Do You Send Thank You Cards To All Wedding Guests?

If you are getting married, you may already be wondering whether it is completely necessary to write all those thank you cards for your guests. I mean, let’s be honest, they can be pretty time-consuming to write, especially if you have invited 200 people to attend your wedding. Not to mention the cost! So, who should receive a thank you card, and when it is necessary to get them out by? Let’s find out!

So, do you send thank you cards to all wedding guests? It is strongly recommended to send thank you cards to all wedding guests. At its very core, this tradition is just basic manners. People take out a lot of their own time and money to come and support you on your big day. A simple thank you card is a lovely way to let them know how much you appreciate them being there and your gratitude for any gifts or cash gifts they may have given to you and your partner on or before your big day.

If you’re still a little confused about the details of thank you card giving and what it entails, keep reading to find out everything you need to know as I break down the proper etiquette of wedding thank you cards.

Still need to buy your wedding thank you cards? This is where you should get them!

Who Do You Send Thank You Cards To?

When you sit down for the thank you card writing task, you may be wondering if every wedding guest should receive a card.

Perhaps you may even be wondering if there are guests who didn’t attend your wedding but still need to be sent a thank you card.

Family

Loved ones always deserve to receive a thank you card.

Especially those that have given you and your partner a gift or have traveled a long distance to spend the day with you as you celebrate your new marriage.

Depending on your relationship with your immediate family, you may be able to get away with not writing your parents or siblings a thank you note, but it’s better to err on the side of caution here and write them anyway.

Bridal Party

Anyone in the bridal party deserved a card. Besides, they’ve gone the extra mile to ensure you and your partner have the best day.

So maid of honor(s), bridesmaids, the best man, groomsmen, etc. They all should get one.

Friends

Put simply, everyone, including your friends who attended your wedding, should receive a thank you card.

Whether they have got you a gift or not, only attended your ceremony, or just the wedding reception, or just popped in for a quick congratulation as they hadn’t much time.

They have taken the time to spend this fabulous day with you and your partner, and they should receive a thank you.

Guests Who Didn’t Attend

Now, we know all attending guests should receive a thank you card, but what about guests who didn’t attend your wedding?

In most circumstances, you won’t be expected to send a thank you card to guests who choose not to attend your wedding.

However, if these guests decided to still send you a wedding gift even though they couldn’t be there in person. This is where non-attending guests should receive a thank you card.

Read more: Wedding Thank You Card Wording For Someone Who Didn’t Attend

Do You Have To Send Thank You Cards After A Wedding?

You don’t have to send thank you cards after a wedding, but it would likely be a big mistake if you didn’t. However, some other timing etiquette rules may have you sending thank you cards out before your wedding day has even arrived.

If you receive wedding gifts before your big day, it’s usually proper to send a thank you card within two weeks of receiving your wedding gift.

For all other gifts that are received during the wedding day itself, these thank you cards can be sent out at the same time as all your other thank you notes.

Now it’s not a massive deal if you send out your thank you cards late but try to aim for no later than 3 months after your wedding day to have all of your thank you cards sent away to their recipients.

Is It Rude Not To Send Thank You Cards After A Wedding?

In short, it can be seen as very rude not to send some sort of thank you to your guests and gift-givers after your wedding.

Sending thank you cards is a way of showing your gratitude to your guests for their attendance at your wedding or for any gifts they may have sent you.

It may be a time-consuming activity, but it’s definitely not one you want to skip just to save on time and effort.

Although thank you notes and cards have fallen out of favor with a lot of events, they are still generally expected when it comes to a wedding, and you can upset a lot of guests if they don’t receive one.

Especially guests of older generations.

Even if you have verbally thanked your guests, either at the wedding itself or if you have called after the day, it’s still polite to send a thank you card.

When Should Thank You Cards Be Sent Out After A Wedding?

All thank you cards should really be sent out within the first three months after your wedding.

There may be certain deviations in this timeline, however.

For example, if you have gone for a 6-month trawl around the world as a honeymoon, your thank you cards may end up arriving a little later than the expected 3 months post-wedding, but this is also where good planning comes in.

Generally, it’s expected that for all gifts received on the wedding day and to thank guests for attending, all of your wedding thank you cards should be received by your guests within 3 months of your wedding day.

If you receive gifts before the big day, you should have these thank you cards sent out within 1-2 weeks of receiving the gift.

Writing all those thank you cards can be time-consuming, so you may need to rope in a couple of friends or family members to help get them done in good time.

Especially if you invited a lot of people to your wedding.

Best Wedding Thank You Cards To Send To Your Wedding Guests

When deciding on the kind of thank you card you want to send out to your guests, you will want to consider whether you want them to match your wedding theme and colors and how many you actually need.

Online card creation services like Minted can help to make the decision and the entire process so much easier.

This amazing platform helps you connect with independent artists who have already been proven to produce incredibly high-quality work.

Here is why I swear by ordering from Minted.

You can:

Get unlimited proofs with your own dedicated designer before you proceed,
Choose from countless unique designs, all sourced from a community of independent artists,
Ensure your cards are printed with the latest and most professional printing techniques,
Benefit from free recipient address printing and express shipping

If you head over to Minted, you’ll soon notice you are spoilt for choice.

You can go for a really personal photo option and include a wedding photo of you and your partner, like this beautifully ornate photo option that I think would really suit an autumn wedding.

Or perhaps you prefer a more minimalist approach and may prefer this beautifully sleek and simple option.

Things that you’ll want to keep in mind when deciding upon your perfect thank you card for your wedding guests are:

Whether you want one or two different card options. By having two card options, you can send one personalized for gift-givers and another for those who attended but didn’t give a wedding gift.
Whether you want a printed message or want to handwrite all of your thank you notes – handwritten notes always feel more personal but will take a lot more of your time.
Your budget – you may be limited to more simplistic card choices if you have a very small budget or have a lot of thank you cards to send out.

Are You Ready To Send Beautiful Thank You Cards?

Sending a thank you card to your guests after your wedding day is one tradition that is here to stay, and rightly so.

It’s only polite to send a thank you to each of your guests for attending your day and to those who didn’t attend but still took the time to send you a wedding gift.

Not only is it just good manners, but it makes each of your guests feel appreciated and a little bit special for you to have taken time out of your newly married life to let them know how grateful you are for them being a part of your special day.

And as I have said previously, if you are looking for a supplier – look no further than Minted.

Trust me, this is the dependable service you need.