I celebrated my 29th birthday yesterday! Woohoo! This means, of course, that I now have to do that task which was pounded into my brain throughout my childhood, and I will now lovingly empart to you: "Don't forget to write your Thank You Notes!"
"No, I haven't written my thank you notes from my birthday party! My friends haven't even gone home yet!"
Different people have different rules about thank you notes: if you thank the person face to face you don't need to send a note; for big events you have a calendar year before the notes need to be sent - but let's be real, here. Differing viewpoints and opinions as to what make a woman a belle, and that's great, but there is one thing I cannot waver on. A Belle sends thank you notes. Whether or not you said "Thank you" in person is irrelevant, and an email or a text (please!) does NOT cut it. If someone was kind enough to give you a gift or do something for you, they are owed the respect of a hand written, personal, thank you note. For weddings, the newlyweds can often get informals (I just learned about these when I got married, and I am obsessed now - these are cards with the couple's name on them, or just his or hers) when they order the wedding invitations so they match. Inexpensive thank you notes can be bought pretty much anywhere, from high-end stationary stores to Target and Wal Mart. If someone thinks so much of you that they go out of their way to do something nice, just for you, why wouldn't you want to make them feel warm and fuzzy with a little note of thanks?
Some tips for writing the ideal thank you note:
- Include a detail about the gift in the note. This shows the recipient that the present (and the individual!) really means something to you.
- Tell the person how you plan to use it (for an item) or how much you enjoyed it (for a service performed, a party, or any other event).
- Send the note in a timely fashion. Some say the happy couple has one calendar year to send thank you notes out, but Emily Post says that a thank you for a wedding gift should be recieved within three months. I don't know about you, but I would have lost my list of who gave what if i waited a year before I started sending anything out.
- Some Thank You's call for more than just a card. It's customary, for example, to give a small gift to the host/hostess of a party that is thrown in your honor, for a wedding party, or for pallbearers. One of my favorite Belles gave potpourri sachets and nice candles as hostess gifts for her bridal shower, another gave flasks to her wedding party and they were all engraved - such a cute idea!
Here's a copy of the note I'm sending today:
Dear Noel,
Thank you so much for my Wantful gift! I haven't been able to put the booklet down. I've decided to get the hanging planter, but it was not an easy choice! It's going to look great when I get some flowers planted in it for the balcony. It means so much that you thought of me on my birthday, thanks again! I can't wait to see you when you're back in town.
Love,
Charity
Pretty simple, and it means so much. I need to get the others finished up - but first I'll leave you with two sites for great stationary needs at a bargain price. Happy writing!
InvitationBox.com - beautiful Thank You notes, Casual cards, tons of monogramming (LOVE!!), and a great place to get really pretty printed, personalized invitations for showers, parties - whatever! sign up for their mailing list to get great deals every week.
Zazzle.com - Cute stationary and cards, plus personalized EVERYTHING. I used this site to get bags for my bridesmaids, plus cute stamps with engagement pictures on them! This is a good spot to find gifts to go with thank you notes, or gifts to use as way of saying Thanks.
