Don't be one of those brides who think that just because she is getting married, people should shower her with gifts and not expect anything in return. Show your gratitude by sending out a thank you card. It's a great way to show your appreciation for the gift they gave as well as the thoughtfulness of their generosity. Not only should you send a thank you note for the gifts, but you should also send a thank you to all those who helped or participated in your wedding.

Thank you cards should be hand-written. Companies do sell thank you notes with pre-printed messages inside, but this does not make it socially acceptable. While hand-written thank you notes require extra time, it is more polite to personalize your note in your own handwriting rather than have it printed once for all. The recipients will appreciate the time you took to write them out. You should include a line or two referring to the gift and thanking them for attending the wedding. If they were unable to attend the wedding, you can mention that you were sorry they were unable to attend and thank them for their thoughtful gift.

Send a thank you note for all gifts, even those gifts you do not particularly like. Remember, it's the thought that counts. Treat monetary gifts as you would other gifts. Don't mention the amount given, instead let them know what you intend to use the money toward. For example, if you were given a $50 gift card from Home Depot, you can mention in the thank you that you plan to use the gift card to purchase new area rug for the living room in your new home.

If you received a gift from a group of people (less than 10), you should send a card to each person who contributed to the gift. If the gift was given by a large group, such as an office or club, post a thank you card in a visible location. Be sure to personally thank the contributors individually when you see them.

Don't forget to send thank you cards to the people who helped you plan your wedding. This includes your maid/matron of honor, bridesmaids, groomsmen, parents, the officiant, and anyone who was instrumental in helping your event run smoothly.

Thank you notes should be sent in a timely manner. As soon as gifts start arriving, you need to send out a thank you note. Your promptness shows more appreciation and better manners, and it reassures guests that their gift was not lost or stolen. For those gifts brought to the wedding and thank you notes to those who helped in the wedding planning, should be issued within two months of the wedding date.

If someone sends you multiple gifts for different events (shower and wedding) regardless of how close in time those events may be, you need to send that person a card for each gift. Don't take the cheap way out and send one thank you for both gifts.

Make your first impression as husband and wife a good one by sending timely, hand-written thank you notes to all those friends and family who thought enough of you to buy a gift or help plan your special day.

Your wedding invitations are out and the wedding gifts begin to arrive. It's time to begin the monumental task of writing thank you notes. Do not think you have to wait until after the wedding to get started. You can jump right in, writing and mailing thank you cards as the gifts arrive. If you plan to use informal notes with your married names on the front, however, these should not be sent before the wedding. Instead, use notes with the bride's name only or just your first names. If you still want to use informal notes personalized with your married names, you can write and address the thank you notes as you receive gifts and have a friend or family member mail them for you the day after your wedding.

To make the process easier, follow these general guidelines for writing thank you notes. The first sentence should thank the giver for the wonderful gift. The second and/or third sentence should mention how you plan to use it. If it is money, briefly tell them what you plan to use it toward. For example, if you are spending it on something special or putting it into a savings account for a home. The fourth sentence should say that you are looking forward to seeing them at the wedding, how thrilled you were that they joined in the celebration or how sorry you are that they can/could not make it. You can end your thank you note several ways depending on the type of stationery used. If it is before the wedding and the bride's maiden name or monogram is used on the informal card, you could say "the groom's name joins me in thank you and sending our love," best, etc. with the bride's name on the signature line. This format can also be used after the wedding if only the bride's married name or monogram appears on the notes. If you plan to use stationery with your married names or joint monogram, say something like this "again thank you for your generosity," etc., with both names appearing on the signature line.

If you ordered your wedding invitations from The American Wedding, we offer thank you notes and informal cards that match your invitations that you can use to write your thank you notes. Or you can always send a nice piece of personalized stationery.