Wedding Thank You Etiquette Guide
On your wedding day, friends and family will come from near and far to celebrate your love. Vendors will work long days to pull off the wedding of your dreams. How do you thank these people who have gifted you both with their presence and physical gifts? All you have to do is send a heartfelt thank you card.
Wedding thank you cards remain one of the most important parts of wedding etiquette. Here at Lily & Roe Co. we understand the importance of this piece of stationery, and the pressure on couples to get it right. Continue reading for all our recommendations and notes on wedding thank you etiquette.
When to Order
We recommend you order wedding thank you cards when you order your wedding day stationery and signage – roughly four to six weeks before your wedding. Not only does this help save on shipping costs, but it also ensures that you have them on hand when the wedding is over. We don’t recommend waiting until after the wedding to order your thank you cards, as this often becomes quite delayed. Whether you’re on your honeymoon or relaxing at home, designing and ordering cards is the last thing on your mind in the first weeks of marriage.
If you are moving around the time of your wedding, remember to use your new address as the return address when ordering your thank you cards. This is a great way to easily share your new address with your friends and family and also ensures you’ll be aware if any thank yous aren’t delivered to their intended recipient.
Who Should Receive a Thank You Card
Everyone who contributed to your wedding day, attended, or sent a gift should receive a thank you card. When calculating how many thank you cards to order, you’ll need one per guest household, one per vendor, and a few extra in case of any additional gifts. Keep in mind that any wedding shower gifts should have received their own thank you cards before the wedding, so these should be specifically for your wedding.
When to Send
It’s important to send your thank you cards out in a timely manner. You should aim to send your thank you cards out no later than three months after your wedding. This allows you a little time after the wedding to rest before hopping in but makes sure that your guests know you haven’t forgotten about them. Since writing and addressing dozens of thank you notes can be an overwhelming task, we suggest breaking it up into smaller batches of 10 - 15 cards per day.
Tips for Writing Your Wedding Thank You Cards
Your wedding thank you cards should be personalized and clearly thank each person for their contribution, attendance, and/or gift. They should be a minimum of three sentences long. We recommend using the following three-part formula: First, greet the person or people you are addressing. Second, thank them for their presence or gift. Third, mention a specific reason you like the gift or how you plan to use it.
We highly recommend handwriting your wedding invitations rather than typing them. Although it may be more time-consuming, it adds a personal touch that is always appreciated by the recipients. It also shows that the card was individually made and not a batched thank you that was sent to all guests.
Lily & Roe Co. Wedding Thank You Cards
Here at Lily & Roe Co. we offer thank you cards that match every one of our invitation suites. This means that you can easily order your thank yous at the same time as the rest of your stationery and signage, without having to pick a new design. Your thank yous will be consistent with the aesthetic of your wedding day, and show that you truly paid attention to every detail.
Look through our Thank You Card collection and find thank you cards you love!