Sending out thank you cards to your wedding guests is the traditional way to show them your appreciation for attending your special day, and also to thank them for gifts you may have received. Writing out all these cards by hand can be very time consuming, so in this article, we will discuss whether they must be handwritten or if you can get them printed and sent.
Wedding thank-you cards do not have to be handwritten, but it is proper etiquette and more meaningful if you take the time to do so. Thank-you cards can be typed and printed if you want to send the same message to everyone and save time, but they might not evoke the same warmth as a handwritten card.
Let’s dive into why people send wedding cards and the pros and cons of handwriting your own wedding cards so you can decide what you will do after your big day.
Writing Your Wedding Thank-You Cards
Sending a wedding thank-you card within a few months after your big day has been a tradition for many years. Sending a card highlights how grateful you are to your friends and family for being there on your wedding day and lets them know how special and meaningful it was to you to celebrate with them.
According to etiquette experts, handwriting your wedding cards is the proper method, compared to typing up and sending off a generic card to all your guests. However, traditions can change over time and these days for some people, the message of thanks you send will still count regardless of whether it is handwritten or printed out.
Pros and Cons Of Handwritten Cards
Let’s explore both the pros and cons of sending handwritten thank-you wedding cards.
Pros
- You can personalize the card to suit the guest and perhaps share your gratitude for them specifically.
- The recipient will feel that extra special touch of you taking the time to handwrite the card yourself and the message will feel more sincere.
- It may bring you joy to reminisce about your wedding day even if it was weeks or months ago, so while handwriting your thank you cards you’ll be reminded of how loved and supported you are.
Cons
- Can be time-consuming, especially if you had a lot of wedding guests.
- You may not have very nice calligraphy style handwriting – it needs to be readable at the least, but beautiful-looking handwriting is preferred.
- You will have to buy some nice stationery, including paper, pens, and envelopes.
We can see that there are both pros and cons to handwriting your cards. You’ll need to weigh these up and decide what is more important to you.
Other Card Writing Tips
- Know that you don’t have to get all your cards done in one day. If you are determined to handwrite all your thank you cards, set aside an hour or so each day to get them written. Make sure to have your spouse help you, divide the list between you and get them done in half the time!
- If you want to add a handwritten touch to your cards but would prefer to have them typed up and printed, you could just sign your name by hand at the end of the card, or add a short personal post-script. This will give your thank-you card a more personal touch.
- If you think that your grandma or someone in the older generation who is quite traditional would care about if your wedding thank you cards were handwritten or not, you could handwrite their cards and type up the others.
- Be sure to make a note of who gave you a gift and what it was when opening gifts. After a few weeks it will be much harder to recall the details, and you may like to refer to the gifts in your notes.
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The Importance Of A Thank-You Card
Everyone likes to feel appreciated, especially when they go out of their way and make an effort to do something for someone else. Some wedding guests may have traveled a great distance to attend your wedding, have to pay for transport and accommodation costs, apply for leave at work, buy an outfit to wear at your wedding, and more.
Ultimately, you do not know what a wedding guest may have sacrificed to attend your wedding because they wanted to be there for you to celebrate your marriage in person! Therefore, even the gesture of sending a thank-you card can really mean so much to someone, even if sending out cards is a common thing to do.
According to a survey done by The Stationary Studio, most people still believe that a thank you note is a necessary thing to do. In addition to that, 96.5% said that doing a handwritten card for big milestones such as attending a wedding or receiving an anniversary gift was the most acceptable form of card to send.Source: https://www.theknot.com/content/thank-you-note-etiquette-survey
Frequently Asked Questions
Who Do I Send Wedding Thank You Cards To?
Send your wedding thank you cards to everyone that attended your wedding or who helped out in some way. If there was someone who sent you a wedding gift but couldn’t make it on your wedding day or who funded your wedding, be sure to send them a card too.
If someone attended your wedding, but did not give a gift, then yes, you should definitely still send them a thank you card for attending and sharing your big day.
How Soon After The Wedding Do I Need To Send Thank You Cards?
Ideally, you want to send your wedding thank you cards a few weeks after your wedding, or at most within a few months. You want your wedding guests to feel like you appreciated their presence and you want to let them know as soon as you can and not make it seem like an afterthought.
Is It Okay To Email My Wedding Thank-You Card?
Sending a bulk thank-you email or text message to your wedding guests is not advised due to their impersonal nature being clear to everyone. It will feel like not much effort was put in. If you decide to, then that is your choice, but at the very least you should try to include a personal section for each message, and not one bulk message to all. You will need to be aware that some people may not receive the email as well as they would if they received a specially delivered card to their home.
What Should I Write In A Wedding Thank-You Card?
The content of your thank you card can be quite short and to the point. Firstly, thank the guest for attending, or for sending a gift if they couldn’t attend. Then you can mention how much you value their support, or friendship in the past, and how much you appreciate them being there for you and your spouse to celebrate as you begin your married life together.
Try to include a reference to something you spoke about or enjoyed together at the reception, to make the sentiment more personal.
Final Words
Overall, sending out a wedding thank-you card is a great option to show gratitude to your wedding guests, and may be expected by some. Handwriting your card is the most preferred and traditional way of writing your thank you cards. However, you can type your card message if you prefer. Just like your wedding was unique, so will the thank-you card!