Sending a thank you card after the wedding is a must. It’s not enough that you thanked each and everyone for coming to your event at the end of the reception. Mailing thank you cards show them that you truly appreciate their presence and gift. And like with everything else in your wedding, thank you cards also follow a certain set of etiquette rules to ensure that you don’t step out beyond the norms or on anybody’s toes.
- If you think you can let out a huge sigh of relief after the wedding is over, hold onto your breath a little bit longer as you need to accomplish the task of sending out thank you notes as soon as possible. You’re given up to three months to send a thank you note to your guests. But it’s best to send them out within two weeks after the honeymoon. Any gifts received before the wedding should be given prompt acknowledgement.
- Never send a pre-printed thank you card. It spells tacky no matter how you look at it. Remember, people got out of their way to shop for a special wedding gift, dress up according to your attire specifications and travel to your wedding location. And what do they get in return—a thank you note that you just grabbed from a bookstore? A handwritten thank you note is the only way to go.
- Give individualized notes. Even if a group gives a gift, you need to send each person a separate thank you note. The exception to the rule is for a couple or a small family. You can send one thank you note per couple or small family and it won’t be considered poor taste.
- Usually, thank you cards are included in the wedding invitation package. You’ll find that they have a similar pattern or design as the invitations and other stationery items. But if these are not included, the next option is to get a thank you card that has a black inside page. As mentioned earlier, you can’t give away cards with generic or pre-printed wording.
- While there’s nothing wrong with using pre-printed labels or pre-printed envelopes for the return address, the giver’s address should always be written by hand.
- Using the person’s first name on the thank you card is acceptable only if you’re close to the person. If not, it’s better to address them by Mr. and/or Mrs.
- If you have received a monetary gift, you don’t have to mention the amount but it would be nice to tell them how you spent the money. Make sure that it’s something practical and worthwhile. For example, you can say something like, “Dear Mike and Wendi, thank you for your generous gift. It’s always been our dream to see the Caribbean and we were finally able to do so with the help of your gift. We really appreciate it.”
- It’s also a good idea to mention the specific gift. If you don’t, the giver will never know if you liked it. For example, “Dear Will and Karen, thank you for the beautiful painting that you gave us. Our walls will look livelier with this piece of great artwork. We’ll remember you every time we look at it. Thank you for your thoughtfulness.”
There are countless of ways to say thank you. For your wedding, the best way to do it to send a personal handwritten note of gratitude.