Thank You Note Etiquette

It's a well known fact that people bring gifts to a wedding.  Why else would they have wedding registries?  An important part of gift receiving is sending the thank you notes.  It shows the gift giver that you truly appreciate their gift.

If you're having a bridal shower before the wedding, you should send those thank you cards out immediately after the shower.  You shouldn't start using the gifts until after the wedding, but that doesn't mean you can't say thank you for them.  Add a little note in the thank you card saying how you plan to use the item after you are married.

A lot of people will send wedding gifts directly to your house instead of bringing them to the wedding with them.  You should also store these gifts until after the wedding, but send the thank you card out immediately.  Guests will want to know that their package arrived safely at your door step.

After the wedding, you should strive to get thank you notes out within a month after your return from your honeymoon.  Any longer than that and guests will start wondering if you're ever going to send them out.  If they attended the wedding, add a little note about how happy you were that they celebrated the day with you and let them know how you are putting their gift to use.

If you receive any gifts after the wedding day (which you probably will), try to get those cards out immediately as well.

A couple things to remember while writing thank you cards:

• If they sent cash or a gift card, do not mention the amount in the thank you card.  If you know how you are planning on using the money, add a little note about it in the card and thank them for their generous gift.
• If you hate a present, received duplicates of an item, or plan on returning it to the store for whatever reason, do not let the gift giver know this.  Say something nice about the item even if you're not planning on keeping it.  They will never know that it was returned.
• It is not necessary to send a thank you card to everyone attending your wedding, but it is a nice gesture.  I personally only sent thank you cards to those who sent a gift.  I feel that the reception is a thank you for attending the ceremony.

Please feel free to add on your own thoughts about thank you notes in the comments.  Writing them can be daunting and the more help, the easier it is to do them.

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Write by: AN - Monday, June 27, 2011