Whether you’re getting hitched in a formal fashion, or tying the knot in a low-key ceremony, wedding etiquette dictates that all of your guests should receive modern wedding thank you cards in the mail, post wedding.
It’s kind, thoughtful and good manners to show gratitude for the company that you enjoyed on your wedding day, and for the gifts you received. A short and sweet note of appreciation goes a long way in letting your family, friends, colleagues and acquaintances know that you care.
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To Send Or Not To Send
If you’re in the midst of wedding planning and looking for ways in which you can save some money, it’s essential to know that scrimping on beautiful and stylish wedding stationery just won’t cut it.
While you can certainly keep within your budget when choosing save-the-dates and personalised wedding invites, omitting wedding thank you cards from your wedding stationery suite is not the thing to do, if you want to create a good impression with the people who matter the most to you.
By all means explore creative ways of limiting your wedding spend, but don’t be tempted to dismiss the little cards that mean so much.
The VIP Guest List
Before you and your new spouse settle into your happily-ever-after, there’s one final chore that requires your urgent attention, after the wedding day. The final job to tick off on your wedding planning list is: write and send wedding thank you notes to your VIP guests.
Besides your family and closest friends, you should also include the names of the following people on the list of thank you note recipients:
• Every guest at your wedding who brought a gift
• Guests that didn’t attend your wedding but sent you a gift anyway
• Generous guests who made a financial contribution
• The hen night, bridal shower and stag do attendees
• Anyone who helped you out by running errands in the wedding day lead up
• It’s also polite to thank invited guests that didn’t give you a gift
Sending a handwritten note to the wedding vendors who helped to make your wedding day a success is a lovely gesture that you may want to follow.
To minimise the confusion, when writing your cards, it’s a good idea to create a list of the gifts and their givers. Being able to easily see who gave what will ensure that you thank the right people, when you’re writing your modern wedding thank you cards.
Practice Penmanship
When following wedding etiquette, and writing and sending thank you notes, it’s worth taking a little time to brush up on your penmanship skills. You don’t have to have the neatest handwriting in the world, but it’s vital that your writing is clearly legible.
Practice your handwriting using a variety of pens, so that you can find the one that feels the most comfortable in your hand. As you probably have a sizeable pile of thank you cards to write, comfort is important. Sharing the writing workload with your spouse will get the final post wedding planning job done much faster.
What To Write
For thank you notes to be meaningful, thoughtful and up to wedding etiquette standards, it’s crucial that you take the time to handwrite them. You don’t have to write an essay, as a concise note of thanks is sufficient.
It’s best to avoid copying a tried and tested thank you message, as your note will be unacceptably generic. If you’re worried that you’ll be stuck for writing inspiration, it’s a good idea to think about the guest that you are writing to, before you put pen to paper.
Think about the guest having a great time at your wedding, and write a short note that expresses your gratitude in a sincere and heart-felt way. Thank the guest for attending your wedding, and for their generosity. Add a sentence to let them know how or when you will use their gift, and finish off with ‘best wishes’ (or something similar) and your names.
When To Send
Wedding etiquette timing rules are another consideration that you need to factor in when sending thank you cards to all of your wedding guests. It’s recommended that you write and send your notes of gratitude within two weeks of receiving a gift before your wedding day. You have up to three months, after your wedding date, to send thank-yous for the gifts received on your big day, and in the days after.
Digital Thank-Yous
Many newlywed couples choose to go digital when sending a gratitude note. While you won’t technically be breaking any wedding etiquette rules by sending guests an e-card to say thank you, your efforts won’t be received in quite the same way. Nothing beats receiving an envelope in the mail that contains a beautiful thank you card with a handwritten message that is perfectly personalised.
You also need to consider how digitally savvy your guests are, before going ahead and pressing SEND. Older guests may not be quite so well versed on how e-cards work, or may not have a computer or mobile device to receive your message of thanks.
If you are concerned about the environmental impact of wedding stationery, you can always opt for modern wedding thank you cards that are eco-friendly. You can also make your wedding more sustainable by writing and sending personalised wedding invites and thank cards in the traditional way, and going virtual with your save-the-dates and RSVP cards.
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