It's time for Mythical Mondays where we clarify what really is and isn't true about...wedding planning.
MYTH: You have one year to write thank you notes.
TRUTH: A widely held belief that a bride and groom have one year to send thank you notes to their guests is beyond comprehension. How will the guest know you even received the carefully selected gift? Will you even remember what you received as wedding gifts in one year? How motivated will you really be in one year?
The confusion comes from the notion that a guest has up to one year to send a gift. In actuality, the newlyweds should attempt to get out any thank you's within a few weeks of returning from the honeymoon (a couple of months is really the maximum). Thank you's for gifts received before the wedding should be sent promptly. This goes for engagement, shower, and wedding presents sent to the home.
Thank You Cheat Sheet
- Email, texts, and a general shout-out on your wedding web site are not acceptable. The written word still rules here.
- Mention the gift. If it is a monetary gift you do not need to mention the amount, rather call it the "generous gift" or something similar.
- Include how you plan to use it
- Thank the guest for their generosity.
- Add a personal sentiment if possible.
- Sign your married name only after you are officially married.
- Use your maiden name for anything thank you notes written prior to the ceremony, even if it is a wedding gift (i.e., shower gifts, a wedding gift sent to your home that arrives in the days or weeks prior to the wedding).
Sample Thank You Note
Dear Uncle Jack,
Thank you so much for the place setting of formal china. We are so excited to host our first holiday meal on our china, and even more excited that you will be joining us. We are looking forward to seeing you there. Thank you for being a part of our wedding celebration.
Love,
Lisa
4 comments:
Great tips!
I think getting a thank you card from a wedding a year after the celebration has taken place is not ok. I am an over achiever and got ours out a month after we got married. I just sat down and DID IT! No biggie!
The motto for thank you notes needs to be "just do it." It actually gets embarrassing for you the longer you wait.
Way to go Nicolasa!
Holly
Great blog. I connected through another blog.
I got a thank-you note for a wedding gift I gave to a friend that got married and got the thank you about 2 weeks later and thought .... they need to be spending time together not sitting around sending thank you notes...
I think these things are taken VERY seriously by women... and not at all taken seriously by men.
I love that there was a comment from a guy!!! I know that brides sometimes roll their eyes at the chore of writing so many notes --- but it helps for them to remember the time and energy (and money) that their caring guests spent to select a special gift for them. You're so right in that it is so important to take the time to show gratitude.
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