Tips on Writing Wedding Thank You Notes

Getting married is an exciting milestone in life, but it also involves obligations to ensure every guest feels adequately appreciated. For every wedding present you receive, you’ll want to send the gift-giver a personal thank you note. The average wedding has 131 guests, but even if your wedding is smaller, you’ll likely still have a sizable number of people and items to keep track of. To add to the confusion, you might not even know half of the guests personally! Fortunately, writing wedding thank you notes is more accessible than many people realize. The following wedding thank you note examples, strategies, and templates will make the process quick and easy.

Tips for Writing Your Thank You Notes

When faced with a pile of presents and a box of blank cards, the process of writing wedding thank you cards can feel overwhelming. However, it doesn’t have to be! Dividing the task into the following three general areas helps make it much more manageable.

Organize

A bit of preparation early on helps make the note writing process much easier later. Create a spreadsheet from your guest list. At first, it’ll only contain the guest’s name and address. However, once the gifts arrive, you’ll add the following information to each spreadsheet entry:

• What gift the person or couple sent to you
• When you received the gift
• When you sent a thank you note

To make the process even easier, set up your spreadsheet in the cloud, so you and your spouse can both work off the same document.

Share the Work

You and your spouse have embarked on a lifetime partnership. Start that partnership off right by working together on your wedding gift thank you notes. The two of you don’t necessarily need to split the work exactly 50/50, but note-writing certainly shouldn’t be a one-person show. Working together will not only ensure the notes get sent out quicker, but it can be a fun bonding activity too.

Who should write which guest?

Most people typically choose to write to the guests they’re related to or know the best, but no firm rules exist. Just make sure to express the sentiments as if they’re from both of you. (“We love the gift!”, “Thank you for coming to our wedding” and so on.)

Make a Plan – Get Started

When a gift arrives, open it and send out a note. Try to avoid letting gifts accumulate because you’ll also end up with lots of notes that you’ll need to write. By writing letters as soon as you can, you’ll develop some significant momentum. Of course, many couples receive the bulk of their gifts all at once, at their wedding. While opening your presents is undoubtedly great fun, take it slow enough to make a note of who gave you what. Fortunately, the spreadsheet you’ve prepared makes this easy! If you end up with a sizable backlog of notes to write, turn it into a date night. You and your new spouse can work on cards while you spend the night at home with a nice dinner and a movie.

Wedding Note Best Practices

Wedding gift thank you notes are short, which means they don’t take long to write, but each element plays an important role. Follow these best practices for wedding thank you note etiquette.

Address the Note to the Couple or Family

It’s easy to overlook spouses, family members, and others connected to your guest, especially if you only know one person in the couple/family well. The card sent with the gift can provide a handy cheat sheet. Address your note to whoever is listed on the card. To make the process even easier, input the names on the card into your spreadsheet when you’re opening your gift.

Write Your Notes by Hand

You want to avoid sending a printed message, even if you sign it by hand. Also, stay away from a thank you email. Instead, you want to write the entire wedding thank you card message by hand and send it by traditional mail. Writing a thank you note by hand takes more time than sending an electronic message – and that’s a good thing. People typically feel that handwritten notes convey more thoughtfulness than a digital counterpart, even if both say the same thing.

Use Wedding-Themed Stationary

If budget isn’t an issue, you can order thank you cards that match your invitation stationery exactly. Otherwise, try to find cards that match the general style and colors used for your wedding. Why is this important? Themed stationery helps connect the thank you note with the wedding in the mind of the reader. As it’s essentially the last wedding-related correspondence your guest will receive, you want it to evoke fun memories of the entire event.

Thank You Card Wording Templates & Examples

All thank you wedding notes use a simple, three-part structure:

• Thank the gift-giver
• Mention the gift by name
• Briefly describe how you’ve used the gift or plan to use it

Within that basic framework, you’ll want to make minor adjustments to the wedding thank you card wording based on the type of gift, who gave it to you, and other factors. Here are several wedding thank you note templates to help you get started, featuring the correct wedding thank you note wording and format to use in various situations.

Thank You Note for Physical Gift

Dear [Guest], Thank you so much for the air fryer! So far, we’ve made barbecue chicken and a veggie dish – both of which were delicious. When [Spouse] and I get back from [Honeymoon Location], we want to have you both over for dinner to try air-fried dishes for yourself. Thank you again! [Name] If you haven’t used the gift yet, say something like you’re looking forward to using it soon and have always wanted one.

Thank You Note for Money in a Wedding

Dear [Guest] Thank you so much for your generous gift of $150. We put the money towards diving gear for our upcoming honeymoon in Hawaii. [Spouse] and I were so happy you could celebrate our wedding with us. Best, [Name] As this sample wedding thank you note illustrates, you want to always mention the specific amount of money you were given. Doing so adds a personal touch. Also, people like to know what you used the money for. If possible, elaborate a bit on how much fun you had with something you purchased using that money.

Thank You Note for a Group Gift

Dear [Individual/Couple] Thank you so much for the flatscreen TV. You and [other friends] truly went all out for our wedding, and [Spouse] and I can’t thank you enough. We can’t wait for all of you to come over to watch the big game! Sincerely, [Name] There are two elements to a thank you note for a group gift. First, send each member of the group an individual thank you note. Also, within each note, acknowledge that the gift was from a group, naming each member if you know them.

Thank You Note for Wedding Guests

Dear [Guest], Thank you so much for sharing our special day with us. [Spouse] and I were so delighted you could attend, and we hope you had a fantastic time. The day just wouldn’t have been the same without you! Best, [Name] Every individual/couple/or family who attends your wedding should receive a handwritten thank you note, even if they didn’t give you a gift. Your spreadsheet comes in handy here, too, because you’ve recorded everyone you sent an invitation to, not just everyone who sent you a gift. Also, try to insert personal anecdotes when possible. Was your uncle the first one on the dance floor? Did your cousin deliver a remarkable speech? Briefly highlight anything fun and memorable in your wedding thank you note.

Wedding (or Baby Shower;)) Venues

You’ve clearly already been married, which is why you’re reading this post to help you write your Thank-you’s. So you already know how difficult it can be to choose the right wedding venue. If you know anyone who is getting married and would love a helpful venue willing to be as helpful as this post is, please recommend them to a RedWater Events wedding venue today! And when you’re ready to take that next step and need to host a baby shower, we’ll be there for that too!