Anytime you receive a gift, it's a super nice gesture to send a thank you note in return. With weddings and birthdays, it's expected that you do so. It's a cost that a lot of couples don't remember to factor in their budget - for the cards, envelopes and postage. It's also sometimes a big time commitment!
We are in big favor of doing something creative. Wedding paper products can get quite costly - from the save the dates to invitations to programs to menus. Thank you notes don't have to break the bank.
We like the idea of using post cards. The postage is about 16 cents cheaper than regular postage - much might not seem like a lot but when sending out 50+ notes can save you some dough. Also there is not a lot of room to write so it won't take you as long to fill out the cards.
We suggest ordering custom postcards from Vista Print - for 50 cards with shipping it cost $21! Other websites like Shutterfly, zazzle etc. will charge you almost $1 per postcard - because it's listed under the word "Wedding" which jacks the price up.
A nice touch for custom thank you cards is to have to a "thank you" banner or wording that you can hold and your photographer can get a nice photo. For my wedding, we ordered this cute banner from Amazon for $7. Even if you don't do that, including a wedding photo is a nice way to share the memories with your family and friends! Since wedding photos can take 6-8 weeks, don't be afraid to ask your photographer for one to use in your thank you notes. It's customary to send your notes within 6 weeks of the wedding. Also hand written notes are much more appreciated than typed. Some folks traveled a long way and spent some money to be there for you. So they will appreciate the extra time you took to hand write the note.
Make sure when you are opening gifts to keep a detailed list of who gave you what - as that will come in very handy in writing the note.
What I wrote in my notes were:
Dear __________
Thank you for joining us in the celebration of our marriage. We had so much fun and were so glad you were there. We appreciate your generous gift of___________________. Thanks again for traveling so far to be with us on our special day. Love, Mr. & Mrs. ______________________
