How Soon After my Wedding Should I Send Out Thank You Cards?

Words by Utterly Printable

Once your big day has been and gone, it is likely that you’ll be heading out on honeymoon. So, with that in mind, you need to know at what point you need to send your thank you cards for wedding gifts. To this end, we’ve put together some helpful guidance:

So How Long Have I Got?

Wedding thank you card with multiple photos

Well technically, the sooner the better is always good. If you have time to send them because you’re not going on your honeymoon for a week and do it before you go. As a rule of thumb if you haven’t done it by four months you are seriously late and in breach of etiquette. So, you should have personalised wedding thank you cards ready to go before the big day so that all you have to do is write and address them. Don’t leave buying them till afterwards as this gives you an excuse to not do it!

But I Hate Writing

Writing is not something most of us have to do a lot of anymore. But this is one occasion when you just need to get on with it. Set an evening aside where the two of you will sit and work through the list together. Have a glass of wine, put your favourite show on in the background, and just accept that it needs to be done. To make life a bit easier though, maybe consider a lengthy, printed message on the inside of the card. This means you can just add to that with some special memories from the day.

Who Do I Send Them To?

Well, it is good manners to thank everyone that had an impact on your big day. So, that includes anyone who gave you a present, your bridesmaids and groomsmen, your parents, the officiant, your wedding hosts at the premises, people who helped by running errands, and anyone who contributed to the day by helping to pay.

So, What Do You Say?

Basically, aside from just saying thank you, it is important to ensure that each notice personal to the recipient. So, if they gave you a gift you can specifically mention the item and how much you are looking forward to using it. For those people who gave you a financial contribution, you can say what you intend to use it for either putting it towards the cost of your honeymoon or home improvements or having a meal.

It is also polite to thank them for coming and spending the day with you. Perhaps mention a memory from the big day that involved them. And you can close by wishing them well and perhaps arranging to meet up with some of them in the near future. Try not to see this as a chore you are brightening someone’s day when a thank you note lands on the door matt.