• Home
  • About Us
  • Blog
  • Calligraphy Services
  • Contact Us
  • Reviews
  • Classes
  • FAQ
  • Prices
  • Calligraphy Portfolio

Tips for Writing Thank You Notes

April 4, 2015 by Maureen Vickery Leave a Comment

Thank-You
Please don’t be intimidated by the thought of writing thank you notes! If you have time to plan beforehand, you can make life easier on yourself when it comes time to expressing your appreciation to all your guests for their gifts and attendance.

When to Send Your Thank You Notes

For bridal showers and other pre-wedding events, write your thank you notes within two weeks of receiving the gifts, if possible.

For gifts received at the wedding reception, try to have them completed within 3 months of the wedding. The idea that you have up to a year to write your notes is an unfortunate fallacy!

If you really are too swamped to write your notes within these time frames, you might consider sending pre-printed cards to lets your guests know that you received their gifts and will follow up with a handwritten note as soon as possible.

Who Gets a Thank You Note?

  • Guests who brought or sent gifts
  • Each person who contributed to a group gift
  • Anyone who provided an intangible item (like use of a car or other property) or service (homemade food, helping to decorate the reception hall)
  • Bridal Shower Hosts/Hostesses
  • Bridal Party
  • House Party, including the Flower Girls
  • Family members who read Scripture during the ceremony
  • Your officiant or clergyman
  • Vendors who provided exceptional service

A Few Rules…

  • Thank you notes are written by ONE person and signed by the person who wrote the note.
  • Only send pre-printed cards to let guests know you received their gifts and that you will follow up with a handwritten note later.
  • Each gift requires its own card, even if you receive a shower gift and a wedding gift from the same person or family.
  • Use dark blue or black ink since it is “more proper” for correspondence and easier to read than other colors.
  • Mention each gift by name in your note.

…and a Few Tips

  • Write your notes in a conversational tone, as if you were thanking the giver in person. Don’t worry about trying to dazzle your recipient with formal verse or clever quips.
  • Be sure to put your new address (if you are moving) on your envelopes so that your guests will have your correct address.
  • Address your thank you note envelopes at the same time as your invitation envelopes so that you will have them ready to go when the gifts start arriving.
  • Don’t use White Out on your notes!

Organize your Guest List

Since most brides use a spreadsheet to organize their guests’ addresses and track their responses, it’s a good idea to add a few more columns of guest information to the list to help you when you are ready to write your thank you cards. Be sure to have a separate column for each gift you received when they were from different events such as engagement parties, showers, luncheons, or the wedding.

PenDance offers an Envelope Addressing Template that you can download to use as a starting point when preparing your address list for envelope addressing. You can add columns to this list as needed.

Be sure to ask a family member or trusted friend to be the Gift Tracker and record all the gifts you received at showers, parties, and the wedding. You might even put them in charge of your guest list spreadsheet so that they can keep it updated for you.

Some suggested columns to add to your guest spreadsheet include:

  • Who invited them – the Bride, Bride’s parents, the Groom, Groom’s parents?
  • Did the guests participate in the wedding? If so, what did they do?
  • Which events did they attend (bridal shower, rehearsal dinner, wedding)
  • Did they attend the wedding ceremony or reception?
  • List the name of the gift(s) received (be specific, or include a description of it if you don’t know the name). Remember that each gift gets its own thank you note
  • A column to record the date you mailed the thank you card
  • Additional columns for any other details you want to remember when writing your notes

The ones who participated in the wedding planning or actual ceremony should get longer, more personal notes than your other guests. By noting who these people are on the list, you can easily sort the list and choose to write these longer notes first.

Anatomy of a Thank You Note – Sample Text

The Salutation “Dear Aunt Sue and Uncle Bob,”

“Dear Mr. and Mrs. Allred,”

Make a personal remark or reference “John and I were so happy to see you at the wedding!”

“Mary and I really appreciate the thoughtfulness of your gift.”

“David and I missed seeing you at the wedding, but we understand that you couldn’t miss your daughter’s tournament.”

“Dancing the Hokey-Pokey with you at the reception was so much fun!”

Express your gratitude, mentioning the gift by name “Thank you so much for the crystal decanter you gave us. It is simply stunning!”
Explain how you plan to use or display the gift “It is now on permanent display in the wine bar in our den.”
Thank them again “Again, thank you so much for your thoughtfulness.”

“Thank you for being a part of our celebration.”

Closing “Warmest regards, Sarah Smith”

“Yours truly, John Jones”

Date written in the lower left corner “February 12”

“February 12, 2009”

Suggested Closings

Sincerely, Regards, Kindest regards, Gratefully, Truly, Fondly, Yours Truly, Affectionately, Warmest regards

What not to Say

  • Avoid starting your notes with “Thank you for…”. It sounds a bit generic.
  • Don’t start a sentence with “I”, if possible. It is better to start with “You…” or both of your names “Craig and I…”
  • If you are late with a note, do not apologize, just write!
  • Now is not the time to share news about your life such as a new job or promotion, the hurricane that ruined your honeymoon, etc. The thank you note is about thanking your guest for their kindness.
  • If you receive a monetary gift, avoid using the words “check” or “cash” in your note. Instead, use words like “your generosity” or “your kindness” when referring to money. You could say something like:”Your generous gift was so thoughtful! It will help us purchase the new outdoor grill that John has had his eye on at Lowes. We’ll be sure to have you over for dinner soon to test John’s grilling skills!”
  • Never mention that you returned their gift, you received several of the same gift, or that it arrived damaged.
  • If the gift is something that you can’t stand or you don’t like the color, try to look on the positive side:”Your gift of the bunny salt and pepper shakers that you painted was very thoughtful. You are such a talented artist! We’ll look forward to displaying them during our next Easter dinner.”
  • Don’t use the word “I” more than “you.” The focus of the note is on the guest, not you.
  • Avoid using the same word (love, appreciate, thoughtfulness, etc.) more than once in the same note.

Filed Under: Thank You Notes

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

 

About Maureen

Welcome! I'm Maureen, a professional calligrapher from Houston, Texas. I love creating beautiful words and artwork using pen, ink, brush and paint for special occasions, formal celebrations, and holiday salutations!

Categories

  • Artwork
  • Behind the Scenes
  • Calligraphy Classes
  • Calligraphy for Weddings
  • Engraving
  • Envelope Addressing
  • Handwriting Classes
  • Home Page Feature
  • Signage
  • Thank You Notes

Confused about etiquette rules for addressing envelopes? Our “Etiquette Guide for Brides to Be” shows you 3 degrees of envelope correctness – Very Formal, Correct, and Informal.

Fill in your email below to download a copy! And no worries! We won’t share your email address with anyone (pinky promise)!

 

On the Blog

Modern Calligraphy Workshop for Beginners – July 24, 2017

By Maureen Vickery

Help My Handwriting! Workshop – July 23, 2017

By Maureen Vickery

Help My Handwriting Workshop – July 23, 2017

By Maureen Vickery

Rave Reviews

Maureen, I just wanted to tell you how amazingly beautiful and stunning your work is and what an incredible job you did on our invitations! There was not a single mistake, and I just couldn’t stop looking at your artistic ability.

Julie Miller

Rave Reviews

Dear Maureen, Thank you for the fantastic job you did on Jessica and Jeb’s invitation addressing and place cards. Your handiwork was the perfect complement to their other lovely details. Everyone raved at your amazing skill! It’s clear you possess an extreme dedication to your craft! Thanks again.

– Kelly Balfour, Eventology Weddings

@PenDanceStudio On Insta

This error message is only visible to WordPress admins
Error: There is no connected account for the user 346876320.
  • Contact Us!
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Policies & Guidelines

Copyright © 2021 Pen Dance

Website designed with heart at RKA Ink

Copyright © 2021 · Pendance Custom Child Theme on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in

This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. Accept Read More
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are as essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled

Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.