Receiving gifts for your wedding, shower or engagement party is one of the perks of being engaged, but creating a gift registry is not the only job a couple has when it comes to gifts. For each one they receive they must write a handwritten thank you note.
Emily Post's Wedding Planner for Moms by Peggy Post has 9 great tips to help couple's write the perfect note.
- Every gift--whether it's an expensive item or a gift of time, energy, or personal expertise--must be acknowledged with a separate, handwritten note.
- Every thank-you note, no matter how short, should include a reference to the gift and an expression of appreciation for the thought and effort that went into it.
- A note of thanks should also be sent to those who send congratulatory telegrams and packages on the day of the wedding.
- Write neatly, and keep each note "short and sweet"--three to five sentences is plenty.
- To aid in penning prompt replies, have note cards or stationery and postage stamps on hand, and address and stamp the thank-you note card envelopes in advance. (This is a task moms can offer to help with.)
- Time frame for writing thank-you notes: As soon as possible, and always within three months of receipt of a gift--at most.
- Grooms write thank-you notes these days, as well.
- It's inappropriate to send preprinted thank-you cards with no personal message added.
- The couple should never let on if they dislike a gift. When writing a thank-you note for a gift that's been exchanged--either because it's a duplicate or just not desired--they should simply thank the giver for the original present. There's no need to mention that the gift has been exchanged for something else.
Excerpted from
Emily Post's Wedding Planner for Moms by Peggy Post © HarperCollins Publishers
