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Thank
You, Thank You Very Much
Handwritten notes are guaranteed
to make someone’s day--so you’re offering sincere
gratitude and making people smile all in one simple act.
By Samara O’Shea
I
read a horror story in USA Today a year or so ago. Apparently
a couple living somewhere outside Seattle sent out a
mass e-mail thanking everyone for attending their wedding
and for all the “really nice gifts.” I know
e-mail is quick and convenient, but it can also be cold
and impersonal. When it comes to thanking the group of
people you chose to spend your wedding day with you,
then they deserve a more meaningful gesture of appreciation.
That
being said, I also know how overwhelming a long list
of thank you notes to write can be especially after the
titanic task of planning the wedding. First off, don’t
be afraid to ask your new husband for help. This can
be the first project you do as a married couple. Second,
enjoy it. Handwritten notes are guaranteed to make someone’s
day, so you’re offering sincere gratitude and making
people smile all in one simple act. Lastly, remember
thank you notes don’t have to be long. You can
send a short message that’s easy for you to write
and special for them to receive. Here is a four-sentence
thank-note formula in case you need help:
Sentence
1
Thank
Them for the Gift: Simple enough, right? Just
start off by mentioning the gift itself. For example, “Thank
you for the candle holders.” Or if you want to
go the ultra-enthusiastic Emily Post route you can
say, “The candle holders are divine!”
Sentence
2
Elaborate
on How You Plan to Use the Gift: Take the
gift one step further and talk about how you’ve
used it or plan to use it. For example, “We dined
with them just last night.” Or, “We’re
having a dinner party this Saturday, and I can’t
wait to show them off.”
If
You Didn’t Like the Gift: You can skip this sentence.
Still thank them for the gift, but there’s no need
to lie and gush about it if you don’t like it.
You could also have two sentences thanking them for attending
the wedding, which is described below.
Sentence
3
Thank
Them Again for Attending Your Wedding: Use
the third sentence as an opportunity to enthusiastically
thank them for taking the time to attend the main event. For
example, “Above all, thank you for traveling
such a long to distance to be with us on our wedding
day—it really meant a lot to us.” Or “More
than that, thank you for coming to our wedding and
lighting up the dance floor.” If they were unable
to attend the wedding but sent a gift then you can
tell them how much you missed them at the ceremony.
Sentence
4
Mention
When You’ll See Them Again: A good way
to end your thank you note is by mentioning when you’ll
see the person again, “I can’t wait to
see you at Thanksgiving.” Or, “We’ll
have to have you over for dinner just a soon as we’re
settled.”
There
are no rules to writing thank you notes (only that you
write them), but if you use this guide you note should
resemble something like this:
Cynthia,
The picture frame you sent is gorgeous! It’s sitting
on the mantle with our favorite honeymoon photo in it.
Thank you so much for trekking out to Jersey for our wedding—you
looked amazing in the vintage blue dress. We’ll see
you again at Marci’s wedding in August.
Lots of love,
Samara and Tyler
Samara
O’Shea is the author of For the Love of Letters:
a 21st-Century Guide to the Art of Letter Writing and
founder of LetterLover.net.
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