Today, when it comes to weddings just about anything goes! But one rule of

etiquette that will always remain... you must send thank you notes for all your

wedding and shower gifts! So, here are a few tips!

Ordering Your Thank You Notes

You might want to purchase your thank you notes at the same time you order

your invitations. Most invitation companies have thank you notes that match or

can coordinate with your invitations.

Many couples are choosing monograms (bride's first initial, couple's last

name initial, groom's first initial) or "Mr. and Mrs. ____" on their thank you

notes. Also remember, that you should not send out thank you notes with your

married name until after the wedding. So, you may want a few printed with your

maiden name to take care of your shower gifts.

When ordering your thank you notes, it's always a good idea to order plenty

of extras. You'll be able to use these notes after the wedding and it will

always be a wonderful reminder of the wedding when you do!

What to Say

• Always mention the gift somewhere in the body of the note.
  

   

• Let the person know you like it!
  

   

• Mention how you plan to use the gift (or spend the money). For example,

  "I can't wait to have my first dinner party so we can use the new china..."

  or "Thank you for your generous gift... we've been saving for a down payment

  on a new house".
  

   

• You should also make at least one personal reference in your thank you

  note, such as... "We were so happy that you were able to come to California

  for the wedding".
  

   

• If you are writing the thank you notes, you should reference both you

  and your fiancée... "Steve and I really like the...". "Steve and I want to

  thank you for the..."

When to Send Them 

You always should acknowledge and thank someone for a gift - right away!

The rule of etiquette for thank you notes... for gifts received before the

wedding, you should send out a thank you note within two weeks. For gifts

received after the wedding, you have up to one month to send out your thank you

notes. However, it has become acceptable today to send wedding thank you notes

up to two months after the wedding, especially if you take a long honeymoon or

invited several hundred guests!

Who Else Should Get a Thank You Note?

Remember to send thank you notes to all your host or hostesses of your

engagement party, bridal shower and rehearsal dinner. You may also want to send

thank you notes to the individuals who participated in your wedding (readers,

etc.). Another nice gesture is to send thank you notes to any of your vendors

that did a great job or exceeded your expectations!

Always give a special thanks to the bride's parents, groom's parents, maid of

honor, best man and your Officiant or clergyman.

A Few Words of Advice

Don't let your thank you notes pile up... the task will become overwhelming

and you won't want to tackle a mountain of thank you notes!

Also, don't think of writing out thank you notes as an awful, arduous task.

Think about all the people that cared enough about you to come to your wedding

and give you a gift. Thank them with warmth and sincerity!