Wedding thank-you card wording

How to use it

A thank-you card only needs a few honest sentences, but writing the fortieth one is hard. This tool gives you a first draft for each guest in seconds, so your evenings go on the cards themselves. Type who it's from and what they gave, pick a tone, and the note is ready to copy or change.

1. Sort the gifts first. Make a list of who gave what as the cards are opened, before you forget.
2. Write a few a night. Add each note to your list as you go, and tick Written when it's on the card.
3. Make it yours. Change a word or two in the note. A specific detail beats a perfect sentence.
4. Print and post. Print your notes to copy from, and tick Sent as the envelopes go.

How the wording is built

Every note follows the shape etiquette guides agree on. It opens with their name, thanks them for the gift by name, says how you'll use it, mentions them being there (or being missed), and closes warmly. Leave “What will you use it for?” blank and the note says something kind about the gift instead. A specific detail you add, such as the pancakes you'll make with the mixer, does more than any perfect sentence.

Money is never named. For cash, a check or a contribution to your honeymoon or house fund, the note calls it a generous gift and says what you're putting it towards. A gift card names the shop if you type it. Something handmade or an experience gets wording that thanks them for the time and thought.

Warm reads like a letter from friends, Formal suits a grandparent, a boss or your parents' friends, and Short is two sentences for a busy week. Each tone has four wordings: Another wording steps through them, so two guests sitting at the same table don't compare identical cards. A group gift is thanked as “all of you”, and Bridal shower thanks them for coming to the shower, not the wedding.

Once a note is on screen it's yours to edit. Your changes stay until you press Undo my edits, and a note keeps them when you add it to your list. The list ticks each card off as Written and then Sent, and Print my notes gives you a sheet to copy from at the table.

Keeping track of every card

The list is kept in this browser, so it's still here when you come back on the same device, and nothing is sent anywhere until you choose to keep it. Clearing your browser's data clears the list too. When you create a free account, your notes go with you and wait with your wedding. With Complete they become your Gift & Thank-You log, with what each guest gave, whether the card is written and sent, and envelopes printed from your guest list's addresses. See pricing for what Complete adds.

Still collecting addresses? The guest list template keeps every household's address in one place, and how to collect wedding addresses covers the quickest ways to get them. For the timing, from shower gifts to cards sent months later, read when to send wedding thank-you cards. For examples gift by gift, read wedding thank-you card wording.

Questions couples ask

What should a wedding thank-you card say?

Four things: thank them by name for the gift, say how you'll use it, mention them being there (or being missed), and close warmly. Two or three sentences is plenty.

Do you mention the amount of a cash gift?

No. Call it a generous gift and say what you're putting it towards: the honeymoon, a sofa, the house fund.

How do I thank a group for one gift?

One card to the group is fine for coworkers or a club. Address it to everyone, and if one person organised it, add a line for them.

Can I use this for bridal shower thank-you cards?

Yes. Choose Bridal shower and the note thanks them for coming to the shower, not the wedding.

Is my list saved?

In this browser, until you clear it. Keep it in a free account to have it anywhere.

Want the rest of the toolkit? Browse the free wedding planning tools.