Thank you note etiquette for your wedding gifts

You will be flooded with gifts and kindness throughout your wedding celebration. The sudden influx of gifts will also bring in an equal flood of thank you notes for you to write. Don’t drown in them, by following these simple guidelines for thank you note etiquette for your wedding gifts:

Timeline:

• Showers– A thank you need needs to be written for every gift even if you thanked the giver in person. Be sure to include a special thank you for the hostess. Write your notes immediately; don’t let more than two weeks pass before sending them. Stay strict with yourself!

• Wedding gifts – Each gift received needs to be acknowledged with a thank you note within three months of receiving them. It is best to write them as soon as you receive them, but the three-month grace period allows you to catch up after your honeymoon for gifts given to you on your wedding day. Three months is generous so be sure not to push further it any longer.

The Plan:

• Keep an organized list of all of the gifts you received and update it as you write thank you notes.

• Stock up on stationery that you love! We have a multitude of beautiful pre-made and customizable letterpress thank you notes if you need to upgrade your stationery.

• For weddings, the most traditional thank-you cards are customized to compliment your other wedding stationery. If you choose to include a monogram on your thank you notes remember that it’s improper to adopt your married monogram until after the ceremony.  If you plan to do that you may want to either combine your first name initials or use different thank you notes for those sent out before your wedding date.  Check out our monogram etiquette blog for more information regarding your monogram.

• Make sure you have a fun pen and stamps that you are proud to use.

• Don’t plan on writing all of your thank you notes in one sitting. Your eyes will start to cross and your handwriting will begin to look like a serial killer. Be kind to yourself and block out smaller blocks of time to write throughout your days.

Content:

• Be as specific as possible in regards the gift or gifts you were given. Mention how you plan to use it or if you have already used the gift.

• It is a good idea to specifically thank them for attending your shower or wedding. If they were not able to celebrate with you it is kind to note that they were missed, but that you appreciate them celebrating from afar.

• It is customary for one person to write a thank you note for a gift, but be sure to mention your spouse. For example if a husband is writing thank you notes to his side of the family he would want to say something like. “Thank you for the lovely gravy boat. Sarah and I love cooking together and we can’t wait to use it at our next dinner party.”

• You don’t have to write a novel! Short and sincere is completely appropriate.

Most important rules to follow:

• Be sure to proofread! We are all human and we make mistakes. Even the best speller may make a spelling mistake and unfortunately you have to be your own spell check with a hand written note.

• Better late than never! If you broke the cardinal timeline rules that doesn’t make you exempt. Write your thank you notes even if you are embarrassingly late. Even a late thank you note is appreciated!

Don’t forget to be thankful and celebrate along the way! Celebrate the gifts you have received. Celebrate your guests. Most importantly celebrate and enjoy your spouse.