PREPARATION: What You Need to Know

Keep in mind that the thank-you note project begins way back when you gather your 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 that list and record each gift next to the giver's name and address.

When to Send Wedding Thank You Notes

If you're going on a honeymoon, you obviously can't send your wedding thank you notes until after you return, but do try not to wait much longer than that. While it's acceptable to send it up to three months after the big day, it's best to do it within two weeks of returning from your honeymoon. After that, people will start wondering if you didn't like their gifts.

Show You Care

Wedding thank you cards and their envelopes should be written by hand. Sending a form letter or typed envelope doesn't show the recipient you care enough to jot down a few lines. A thank you note is supposed to be a personal correspondence between two parties. Treating is as a mass mailing is insulting.

 Some additional ideas on how to write a thank you note quickly and easily are as follows:

 1. Set up a specific, designated area for writing thank you notes.

2. Write your most difficult wedding thank you note cards first or alternate between difficult and easy.

3. Share the writing thank you notes task with the groom ... bounce ideas off each other for thank you note wording and write thank you notes together over morning coffee. You could easily set a goal to write 5 wedding gift thank you notes together each morning.

4. Carry thank you note supplies with you in case you have time to write a few thank you notes during your lunch hour or even while waiting at the doctor's office.

5. If nothing else works, try allotting a set amount of time each day to write notes. At least 10 minutes each day - if the writing notes are going well, keep writing beyond your set time! Try not to go past 30 to 45 minutes - writer's burnout will certainly make this task difficult for you as you find yourself avoiding writing thank you notes the next day, etc.

Sample for a wedding thank you note.

 Dear Mr. and Mrs. Smith

We were really glad to have you at the wedding reception. We would like to thank you for coming from such a long distance. Your presence made our festivities even brighter.

The chinaware is remarkable and I will always think of you when I use it

Regards,

Kelly and Michael

 
There's no getting out of it, thank you notes must be sent. Keep in mind, the sooner you get those thank you notes out the fewer questions you will have to answer about whether or not you received your gifts. Your family and friends will appreciate the time and effort you put into thanking them promptly and your personalized thank you notes will genuinely be fresh and from your heart.