It’s been a while since Lisa Hoffman of Ceci New York stopped by to share some of her always fabulous invitation wisdom. So I am thrilled to say that today she’s chatting with us about those pesky little Thank You Notes…from thank you note etiquette to thoughtful words for a thank you, she’s covering all the bases. You’ll definitely want to bookmark this post as it’s something that everyone, brides and non-brides alike, should keep handy!
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1. Think Ahead. Order your thank you notes early with your invitations. That way you are preparred as all your gifts come in.
2. Don’t procrastinate! As soon as you get your gift, remember to write your thank you note. That way your message will be sincere and of the moment. You don’t want your guests thinking you were tired of writing your notes and just quickly wrote out the same generic message to all.
3. Write in your own language. Don’t fake your way through it with over embellished words that you never use in real life. For example do not say “thank you for the fabulous blender if the word “fabulous” never typically comes out of your mouth. Be sincere and honest. Your guests will appreciate it so much more.
4. Keep track. You are going to be writing so many thank you notes over the course of your engagement it’s impossible to keep it all straight in your head. My advice is to keep separate guest lists from all your events (shower, wedding, engagement party) and document what each guest gave you at the time you receive it. If you do not instantly write them a note then chances are you will get confused with all the gifts coming in. And once you do send the note, make sure you check off a column on your list that you actually sent the note so you can remember later. (a. guest name b. gift name c. sent thank you note date) Tip – mind your manners- even if you do not receive a gift I believe it is still nice to write a personal note of thanks, thanking them for being someone special in your life and coming to your wedding to celebrate your big day. That will go a long way.
5. At a loss for words? The basic structure of a proper thank you note is as follows: -. thank the guest for the name of the gift. Make sure you state back what it was to personalize it even more. – mention how you use it (or plan to use it) in your daily life. – added bonus add a nice sentence stating that you can’t wait to have them over to share it with you and your new hubby. – if you’re sending before your wedding tell them how excited you are to be celebrating with them soon at the wedding. And if it’s after the wedding state how much it meant to you to have them at your wedding. – then sign with love
6. Timing. Etiquette states that you truthfully have up to a year after your wedding to send a thank you note (because technically guests have that much time too to send their gifts). However, as I mentioned above, I highly recommed staying on top of your thank you notes so they do not become a chore. Plus you do not want to come off ungrateful or worse have your guests inquiring if their gift made it to you OK! Chip away at your list by setting attainable goals for yourself. Maybe 10 a weekend or 5 on Monday nights. Whatever works for you. Pretty soon you will find yourself a writing pro! (and maybe you’ll even enjoy it)
7. Flat or folded? Yes there are choices when it comes to the type of thank you note you pick. The two main ones are flat cards or folded. TIP: Think about your writing style – do you write large or small. If you write big, probably best to go with a folding note card so you have more room.
However I completely encourage you all to be creative with your note writing. If you are having a destination wedding try picking up fun postcards from your chosen location. Or from your honeymoon. Another idea is to consider a different method other than paper. Send a photo postcard of you from the wedding. Take a big group photo of all yor guests and send that. It’s a great keepsake and your guests will love it!
To be inspired and view more thank you note ideas, please visit cecinewyork.com All design and artwork copyright 2009 Ceci New York, LLC.