Thank-you Note Etiquette

Thank you notes are generally not something a bride thinks of during the planning process. Many people are taught to think of life in a sequential time-line. We love lists and bullet points and properly laid out plans... yet, many guests send wedding gifts before the wedding day. So, riddle me this: how do you respond? By RESPONDING. These early gifts are wonderful, fun, stir excitement for the marriage and new life together; but most importantly, these new gifts need to be acknowledged promptly.

When it comes to weddings in today's world, many traditional courtesies and etiquette rules are considered optional and even outdated. I am here to tell you this is AWFUL. Showing appreciation is something that should be vocalized more often and more sincerely, now more than ever.

Here is a nice little bullet point list of Thank you note rules, that in my opinion, are common sense:

-Must be handwritten, no exceptions.

-Include a personal message to the guest if they travelled to celebrate your wedding day with you, acknowledging your appreciation of their extra effort.

-State what the gift is when you're thanking them.

-Include a personal message about how you are going to use the gift.

-Send thank you notes no later than two weeks after you received the gift.

-If you can't get the notes out within a desirable time frame: Better late than never! Always send a thank you note.

Here is an example:

"Dear Aunt Cathy,

Ryan and I were delighted you were able to travel all the way from London to help us celebrate our special day. It was such a pleasure to spend time with you and you definitely won "best moves" on the dance floor! Thank you very much for the lovely KitchenAid Mixer, we can't wait to use it when we host our first dinner party as a married couple. You always have an open invitation to our new house in Colorado!

Thanks again for your generosity, we love you very much.

Fondly,

Ryan and Sarah (The Greatest Thank-you-note-writer your Aunt Cathy has seen in a while!)"

There are many ways to personalize your Thank you cards, just think outside the box. If all else fails, shoot dear old Christy an email and I'll help you out ;)