Thank you notes for early gifts

You can do generic or personalized cards. No one will care about that as much as you do. If you plan to do personalized cards after the wedding, I wouldn't waste the money and would just get a pack from Target for now.

Unless you receive a gift the week of the wedding, there's no reason you shouldn't be able to send a thank you right away. They should be sent within a month at the latest, so if someone sends you a gift 3 months before your wedding, definitely don't wait until after the event to thank them.

I just bought nice thank yous off of Amazon. I'm a "send it when you get it" kinda person, otherwise I will 100% forget.

I ordered us personalized stationary as soon as we got engaged because we started receiving gifts. We ran out of those by the wedding and after the wedding I sent cards that said thank you from the new Mr. and Mrs. but they didn’t have a wedding picture. It doesn’t really matter what the card looks like but I would try to send a thank you note within a week or two of receiving any future gifts. 3 months is way too long.

All the etiquette I’ve read says gifts received before the wedding should get a thank you within two weeks of receipt. It isn’t that hard to send one here or there, and it’s much easier after the wedding if you’ve already sent a chunk of them. You can spend as much or as little as you can afford on the cards, but people really remember whether they got the card or not—that’s the important part, not how expensive the stationary is or whether or not it has your face on it (no offense, but no one cares if it has your face on it).

Ok I hear all of ya. So...what's the story with the, "you have until one year after the wedding to send thank you cards" thing then? That's what I've always heard so it honestly didn't occur to me I should send one ASAP until...now.

I've never received a thank you card earlier than one month after the wedding. I've received a lot of cards 6-12 months after the wedding...some of my friends were gone for like, 2 weeks on their honeymoon after the wedding. Does that only apply to gifts you receive around the time of your wedding (in all these cases, I gave the gift the day of the wedding at the latest)? That or my friends operate off a totally different timeline. lol.

I've been to two wedding in the past 6 weeks and received thank you cards for both awhile ago. I don't see any reason it should take longer than a week after the honeymoon ends (or a week after the gift arrives if before wedding) to acknowledge their generosity. Now, you didn't know and that's okay! The main thing is that you know now so you can avoid this. A lot of young people learn these things as they go, it's not like most of us had classes on etiquette. I make sure my children get thank you cards out the within 24 hours of being given a gift, so I'm hoping they'll grow up to be prompt thank you card senders! Haha

View Quoted Comment I’ve never heard that you have a year to send a thank you. I’ve heard that you have a year to send a *gift* though. But honestly unless both of the spouses are like, in their medical residencies in neurosurgery and had a 400 person wedding, I don’t understand why anyone would take longer than a month to get all the notes out unless they’re just procrastinating. People were kind enough to come to your wedding and buy you something with their hard earned money and writing a note isn’t that hard.

For some reason, I thought you wait and send all your thank you cards after the wedding.

This one says up to one year: https://www.thespruce.com/the-ultimate-guide-to-wedding-thank-you-notes-4050109

This one says 3 months after wedding or 3 weeks after gift if received before the wedding: https://www.zola.com/blog/wedding-planning/wedding-thank-you-note-etiquette/

Well, I'll just go buy some cards and stamps now to be safe/already too late...

Gifts before the wedding, as well as shower gifts, just got a cute little generic thank you card that I bought a set of at papyrus. Our very first gift got a pretty belated thank you because I kept forgetting to buy cards! Whoops— but I just made sure to make it a super sweet heartfelt note!

I’d try to get pre-wedding gift thank you s out ASAP. I made sure to get shower thank yous our before the wedding! Anything I received like week of I waited and lumped with the wedding day gifts but I think people understand that’s a chaotic time! It’s important to acknowledge receipt of early gifts though, so people know they were received! Formal etiquette says you have 3 months after the wedding to send thank yous (we were slow with ours but managed to get them out within that window!)— But a late thank you is ALWAYS better than. I thank you at all! That “year” quote you’re wondering about may be able giving— technically there’s an etiquette stating that guests have up to a year after the wedding to send a gift (but then again, gifts aren’t strictly required!)

You can write a note on plain paper stationery, it need not be printed thank you. You can use letterhead with your name, but not wedding in any way. Or blank generic cards, or custom designed one. It does not matter. All are equally good manners. As long as you write your appreciation for the particular gift ( name it) and say something nice about the gift, or how you intend to use it. The most wonderful card in the world is bad if you just sign a name, like you could not be bothered. And while picture cards are nice, they should only be used if you can produce the finished card within 2 weeks of receipt if the gift. Otherwise, a blank paper, sent on time, is better. The prompt and thoughtful/ sincere thank you , the message, matters. Not what it is written on. Lots of people have cards made of a nice picture of the couple, a few months after being engaged. Or get boxes of cards. And rolls of stamps. Once gifts start coming fast, you need to be prepared. It catches lots of people by surprise, if they do not routinely write thank you notes for gifts, or after people give parties or dinner parties, and invite them. You are not the only one , by far.😊

Oh, and don’t let your fiancé stick you will 100% of the thank yous! If you both invited about the same number of people, he Thanks his people and you thank yours!

View Quoted Comment

Lol so true!

Thanks everyone for the help and advice!

Not sure on the cut off, but I just purchased a box of generic thank you cards off Amazon and send one every time I receive a gift.

View Quoted Comment Guests have up to a year after the wedding to give a gift. Couples send note as soon as possible, usual guideline within 2 weeks. Only delay: Those that arrive the week before the wedding, at the wedding, and while on honeymoon. Those you start immediately on returning from HM, and ideally complete within a month.