thank-you notes are written in blue or black ink on folded ivory or white notepaper. If you choose, you can have your married name or monogram embossed on the note (but you shouldn’t use notes with your married name on them until after the wedding; if you must monogram, get some notes with your maiden name or initials and some with your married name or initials).
• Be sure to write a few words about the gift so you don’t get confused. You’ll never remember which of the 10 crystal vases your Aunt Alma gave you, so be specific: “Waterford Balmoral vase.”
• If the gift was money, mention how you plan to use it: “Thank you for the generous check. We are using it as part of the down payment on a house.”
• Enlist the help of your groom. You shouldn’t have to do all the work! Don’t start that precedent now! Instruct him to write as legibly as possible and put him to work on the gifts from his side of the guest list.
• Put a big check mark next to the guest’s name when the thank-you note has been signed, sealed, and delivered. I LOVE checking things off my list and I’m sure it’ll be the part you most enjoy too!

write them: make a template of sorts

Here’s the short and sweet version. You can always add more details ask you like. Did they help you with planning, organization or execution of the big day? Be sure to mention that too!

• 1st Sentence: Thank you so much for the (wonderful/amazing/beautiful/generous) gift.
• 2nd – Unique comment about gift and how you will use it/ how it accents your home ….. so excited to start decorating and the beautiful curtains will fit perfectly with the plan I have for our livingroom decor…
• 3rd Sentence: Restate your thanks in reference to the wedding. …Thank you again for thinking of us at this special time in our lives.
• Close it out! That’s it! – Sincerely, Love, Warm Wishes, …. whatever you like.

expert examples:

• Sample wedding thank you note for a cash gift:
  Dear Aunt Jane and Uncle Tom,
  Thank you so much for your generous gift. Lila and I are saving for a new home and thanks to you, we’ll be shopping for our dream house very soon. Again, many thanks for thinking of us and for sharing our special day. Love, Derek and Lila
• Sample thank-you note for a gift chosen from your bridal registry:
  Dear Elizabeth and Albert,
  Thank you so much for the crystal wine goblets. We now have a complete set! Derek and I are looking forward to your next visit, when we can enjoy a drink together. Thank you again for thinking of us at this special time in our lives. Warmest regards, Lila and Derek
• Sample thank-you note for a wedding gift you really didn’t like:
  Dear Winona and Leif,
  Thank you for the fluorescent lava lamps. You are both so thoughtful! Every time we look at them, we will think of you and this special time in our lives. Again, many thanks for sharing our joy. Fondly, Lila and Derek

– revised from theknot