Just when you thought heading off on your honeymoon was the signal that your wedding (and wedding planning) was over, you remember you have a mountain of thank you cards to write.
“Uh oh, how quickly do I have to get these notes out?!”
There’s some debate about when to send thank you cards for a wedding, but in keeping with general thank you card etiquette, the sooner, the better.
Depending on your culture and where you live in the world, you may have even heard it’s alright to send wedding thank you notes several months after the wedding, even up to a year afterward.
The general rule of thumb, however, is to get your wedding thank yous in the mail within two weeks of receiving your gift for gifts received before the wedding and within three months for all other gifts.
We want you to get to the most important thing - enjoying each other as newlyweds! We give the option to send hand-written thank you notes or digital thank you notes easily and quickly. When you set up a wedding registry with hitchd, we make sending thank you notes a breeze.
Who should receive a wedding thank you card?
The highest priority thank you notes should be to guests who gave you a gift if they attended your wedding or not. Someone took the time and money to purchase a gift or give you cash for your big day — they definitely deserve a (timely) thank you note.
You will likely have guests who attend your wedding but don’t give you a gift. This could be for many reasons, nevertheless, they deserve your gratitude for taking the time to come and celebrate your wedding.
The third group of people you want to consider when sending a wedding thank you are your vendors, wedding planner, and beauty team, assuming they did a great job. Sure, you paid them and maybe even gave them tips, but a thank you note goes a long way.
Handwritten vs. digital thank you notes
In today’s technology-driven world, the rules of thank you notes are getting a bit blurred. More people are used to receiving electronic invitations, using an online wedding registry and receiving digital thank you cards. Plus, electronic thank you cards are better for the environment by eliminating the need for paper and stamps.
Still, we all know that receiving a handwritten thank you card in the mail on nice stationery just feels a bit more personal.
With hitchd, you can choose a beautiful design and write a custom message and we take care of printing and mailing! If you choose the digital route, you can easily keep track of guests who have contributed to your online registry and send custom thank you notes with beautiful photos (from stock photos or your own!).
What to write on a thank you note
When writing your thank you note, be creative and use a style that fits your personality and that of your guest. There really aren’t any hard and fast rules or etiquette around what to write, as long as it’s personal and genuine.
Here are a few tips to help you as you craft your message:
- Be specific about the gifts received. Instead of a generic “Thank you for the wedding gift” message, be specific about the item you received, even if it was money.
- Share why their gift is important to you and your partner. Let your gift giver know that they gave you an important gift because of its use. If it’s money, let them know it will be used toward your honeymoon for a nice dinner or an excursion.
- Show your gratitude. Be sincere with your thank you message and be sure to thank them for their time and generosity in giving you a gift.
- Each partner should sign their name. Whether you send an electronic or handwritten wedding thank you note, make sure that both you and your partner’s names are included.
Need more inspiration or writing tips? Hitchd helps you create a personal message from a list of creative templates.
What about my wedding shower and engagement party? Do I need to send separate thank you notes for those?
Yes! Thank you card etiquette suggests sending a thank you card for any gift you receive for any purpose, including all wedding events.
Keeping track of sending thank you notes for each wedding event can be time-consuming. Not to mention that after your wedding shower, you will be in full wedding planning mode leading up to your wedding day. The worst part is that you risk missing someone and neglecting to send them a thank you note.
There’s really nothing more awkward as a gift-giver than having to ask if the recipient received your gift, or be left wondering if they just didn’t send wedding thank you cards.
A nice solution is to use one registry for both your wedding shower and your wedding, so that you can track all of your gifts in one place.
With hitchd, you can create a custom cash gift registry as soon as you get engaged, and encourage family and friends to visit your wedding website when they ask what to get you. Once they contribute toward your fund, you can send a personal thank you card in real time.
When to send wedding thank you cards
By now, you may be convinced that the best time to send wedding thank you cards (or really, a thank you card for any gift for any occasion) is as soon as possible, ideally within a few weeks.
Wedding thank you cards don’t have to be fancy and shouldn’t be formal, like your wedding invitation.
Many wedding planners give the advice to send thank you notes after a shower or engagement party within two weeks. The same goes for any gifts that come before your wedding.
Because your wedding day will include more guests and you will likely go on a honeymoon afterward, it’s appropriate to take up to three months from your wedding day to send thank you notes. Though, the sooner you can get a note in the mail to anyone who gave a gift or attended your big day, the better.
The #1 seamless thank you note process and registry
Hitchd makes it easy to personalize your registry, create any type of gift, experience, or cash fund, and receive contributions from guests. With multiple thank you card options, you can quickly and easily share your gratitude with any family or friends who contribute toward your wedding.
Fund memories, not things.
The modern registry where guests fund your dream honeymoon. It's simple and beautiful. Start your registry