The wedding was beautiful and the honeymoon was a blast. But now those fun-filled days are over and you’re back home. Time to start your new life, and one of the first tasks you face is dealing with your wedding gifts. Remember that pile of gifts you received at your wedding? Well, not only do you have to open them, but you have to thank the people who gave them to you, and doing so by phone or email just won’t do. A handwritten note on formal stationery is the best way to say thank you.
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Fortunately, thank-you notes don’t have to belong. Most new wives have far too many things to do than to sit down and write each of their wedding guests a two-page thank-you letter. A few sentences of appreciation will suffice. You can also enlist the help of your husband to complete this task.
Organisation is the key to writing thank-you notes. Hopefully, you’ve been keeping track of the gifts you have received up to this point and may have even sent thank-you notes for those already. If you haven’t, now’s the time to do so. Grab a notebook, sit down with your husband and write down the following for each gift:
❤ Giver’s name and address
❤ Where the gift was purchased (if you can determine that)
❤ Description of the gift
❤ Date the thank-you note was sent
After you’ve completed this step, you can start writing thank-you notes. Share the task with your husband. Let him do the notes for his family, while you do the notes for yours. Divide the notes for your friends between the two of you. Write your thank-you notes on formal white or ivory stationery with a blue or black pen. Neatness is a must. Don’t cross out words or leave messy globs of ink. If you have some pictures of the two of you, you may enclose one of those with your note if you’d like. Start off your thank-you note with a personal greeting and then name the gift you received, thank the giver for it and for attending your wedding, and tell them how you plan to use the gift. If the gift was monetary, you don’t need to state the amount, just how you plan to use it. Write thank-you notes for the gifts you received damaged or plan to return the same as you would for any other gift. Be gracious, warm and appreciative.
Do not, under any circumstance, inform the giver that their gift was damaged or that you intend to return it. Mail your thank-you notes no later than two to three months after your wedding. The sooner you get them done, the better. Not only will the givers appreciate your prompt response, but they’ll be happy to know you enjoyed their gift and you’ll be relieved to have one more task out of the way.
Few people like to write thank-you notes, but it’s a task that’s got to be done. The more organised you are, the better your thank-you notes will be and the faster you will finish them.
