How-to Write the Perfect Thank-You Note
You’re engaged, and you’re drowning in wedding gifts.
It’s fun to receive gifts – especially wedding gifts. You’re already dreaming of building a home together. Wedding gifts make it that much more real and exciting. This is the only type of drowning I think I could be happy with. But, with gifts come thank-you notes to write.
I am a firm believer in handwritten thank-you notes. I think that they are a necessity when it comes to being an adult and all around nice person in general. There’s nothing more disappointing than sending an expensive wedding gift and not getting as much of a thank you or even an acknowledgement of it’s arrival. We also all know that one couple that took forever to send out a thank-you, and when they did it was mediocre and worse than if they didn’t send one at all.
There’s a lot of different options when it comes to stationary for thank-you notes.
I ordered special cards to express my thanks after our wedding. It had a photo like the one above with Rob and I holding a sign saying “Thank You!” We had a lot of out-of-town guests who sent gifts that weren’t able to come to the wedding. It was great to be able to send them a photo from our day. They felt included, and they were excited to have it as almost a keepsake. But, you don’t have to always order fancy or special thank you cards after your wedding to say thank you. I’m a firm believer that it’s the quality of the note itself that counts.
I would suggest at least going to Target and picking up the cute cards they have in the dollar section (8 for $1 – SAY WHAT?!) I’m low key obsessed with office supplies and stationary, so I make sure to pick up a pack (or five) every time I go to Target. You may call it a little overboard like my husband does. But, it’s nice to have a good stockpile of cards. It also comes in handy when you’re writing all those bridal shower thank-you’s as well. (Yes, you have to write thank-you notes for that too!)
So, you’ve gone to Target. You raided their dollar section and possibly also bought a cute pen to write your notes with. (guilty!) You poured your cup of coffee and now stare blankly at the card…
But, what do you write? How do you fill up a card sounding like an appreciative adult with more than just “Thanks for buying me stuff I told you to buy for me on my registry!”?
I get it, thank you notes can be a little awkward – especially when you don’t know what to say. Plus, they can get overwhelming when you have so many to write. Personally, I like to create a skeleton for the thank you notes outlined on a piece of notebook paper. While they then will be all structured the same, I still have the opportunity to make it personal when I actually am writing in the cards. It creates a more streamlined process that saves me time (and stress!)
Start with an Opening Line
This is just like you would address an email or a normal letter. Start your thank you note with a loving address like “Dearest (Friend/Grandmother/etc/NA) _______,” or “Dear ________,” or really whatever you’re feeling for the person.
If you’re stressed now, you might want to grab some wine because this is the easiest part of the letter.
Show Some Gratitude
Thank them for coming to your wedding! Thank them for coming to your bridal shower! Talk about how much fun it was to have them there and how you hope they had as much fun as you did. If they were unable to attend your event but still were nice enough to send a gift, tell them you missed them! Let them know that you noticed they weren’t there but you wish they were because of how great of a party it was. It’s important for people to feel like they’re special and that you cared to notice that they thought of you.
Thank Them for Their Generosity
If they gave you a gift, this is where you thank them and show your appreciation for their generosity. They didn’t have to get you anything if they didn’t want to! If they didn’t send you a gift but you want to send your thanks for them taking their time to come to your event, you could thank them for their support for you and this new journey that you and your significant other are taking in life.
This is also a great part of your note to get personal. Talk about how much you loved the ____ that they sent you, about how much you really needed that cash, or about how much they knew _____ would be perfect for you. Mention what that ____ gift card is going to get you. You could even talk about how much you loved the card they gave you if it was funny or really sentimental. You could also talk about how appreciative you were of the conversations that you were able to have with them if you haven’t seen them in a while. There’s really a million ways you could do this, and it’s all about how you feel.
Close it Out
This really doesn’t have to be more than a simple sentence. Flowing from your thankfulness for their generosity, you can wrap up your thank you note by mentioning that you’re looking forward to seeing them at your wedding. If they aren’t attending your wedding, you can mention how much you are going to miss them and that you hope to see them soon.
If you’re writing thank you notes after your wedding, you can transition to your close by saying how excited you are for this next chapter of your life and that you’re excited to see what God has in store next for you and _____. It’s really up to you, but a quick sentence such as these will help you wrap up your note so that there’s not an awkward cut off between your thank you and goodbye.
Goodbye
This is where you would close your note with a sign-off such as “Warmest Regards, ______” or “With gratitude, ______” or “With Much Love and Thanks, _______”. Like with your opening line, it’s really up to you and would depend on the person that you are writing to.
