Wedding Thank You Notes - How to Avoid the Avalanche After the Honeymoon
With a little Discipline and the Famous Oreo Method of Writing, Brides Can Complete Thank You Notes in 3 Minutes Flat
By MARJORIE MAXFIELD, National Wedding Etiquette and Stationery Expert
A handwritten thank you note from a bride is the ultimate expression of her new married position in life! She is a now a celebrity, a celebrity bride. She has new responsibilities, a new persona, if you will. Friends and family are looking up to her. Like a superstar, she is expected to have a smile as well as have time for them. They expect her not only to understand social etiquette, but want to her to practice it, all her married life. In short, they expect the celebrity bride to wed & write, beautifully.
A personal handwritten note from the bride is her first official foray into her new social life as a married women. She is expected to write gracious thank you notes; she is expected to get them in the mail promptly. Yet, here is the dilemna for the bride! When does she start writing thank you notes so as not to fall far behind? How should she avoid getting behind? Is there a writing method available to help her write a beautiful note in 3 minutes flat?
Write Right Away
As soon as the bride and groom receive their first wedding present, the bride should write a thank you within 24 hours. She needs to be disciplined. She needs to set aside a time, perhaps after dinner, and on Saturday mornings, to write her thank you notes.
The Dozen Note Rule
The bride should get the notes out promptly, and should never be more than 12 thank you notes behind! That is the Dozen Rule.
Keeping up with bridal thank you notes will help her avoid the avalanche after the Honeymoon. Who wants to return home to face the ultimate Mont Everest: a mountain of gifts, all requiring a special, handwritten thank you note? It makes sense to write as she goes. It will reduce her pre-nuptial stress. It will make a lasting impression on her friends and family. In fact, as a celebrity bride, she will show off a new style and grace, for she has mastered the hand written note, a note written from the heart, and in a timely fashion.
Brides, get Thee organized! The bride should set up a wedding present list, perhaps in a Microsoft Excel speadsheet. It should include the name of the giver, the present, with clear notes so she can truly describe the gift and how it may benefit her. A description of, "Bride and Groom" limoges box," will not due. There should also be a column indicating that when the notes was written and the date it was sent.
Thank you note envelopes should be hand addressed, and stamped. Prior to the wedding, they should be kept in a box. The bride's Mother or her best friend should mail the thank you notes after the ceremony. A bride cannot send out notes with her new last name before she is married. In fact, a bride cannot use her new initials in a monogram, or on any stationery, or anything wedding, until she is married.
A bride who has a very large wedding and is unavailable to write a thank you, in a timely manner, should send out what is known as a Gift Received Card. This card acknowledges the gift has been received and that a perosnal thank you will follow. It should be printed on a Crane card and read:
Mrs. James David Cunningham
has received your very kind gift
and will write you later of her appreciation.
Writing a beautiful bridal thank you note is a gift! Brides who want to be able to write a thank you note with ease in 3 minutes flat, should consider the Oreo Method of Writing. It using a simple writing acronym that helps the bride write a note from her heart. It helps the bride to avoid writer's block, and the many errors that she may make in composing a thank you note. It is a time saver, and a life saver for the busy bride of today.
The Oreo Method of Writing is explained in my book, The Write Stuff: A Modern Guide to Personal Stationery & Weddings. It can be purchased on the internet site: thewritestuffweddings.com
"Wed & Write Beautifully!" It is the new mantra for brides, celebrity brides, who want to come home to a new romantic life, a romantic home, not an avalanche of presents needing a thank you note.
