In this exciting wedding season, I have found myself with many, many people I am grateful for. I have felt truly loved and blessed by my friends and family, and this tiny guide is simply the way I was able to express it, and I hope that it helps you write a thank you note or two yourself.
Recently, friends of my mother hosted a bridal shower for me. It was overwhelmingly beautiful. There were fresh flowers, delicious food, and most importantly, supportive and loving friends and family. At this shower, I was absolutely lavished with love and of course, I needed to write thank you notes to our sweet guests who made me feel so special and so cared for.
This guide stems from my experience of writing these thank you notes over the course of a week.
The first thing I think of when I think thank you notes is the actual stationary. I am a huge lover of stationary, and I was super excited to make my thank you note stationary on Canva (a fabulous design website that is spectacularly easy to use- even I can do it!). I used the card template, and 50 cards were only about $27 (which is significantly cheaper than the personalized stationary I looked at on Etsy).
What I love most about these thank you notes (besides the personalized design) is that this little thank you note isn’t a typical greeting card, it’s a post card. I will often fill the space that is allowed to me when I am writing a note and a post card limits me so that I cannot ramble on and on. Brevity is the name of the game when writing thank you notes.
To write my notes, I used Sharpie pens, and I have linked them here. I think these pens are great because they didn’t smudge and they didn’t bleed through a single card (I am a super hard-writer; they were not at all too inky for me).
Before I share with you the formula that I used to write my thank you notes, I want to remind you of something that I needed to be reminded of when I started writing these small messages: Your gratitude is no less heartfelt or genuine because you used a formula to write your thank you note. All that using a formula means is that you’re sensible, and that you want to get your notes sent out before the end times.
So, without further ado, here is my formula for writing the perfect thank you note:
1. Greeting: Dear Martin Family,
The hardest part (getting started) is also the easiest part (the greeting). The best way to write your greeting is to use the name the gifter signed their card with. By using the name in the card, you will never get the spelling wrong and you are showing gratitude to everyone who needs to be thanked.
- Dear Aunt Suby,
- Dear Mrs. McGuire,
- Dear Katie & Sarah,
- Dear Miller Family,
I had a stack of the cards from friends and family next to me, and I went through them one by one. It also gave me a chance to take my time to read the cards, which I felt too rushed to do when I was opening gifts in front of all our loved ones at the shower.
2. Just say thank you!
And be specific! People want to make sure that you got every part of their gift, especially if they ordered the gift online. It may seem tedious to list out every kitchen utensil or piece of glassware, but you know what is necessary.
Use this first sentence as a meditation in gratitude. It is also a nice way to make thoughtful connections between your home and the people who are helping you to build it. I can’t look at my cereal bowls without thinking of my sweet cousin who got them for me.
- Thank you so much for the beautiful pitcher and goblets!
- Thank you so much for the Air Fryer!
- Thank you so much for the mixer!
(I know that I use a lot of exclamation points. I will not apologize!)
3. Tell us what you are going to do with the gift.
Yet another place to be specific. What’s the best recipe you have tried with that Air Fryer? If you haven’t had a chance to use their gift yet, what do you plan to do with their present? If neither of these questions can be answered, tell them where you put the gift in your home, or just how much you love it.
- The candlesticks are on the mantle, where everyone who comes into our home can see them.
- We use the Air Fryer all the time! Our favorite thing to make in it so far has been chicken wings.
- The beautiful bowl and tongs have inspired us to eat more salads!
- The pitcher and goblets are perfect for sangria- we are so excited to use them for a summer party!
If someone gifts you money, tell them what you’re planning on using the money for.
- We can’t wait to take a trip to New Zealand with the money.
- We have had our eye on that new piece of furniture for ages.
- This appliance has really needed updating!
4. Express a deeper gratitude!
Gift giving is bigger than the physical object that you receive; it’s the time and energy spent thinking of you and your next life chapter. Truly, gift giving is an expression of love and that love deserves to be acknowledged and appreciated.
- We are so grateful that you are celebrating this exciting wedding season with us.
- Our hearts are full of gratitude for the time you spent thinking of us.
- We are so appreciative of the love you have shown for us as we begin our journey together.
5. Just say thank you again.
It’s simple, and it really is the best way to conclude your thank you note.
- Thank you again for coming to the shower and thank you for the wonderful gift.
- Thank you for thinking of us and thank you for the beautiful gift.
- Thank you for the fantastic gift! We are so blessed to know you!
- Thank you for the generous gift! We are so lucky that we get to call you family!
6. Closing: With love,
I use “With love,” exclusively but you can choose the closing that works best for you, like “Sincerely,” or “With gratitude.” For the gifts from the bridal shower, I signed the cards “Em & Jeff” because these gifts are truly for the both of us.
And that is how I write my thank you notes! Below, you will find a few more tips:
- Send them when you can! Sooner is better than later and later is better than never, but for these sort of notes anytime between when you received the gift and a month is great.
- Don’t ramble! It’s a simple thank you, and it doesn’t need to be more complicated than a few sentences.
- Hand-write your notes! In the digital age, a handwritten note shows thoughtfulness and care; it takes a special effort to mail a letter.
- Don’t be afraid to splurge on postage! Stamps can be a little pricey, but this small detail adds a lot to your special notes. You can find the ones I used here.
- Be thoughtful. If you have to throw away the formula because your gratitude seems bigger than this outline, go for it! You know best who you are writing to and what the note requires.
Thank you for reading! Writing these thank you notes has definitely been a joyful practice, and I hope that you experience a happy thankfulness when you write your own notes.
In the comments below, tell me about the best gift that you ever received!
A Woman in Pursuit 
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