Did you know that December 26 is “National Thank You Note Day?”
It is a day to pull out that fancy stationery, along with a pen, and write those thank yous for the gifts and kindness you received this year!
If you are planning to get married, you should know that keeping up with your thank you notes can be quite a daunting task. So, we recommend keeping this post on hand for future reference —
Be Proactive. Consider getting ahead of your thank you notes by purchasing the thank you stationery, pens, and stamps shortly after you announce your engagement.
If you intend to have a large shower and/or a large wedding, you will more than likely have a very large number of thank you notes to write too. So, consider designating a day of the week to write your thank you notes as you go. Weekly notes are much more manageable than writing all of your notes immediately after your honeymoon.
Be Appropriate. It doesn’t matter if you said thank you in person, you should still follow up with a hand-written thank you note. I realize that we live in a world filled with technology, but e-mails and texts are really not appropriate forms of thank you notes for holiday gifts or Wedding gifts.
Be Timely. Contrary to popular belief, you do not have a year to send thank you notes for your wedding gifts. In a perfect world, a thank you note should be written within 24 hours of receiving your gift, but it is understood that life gets in the way. Consider this rule –
- Up to two weeks for an engagement gift or a shower gift
- Up to two weeks for a kind gesture
- Up to six weeks for a charitable contribution
- Up to six weeks for a wedding gift
Make Them Special. So, how can you make your thank you notes special? Here are some recommendations —
- Be prompt. Don’t force your guests to ask you if you ever received their wedding gift. And you never want to start your thank you note with an apology.
- For a consistent look, order your thank you notes when you order your wedding invitations.Use the same color, font and paper.
- Give a little insight onto your new life. Have your stationery customized with your new married name or monogram. If you are moving into a new home, consider including your new mailing address.
- Customize each note by making a reference to the gift. If you can, let the note’s recipient know how you intend to use the gift or spend monetary gift.
- Be enthusiastic without being too formal. You want the recipient to feel appreciated, but you also want the note to feel genuine.
Be Inclusive.
- For Gifts – Write a note for any engagement, shower or wedding gift that you receive.
- For Coming to Your Wedding – You may find that all of your wedding guests may not bring a wedding gift. It doesn’t matter – You should send them a thank you note for coming to such an important event in your life. It’s not about the gift.
- For Kindness – Consider writing a note to those who helped while you were on your honeymoon – The family member who cared for your pug, the neighbour who collected your mail and the co-worker who pitched in while you were out. They all deserve a special note of appreciation.
- For Your Life/Upbringing – Consider writing a note to your parents. Even if they don’t host or pay for the wedding, this is a great time to write a note of love/appreciation.
- For Your Party Host/Hostess – Consider writing a thank you note to anyone who hosted a shower, engagement party, luncheon or brunch for you.
- For Your Wedding Party – Write a thank you note to the members of your wedding party. This note could be included with your gift to them. Or, you can send the note to them after you return from your honeymoon.
- For Your Wedding Vendors – Consider writing a thank you note to your wedding vendors, such as the Officiant, Wedding Coordinator, Photographer, Videographer, Caterer, Florist, DJ and/or Band Leader. You can include your note with your gratuity or you can send it after you return from your honeymoon.
Best of luck! And, thank you for checking out our posts!
Love & Soul Always, Kawania