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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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