Wedding thank-you card wording: examples for every gift

A wedding thank-you card doesn't need to be long or clever. It needs to name the gift, say what it means to you, and sound like the two of you wrote it. Below is the shape every good note follows, then wording you can borrow for each kind of gift, for guests who couldn't come, for the bridal shower and for the people who helped. Change a word or two in each one, and add one specific detail: that does more than any perfect sentence.

If you'd rather start from a draft, the free thank-you wording tool writes a note from who it's from and what they gave, in a warm, formal or short tone.

The four-part note

Almost every thank-you note that reads well has the same four parts, in this order:

1. Thank them for the gift, by name. "Thank you for the beautiful serving bowl," not "thank you for the gift."
2. Say how you'll use it, or what it means to you. "It's already on the table every Sunday."
3. Mention them being there, or being missed. "It meant so much to see you on the dance floor."
4. Close warmly. "We hope to see you soon," then your sign-off and your names.

Two or three sentences covers all four. Here's what that looks like:

Dear Aunt Marguerite,

Thank you so much for the beautiful serving bowl. It's already had its first outing at Sunday lunch, and it's the first thing anyone comments on. It meant the world to have you with us on the day, and we loved seeing you dance.

With love, Avery & Riley

Wording by gift

Cash or a check

Never name the amount. Call it a generous gift and say what you're putting it towards: the honeymoon, a sofa, the house fund. If you haven't decided yet, say it will help you start your life together.

Thank you so much for your generous gift. We're putting it towards our first sofa, so you'll have somewhere comfortable to sit when you visit. It meant so much to have you there.

Formal, for a grandparent or a boss:

Thank you for your very generous gift. We are putting it towards our new home, and we are truly grateful for your kindness and for joining us on our wedding day.

Write a cash gift note

A gift card

Name the shop, and say what you'll buy with it if you know.

Thank you for the gift card to Larkspur Books. We've already made a list, and the first book will be a cookbook for our new kitchen. Thank you for celebrating with us.

Write a gift card note

A registry gift

Name the item, never just "the gift from our registry," and give a picture of it in use.

Thank you for the stand mixer! We made our first loaf of bread with it last weekend, and it was gone by dinner. It was so lovely to have you with us.

Write a registry gift note

Something off the registry

A gift they chose themselves deserves a line about the thought behind it.

Thank you for the framed print of the lake. It's exactly the view from where we got engaged, and we can't believe you remembered. It's hanging in the hall where we see it every morning.

Something handmade

Thank them for the time as well as the thing.

Thank you for the quilt. We know how many evenings went into it, and it's already on our bed. We'll keep it forever.

Write a handmade gift note

An experience or a honeymoon fund

Say what you did with it, or what you're looking forward to.

Thank you for the sunset sail. It was the best evening of our honeymoon, and we have a hundred photos to prove it. Thank you for thinking of something so us.

Thank you for your gift to our honeymoon fund. It paid for our first dinner in Lisbon, and we raised a glass to you.

Write an experience note · Write a honeymoon fund note

A group gift

One card to the group is fine for coworkers, a team or a club. Address it to everyone and thank them as "all of you." If one person organized it, add a line for them, or send them a short note of their own.

Dear everyone at Larkfield Studio,

Thank you all for the gorgeous set of glasses. We've already used them to toast all of you. Tomas, thank you for organizing it, and for keeping it a surprise.

When a couple or a family gives one gift, one card to all of them is right. When two people give two gifts, they get two cards.

When they couldn't come

Thank them for the gift, and say they were missed, without making them feel guilty for not being there.

Thank you for the lovely salad bowls. We missed you on the day and thought of you during the toasts. We'd love to have you over to use them soon.

Bridal shower thank-you wording

Shower notes thank them for coming to the shower as well as for the gift, and they go out sooner (within two weeks). If a shower guest also gives a wedding gift, that's a second card.

Thank you for the cast-iron pan, and for coming to my shower. It was so special to have everyone I love in one room. I can't wait to see you at the wedding.

A shower card is often from the bride alone, so it's signed with one name.

For the wedding party, parents and vendors

These people gave time rather than, or as well as, a gift, so the note thanks them for what they did.

• The wedding party: name one thing each person did. "Thank you for standing beside me, for the speech that made my grandmother cry, and for finding the safety pins at the very last minute."
• Parents: this is the note to take your time over. Thank them for their help and their support, and if they paid for part of the wedding, say what it meant without naming an amount.
• Vendors: a short card or email to a photographer, florist or coordinator who went beyond the contract is always welcome, and a review is the thank-you most vendors value most.

Signing it

Sign with both your names, whoever wrote the card. Either name can go first; many couples put the name of the person who knows the guest best first, so "Riley & Avery" on cards to Riley's family. Choose a sign-off that fits the guest:

• Love or With love for family and close friends.
• Warmly or Fondly for friends of your parents and people you know less well.
• With gratitude or Kind regards for a boss or a formal relationship.

Writing in your married name is fine once you're married, and either name is fine before.

Mistakes to skip

• Naming the amount of a cash gift. "Your generous gift" is all you need.
• "Thanks for the gift." If the note could go to anyone, it reads like a form letter. Name the gift.
• One note for a couple when two gave. If two friends each brought a gift, each gets a card.
• Waiting until the cards are perfect. A warm note sent in March beats a beautiful one sent in July. Our guide to when to send wedding thank-you cards covers the timing, and what to write when you're late.
• Losing track of who gave what. Write each gift down as it's opened, before you forget.

Keeping track of every card

The free thank-you wording tool keeps a list of the notes you've written in your browser, with Written and Sent to tick off, and prints your notes to copy from at the table. To write the envelopes, you'll need everyone's address: the guest list template keeps them in one place.

In Linenfold, the Gift & Thank-You log (with Complete) holds every gift with who gave it, its thank-you status and the note you wrote, and prints the envelopes and labels from your guest list's addresses. Keep your list from the tool and it comes with you into your account. Create a free account to start, and see pricing for what Complete adds.