Re: Generic message on thank you cards?

I would just hand write and personalize all of them. People want their gifts to be acknowledged.

I think printed generic thank you message with handwritten specific thank you inside is fine.

I wouldn't feel terribly special if I spent a lot of money on you for you wedding and got a generic. I really think that the wedding is the one time you need to "suffer" and write. It's not about looking nice, it's about a sentimental piece and thanking someone for what they've given you. Nice is reserved for Invitations, RSVPs, the actual wedding stuff -- Thank You's are from the heart, imo. While it might not necessarily be necessary to be like "Thanks Aunt Patty for the blender you gave me", it's nice to acknowledge that you are aware that it was *them* who gifted it to you via putting something in the note. I am going to hand write all of mine and I'm going to tell each guest how useful everything was that they got me from cash to physical possessions, whether I'm like "We thank you for your generosity -- we got to eat at Be Our Guest because of it!" or "I love the Air Fryer, it's sitting up on my kitchen counter and is so useful!". People like to know that you acknowledge them and their gift, especially in wedding situations, I'd think. At least, I'm that way.

I thought about doing this, but ultimately decided against it. The front had pictures of us from the wedding and said "thank you from the new Mr. & Mrs." with our wedding date but the back had a bunch of lines to personalize each thank you and that's what I did. We received one recently that was generic with pictures of the couples, nothing handwritten. We had flown in from CO to NY for the wedding, attended the ceremony & reception (they had a 3 hour Catholic gap so half the guest list skipped the ceremony) and bought them a gift, so I would have appreciated a handwritten note.

I think it's ok if you write additional things

I agree with PPs that it's totally okay as long as you write a personal note as well!

Skip the generic message. It is cold, and says you could not be bothered to take 4 minutes to write a personal message of 3 sentences. They likely checked your registry, decided to buy from that or shop elsewhere, did the online shopping it went to a store, yada yada. And maybe spent $50 to $300 .
Say thank you in the personal way of a hand written, individualized message. Thank them for the specific item. Say how you will use it, or that it will be useful for entertain,. Say it was nice to see them at the shower or wedding, or that you missed them and hope to see them soon.

Thank-you notes are personal expressions of gratitude and appreciation, specific, detailed, hand-written, at least four sentences long, and sent within three weeks of the receipt of a wedding gift (two weeks is much better).

Printed messages are cold and unfeeling, and no one wants to wait a couple of months for your picture. People need to know asap that their gift arrived safely and is much appreciated.

A handwritten note is essential. I’d honestly rather not get a thank you at all than receive a generic one— may hate to admit it but a generic thank you note makes me start regretting the thought I put into a gift. A pre-printed message is fine as long as it is accompanied by a personalized note.

Please hand-write and personalize each one. They took the time to pick out and purchase a gift or send cash/checks, you can take a few minutes each to acknowledge their specific gift.

I have heard some "not so positive" comments from people when they receive a generic thank you, but I also know how hard it is to write a heartfelt thank you for every item and make the card "lengthy" enough to show you put effort into it. Is there a way you can print a generic but hand write a more personal message on it?

I think it’s fine to have a generic message on the cards as long as you also add a personal message. Last year my FH’s father got remarried, FH was best man, I handmade mugs with their names and put together a nice box with some tea and coffee and even some giftcards, we had to pickup FH’s younger siblings and paid for another room so they could stay at the same hotel as us the night of the wedding. We were very upset when we got a generic thank you card in the mail. The card didn’t have anything handwritten not even our names or a handwritten signature.

"Going this route, I cannot list out the specific gifts purchased, but I'm not sure that is entirely necessary."

This is absolutely necessary. It is beyond rude to not acknowledge the specific gift you are given.

Personally, my response would be, "REALLY???? You're too busy/not interested enough to write a simple, personalized thank you note?" H and I likely gave you a check for a couple hundred dollars if we attended your wedding. If you can't be bothered to write a thank you note, it will be too hard/time consuming for me to send you any checks in the future (e.g., baby shower, christenings, kid's graduations, etc.). In our circle, this is the most basic level of etiquette and good manners. I don't care if your handwriting isn't as nice as the font you choose for a printed thank you note, but I definitely care that you didn't take the time to write a personalized note. You can send me a thank you note that you bought 50 for $5 from Walmart as long as you took two minutes to write a heartfelt thank you -- I don't need an awesome photo of you with a printed message.