It's not that I wasn't grateful for my gifts. I guess I'm kind of a procrastinator. OK, that's a lie. I'm the Procrastinator. I'll formally claim my title--someday.
But I know wedding thank you's are something I can not put off. I know that I get anxious when I don't hear back from a bride within a month or two of the wedding. I often wonder, "Did they get their gifts? Did they hate them? Were they kidnapped by giant monkeys in top hats while on the honeymoon?" Legitimate stuff.
I'm also worried about being seen as the bride who snubs if I put it off for too long. Two years ago, my family went to a wedding for my mother's friend's daughter. Yeah, say that three times fast. We gave the couple a card and cash and never received a thank you note. My mother was worried we didn't give enough money and the couple felt snubbed or that someone stole the card. I'm going to say that maybe the bride wasn't exactly versed in the laws of etiquette and didn't send out Thank You notes. Any way you slice it, we don't exactly have a flattering view of that couple anymore.
So, in an effort to minimize the number of guests who find me an uncouth, I have set some simple ground rules for myself as our wedding guests come trickling in:
1.) Write a Thank You note as soon as I receive a gift.
2.) Do not use aforementioned gift (or cash any checks) until two day after the note has been mailed to allow it to reach the generous party.
So far, it's been working out pretty well. I have my first batch of notes--for my shower and the first round of wedding gifts--going out tomorrow and I have not used any gift yet even though I'm itching to. Hopefully, I'll be able to keep this up after the wedding as well.
How did you make sure all of your notes got out in a timely manner?
