Thank you notes are a lovely way to express gratitude to guests who came to your wedding (or even those who couldn’t make it), especially if they’ve honoured you with a gift. Many couples choose to say “thank you” through a card, whether that’s handwritten or pre-written and finished with a personalised, heartfelt message. So, here’s our guide on what to write in a thank you card.
For more on wedding stationery wording, check out our guide on choosing the right wording for your wedding invitations.
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There are many ways you can go about writing your thank you cards, and to help you navigate we’ve split this guide up into the thank you notes you can write to guests who brought gifts (as well as a breakdown of the types of gifts), those who didn’t, thank you notes addressed to who exactly gave you the gift, and thank you notes for people who have helped you out for one thing or another.
Thank you Notes For People Who Gave You a Gift
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Types of Gifts
When writing your thank you cards a good place to start is with what the gift was and how much you like it—tell the gift giver how much you appreciate it and their thoughtfulness, and tell them what you have used/will use the gift for.
Thank You Notes for General Gifts
“Thank you for the smoothie maker, it’s perfect! I’ve always wanted to make my own healthy drinks. It’s exactly what I needed—you know me so well!”
“Thank you so much for the carriage clock you gave us—it looks beautiful on our mantlepiece. We can see how much care you took picking it out and I’ll think of you every time I see it!”
“Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for the photo album you gave us, and for your warm wishes. You’re so thoughtful!”
“We’re so touched by your generosity—thank you for the beautiful dinnerware set you gave us.”
Thank You Notes for Money and Gift Cards
Money and gift cards as gifts are growing more popular, as it allows the gift receiver to spend it on what they want instead of receiving something they might not need. When writing a thank you card for these gifts, you don’t have to mention the amount given unless you want to.
“Thank you so very, very much for your generous gift. Your contribution will go a long way toward helping us decorate the nursery.”
“Thank you so much for the money you gave to us for our wedding. We’ll use it for the luxury bottle of champagne we’ve wanted to try!”
“Words can’t express how much your gift means to us. We’ll actually be able to go on a honeymoon now, and it’s thanks to you. You’ve made us so happy!”
“Wow! We just had to say thank you for your generous gift card to Happy Shopping. We don’t know what we’ll use it for yet, but it’s going to be epic. Thank you so much for this, and for being there for our wedding day.”
“We’ve just used your £30 gift to buy a brand new coffee machine and it’s amazing. Thank you so much!”
Thank You Notes for If It’s a Group Gift
“Thank you Lucy, Bella, and Cara for your generous gift. You know us so well! We’re so thankful to have such wonderful, thoughtful friends.”
Thank You Notes for When You Don’t Know What the Gift Is
“Thank you for your thoughtful wedding gift and for sharing in our big day. It’s always lovely to see you!”
Thank You Notes for When You Don’t Like the Gift/ It Wasn’t on Your Gift List
Sometimes couples receive gifts that they’re not keen on, but it’s still polite to be grateful and to thank the gift-giver for it. And you never know—you may even find something positive in the gift.
(Note: to reduce the risk of receiving something they don’t need or want, or even to avoid receiving the same thing from different people, many couples create a gift list. It’s more like a guide for the guests who are planning on giving a gift (it isn’t a demand for one) as it helps them see what would actually be useful/interesting for the couple, but of course sometimes people ignore the gift list.)
“Thank you for your thoughtful wedding gift! We’ll think of you whenever we look at it.”
Thank You Notes for Guests Who Didn’t Bring a Wedding Gift
Guests are, of course, under no obligation to give you a wedding gift. But you can still thank them for attending!
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Thank You Notes For Different Types of Guests
Naturally, you may find that you want to write more personal thank you notes to the people you know well, such as parents or siblings, and give less information to more distant friends and/or relatives. Furthermore, you may have received gifts from people who didn’t attend your wedding.
Thank You Notes for Those Who Attended Your Wedding and Gave You a Gift
Parents or In-Laws
“Thank you so much for your gift and for all the help you gave us throughout the wedding—it will really help us with the new house. We can’t wait to see you when we get home from the honeymoon. Love you both!”
Thank You Notes for Close Friends or Relatives
“Thank you so much for being there on our wedding day, and for your wonderful gift. We’re so blessed to have had you there, and our honeymoon will now be even better because of your contribution. Thanks again!”
Thank You Notes for Distant Friends or Relatives
“Thank you very much for your generous, thoughtful wedding gift. It was great to see you at our wedding, and we hope you had as much fun as we did.”
Thank You Notes for Guests Who Weren’t Able to Attend Your Wedding But Sent a Present
“Thank you for your beautiful gift—we really missed you at the wedding but you were in our thoughts. We hope to see you soon so we can celebrate properly.”
Thank You Notes for People Who Gave a Gift But Weren’t Invited
“Thank you so much for your generosity, and for thinking of us at such a special time. The picture frame looks lovely on our mantleplace, with one of our wedding photos. We hope you’re very well. Thank you again!”
Thank You Notes to Thank People For Their Help
Parents, bridesmaids, groomsmen, and all manner of people often have a big hand in the wedding planning process, so it makes sense that you want to include a line in your thank you notes to say thank you for their hard work and contribution. You may even want to thank one of your wedding suppliers, such as your photographer or venue, for their steller service.
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“We couldn’t have done it without you,”
“I’ll never be able to/I don’t know how to repay you,”
“You’ll never know how much I’ve appreciated your help,”
“Thank you for all the help you gave,”
“Thank you for everything you did,”
“I can always rely on you,”
Ending Your Thank You Notes
Finish off your notes with a last little “thank you”.
Featured above: Burlap Chic “Thank You” Personalised Rubber Stamp and Plain White Tag
Warmly,
Love,
With love,
With lots of love,
Lots of love,
Love always,
Much love,
Much love to you,
Love and thanks,
Thank you from the bottom of our hearts,
Warmest thanks,
We’re beyond grateful,
Beyond grateful,
Feeling spoiled,
Gratefully,
With gratitude,
Words can’t express how happy you’ve made me,
Thank you so, so much,
Confetti’s Top Thank You Note Tip
Some couples have dozens of thank you notes to write after their wedding while others may have hundreds. You can sit down and write them all in one if you feel you can, but this increases the risk of your respones becoming robotic and formulaic instead of being unique and genuine. We recommend that you complete your thank you notes in short bursts of 10 or so per day instead of taking an entire day to do over 100. Furthermore, while it’s best to get your thank you notes out as soon as possible after the wedding, don’t rush through them. If you have to take a bit more time, that’s fine!
For more on saying “thank you”, look here for some original ways to thank your wedding guests.
