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Spending what is likely to be one of the most special days of your lives with your loved ones, is something that will fill you with tonnes of gratitude for years to come. Being able to express the depth of that gratitude may feel impossible, but there are little gestures you can make.
From sending thank you notes and cards, to a selection of personal photographs from your special day. Gifting your guests with a token of your appreciation can go a long way.
But, how should you say thank you? Are there particular ways to do it?
In this post, we’re going to explore how to say thank you to your wedding guests, who you should say thank you to, as well as offer some tips on what thank you gifts to send.
As you might imagine, wedding thank you cards and notes are exactly that. A simple gesture that can be sent in the post with a personal message expressing your thanks. This could be thanks for attending your wedding, thanks for playing a more major role, or simply to say thank you for their lovely gift.
It’s customary to handwrite a thank you note, usually in card form, nothing too ostentatious. This could be a card that relates to the theme of your wedding and you may wish to add some images from your big day as a memento. The note should be personalised (sending a generic thank you note could be considered rude) and should highlight why you’d like to say thank you.
After all the excitement of your wedding day, it’s easy to get swept away by all the post-wedding emotions and fun. Opening all of your lovely gifts, looking at your wedding photos and going on your honeymoon tends to be where it’s at. But there’s still one important task left to do: writing your thank you cards. But how do you do it?
They should be considered with the same importance as wedding invites, to a point, so it’s vital to make sure you get them right. He’s a rundown of things to consider when writing them:
Make sure you mention the correct gift - The last thing you want to do is say thank you to someone for something they didn’t get you. The best thing to do is write yourself a list of gifts as you open them along with the name of who they’re from. That way, there’s no chance of you getting it wrong.
Talk about what you plan to do with the gift - One great way to personalise the thank you note is to let them know what you’ll be doing with their gift. It will really let them know that you’ve thought about it and that you appreciate what they’ve given you.
Always handwrite your notes - We mentioned it before, but it really is the best way. Yes, it will take ages, so be sure to give yourself some time to do a proper job.
Keep the tone light - As it’s going to be your nearest and dearest that you’re writing to, there’s no need to go too formal. You’ll find informal notes are easier to write.
If you’re at a bit of a loss as to what to write in your wedding thank you cards, here are a few tips to get you going:
● Saying thank you for money- be gracious and accepting regardless of what the amount was. Highlight how useful it will be and if you have an idea what you’re going to do with it, let them know. If in doubt you can always say you'll put the money towards your honeymoon fund.
● Say thank you for coming- You don’t want to sound insincere with this one so you could give a reason as to why you’re thankful that they could attend, especially if they’ve travelled a fair distance.
● Always use “dear” rather than “to”- Yes this is quite formal but it’s also considered the most polite address. As we mentioned before, keep the note lighthearted, so don’t feel obliged to use a prefix such as Mrs or Mr if you don’t normally address them in this way.
● Offer your well wishes- When signing off, reiterate your thanks and offer them well wishes. Follow that up with your newly married name.
This is entirely dependent on you. Just bear in mind that it is customary to send a thank you note to everyone that attended the ceremony and particularly to those that have sent you a wedding gift.
You might not think it, but there is a time limit on sending thank you notes after your wedding. It’s general wedding etiquette to send thank you notes within three months of your wedding day. However, it’s not uncommon for guests to send wedding gifts up to a year after your big day. While this may seem like a long time to wait (and one to two months is probably more realistic), you should always reply in a timely fashion even to late gifts.
If you’d like to take things to the next level, you might consider sending a thank you gift rather than a note or card. In this case you’re likely going to want to send something related to your wedding day.
Normally, wedding thank you gifts would be reserved for those who were part of the wedding party, such as bridesmaids and groomsmen, and your parents. If you’d prefer to extend the giving of gifts to the rest of your guests, just be aware of how expensive this can get, especially if you’re on a limited budget. Wedding favours are usually enough for gifts outside your main wedding party.
Wedding gifts don’t have to be too costly, but you do want them to be personal. With this in mind, photographs and prints from the big day tend to go down well. Another lovely gesture is taking a dried and pressed flower from the wedding bouquet and getting it framed, this works especially well for those that were a part of the bridal party, who themselves would have had flowers.
Jewellery is also a firm favourite. It’s great for adding that personal touch, with an engraving of details from the day and the name of the individual.
Getting swept away by the magic of your big day is all well and good, but it’s important to acknowledge those that you choose to share it with. A wedding thank you note is the perfect way to show your guests just how much they mean to you.