Ten Thank You Note Tips

As wedding season hits full force along with showers and engagement parties the task of thank you note writing hits full force.  Writing thank you notes can be painful if you've got writers block, feel insecure about your handwriting, or you just don't want to repeat yourself with some lame thank you note.

Here are ten thank you note tips to save your sanity!

 

1 - Know your personality.  Do you procrastinate?  Do you do well with a solid plan?  Consider how long you want before someone gets a thank you note and work backwards, giving yourself X notes a day or week.  You will have more time for creativity.

 

2 - Make your groom write his family/friends.  No excuses!  They're his peeps, they're his thank you's.

 

3 - Divide and conquer in the order of ease.  If you were peeing your pants with excitement over 10 presents, write those first.  They'll be easy and give you an immediate sense of accomplishment.

 

4 - Cash gifts?  Write about how you'll use the money.  The bigger or more "important" the item, the more the gift giver feels like they helped you actually aquire something important.  But it's even OK to say "this money will be so useful as we begin our lives together."

 

5 -Ugly gift?   Whether it's tacky, simply not your style, or you have no idea quite what it is, you can still appear gracious.  Perhaps you take the idea of the gift and thank them for what it represents.  For example, you can say "thank you for the desk light.  Lighting is such an underappreciated part of home life."  If that's too much of a stretch, perhaps the desk light can roll into how you're going to graduate school, or you'll do your bills and think of them every month.

 

6 - A cultural or regional connection?  I'm from Minnesota and registered for a slow-cooker.  When I got it off my Registry, I delighted in saying how it made me feel like I was finally baptized as a true Minnesotan (I wasn't born here.)  Many gifts may have such a connection for you, even if it's mundane!

 

7 - Reaching to your future.  Some gifts are really dull, but why not thank them for the future memories you're sure to have with the items.  I got a popcorn maker so I mentioned the fun we'll have, especially with our future family making all the various popcorn flavors.

 

8 - A total stranger?  I got a lot of gifts from people I've never met and never will meet.  Hello awkward.  I always thanked them for the gift, but then tried to share anything positive about the connection they have with my in-laws (the most common stranger.)  It filled up a few sentences and was very personal.