You’ve had a wonderful wedding day and your friends and relatives have been fabulously generous. Now it’s time to thank them for being part of it. Sending wedding thank you cards is something that many couples find difficult, but it’s essential good manners.
Three months after the wedding date is the latest acceptable time for sending them, but it’s much better to get them done and dusted as soon as you get back from honeymoon.
Ideally, thank you cards should be handwritten, addressed to the individuals (Dear [name] and [name]), and signed by you both. If you really don’t have the time to handwrite all your thank you cards then personalised thank you cards are probably the next best thing. Many good wedding stationers offer these in a wide range of designs and they can usually be printed with a message of your choice on the front and inside.
If you really want to make your thank you cards fun and enjoyable then why not get creative and make your own? Here are some great ideas for really personal wedding thank you cards.
Refer to the Gift
Starting with the basics, thank people for the actual gift they gave rather than a general message. If you are using a gift list service from a large store they should provide you with a list of who bought what as part of the service. If not you’ll need to be super-organised and make a note of each gift or contribution as it arrives.
Of course, it can happen that tags go missing from gifts brought to the reception. In this case make some discreet enquiries (enlist your family and wedding party to help out) and do your best to match gifts to guests.
Wedding Thank You Cards with Photos
Many stationery providers let you add your own favourite photo from the day to printed thank you cards. If you want to make it really personal, ask your wedding photographer to take a photo of you both holding a sign or bunting up with the words ‘Thank you’. It not only looks fun and quirky but creates a great keepsake for your guests too.
Or, to make it really personal, why not pop in a snapshot sized photo which includes the recipient? With most wedding photographers providing digital images these days, it’s not difficult to find and print the right photo.
Include a Photo of the Gift
Take a snapshot of the gift in use and include it with your thank you card. It could be you drinking from wine glasses, or the vase they gave you filled with flowers on a windowsill. Make it fun and show your appreciation. If you asked for honeymoon contributions then a photo from your trip would work just as well.
Record a Thank You Video
If you find it hard to write what you want to say, why not record a quick video where you can say thank you directly to each person? With smartphones it’s easy to do, then upload your videos to Dropbox or Google Drive. Send a short handwritten thank you card that simply says something like:
‘Thank you so much for coming to our wedding and for the [gift item]. We recorded this little video for you. Visit [link] to view.’ You could also email the person the link.
So, get creative with your wedding thank you cards. Your guests will really appreciate it and you can relish rather than dread writing them.
Guest post by Lisa Forde of Dotty About Paper
Images from Dotty About Paper
