- Divvy up the writing: Use a divide-and-conquer strategy. Each of you should plan to pen your own notes to your respective relatives and close friends.
- Don’t wait: Prompt equals polite: Gifts received before the wedding should be acknowledged within two weeks; for those that come after, send notes within one month.
- Got cash? Keep it classy: Thank the sender for her “generous gift,” and mention your plans for it. (“We’re putting it towards a car”.) Never, ever mention the amount.
- Otherwise, be specific: As with cash, explain how you plan to use a present. (“We can’t wait to serve Rob’s famous melon cosmos in our new martini glasses.”)
- Never say a gift arrived broken: If an item arrives damaged, notify the store immediately; it can probably be replaced without involving the giver.
- Stick to stationary: None of the following should replace a mailed paper note; a phone call, e-mail, text, IM shout-out, Facebook status update, or tweet.
- Get personal: Tell the giver that you’re excited to see her at the happened, or, if it happened already, that you enjoyed spending time with her on your big day.
- Give groups their due: Did your gang pitch in to buy a couch? Write each person her own note, acknowledging how lucky you are to have such fab friends.
- Skip the photos: Cards with wedding pics are cute, but the images can really hold up the process. Send notes (that match your theme, perhaps) now; send photos later.
- Don’t sign jointly: Whoever writes the note should sign the note, but feel free to use language like “Josh and I adore the crepe pan.”
In a recent article from Brides magazine.
