Wedding Thank You Notes

Weddings are joyous occasions, and generally the folks you invite to your wedding feel that joy with you. The most obvious way that most people express their pleasure in your getting married is by giving you a wedding gift.

Some people will enclose money in a wedding money holder or a check in a wedding card. Others will take the time to check the wedding registries and go to the store to buy an item you requested. More money will be spent on gift wrap to ensure that you have a lovely gift to open and they will schlep the gift to the wedding, even though they are dressed to the nines (and hauling a huge package is difficult in dress shoes!). Others will stand in line at the post office or UPS to send you the gift if they cannot make the wedding itself.

All you have to do is write a wedding thank you note. How hard is that?

You'd be amazed at how many weddings I've attended over the years and never received one word of acknowledgment that my gift was even received, let alone appreciated! This lack of common courtesy is more common than you think.

DO NOT be one of those wedding couples who put it off until you forget to ever thank the giver! Many tout that wedding etiquette indicates that you have a year to send thank you notes, but seriously, the sooner you thank people the better they will feel about you.

No matter how small a gift someone has given you, or even if it's so completely hideous that it will send small animals fleeing for the hills, remember that the giver went out of his or her way to do something nice for you. The person made an effort on your behalf and you need to show your appreciation.

Try to write your wedding thank you notes as soon as you receive a gift. It won't take but a few minutes to say a few nice things about the gift, sign the card, address the envelope, and set it aside to mail. If you do all the thank you notes at one time, it will necessitate a larger block of time and you may not be able to finish them all at once - which will only delay your thanks even more.

Keep a record of each gift you receive. Your wedding planner book should have several pages where you can do this - listing the gifts and the givers. Don't open any gifts you receive by mail unless you have this list nearby so you can record addresses and such. Make sure your fiance also records all gifts given. When you’ve written a thank you note, indicate it in the book so that you know how far along in the process you are.

Send those thank you notes as soon as you return from your honeymoon! This way you won’t be embarrassed when someone calls six months down the line to ask if you ever received the gift, and you have to say, “Um, yes, I just haven't gotten around to thanking you yet!"