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There are lots of ways of showing appreciation but I'm all for thank you cards whenever someone goes out of their way for you.The small effort involved, creates something that can be kept and cherished as a gift in itself. Gifts in particular can often involve not just minutes but days or even weeks of thought - let alone the effort of shopping for just the right thing, the monetary cost, the care in wrapping and choosing a card, and finally the delivery. One of the loveliest memories I have is the joy on my children's faces when they received a thank-you card thanking them for their thank- you card sent for a Christmas gift they received. We still laugh about it now and joke about whether they should have sent back a thank-you card, for the thank-you card, for the thank-you card!

I was thinking about this and I think that one of the most important things to remember when writing wedding thank you cards, is to make sure that you mention the particular gift. Rather than just saying 'gift' – say, for example, “ beautiful 1,000 thread cotton sheets” - when thanking the person to whom you are writing. I've had thank you cards which made me think that the writer really had no idea what I had given them, they were so vague and general. Their card to me seemed to mean as little as my gift did to them - disrespectful and unappreciative when you have gone to a lot of trouble and/or expense to try to give them something they would love. I guess though, I'm as bad an anyone. Much as I try, I've had the same problem at family Christmas gatherings when I haven't been paying attention during gift giving and later can't recall who gave me what. I hate being so unappreciative. I've seen how people's faces light up when you tell them, even six month's later , how you've been enjoying their gift; you just can't do this if you not sure what the gift was. Back to wedding gift gripes… the recent practice of having bridesmaids open wedding gifts at the reception absolutely appals me - just so rude; it can only take away some of the pleasure for both the giver and the real recipients. In any case, wherever possible, gifts shouldn’t be brought to the weddin, but delivered to the bride’s home some time during the week before the event. Regardless, if you believe in the the sentiment of gift giving, then bride and groom should always open their gifts themselves (making sure that they have tape to attach cards). The bride should keep a notebook to give the the maid of honour at the wedding who should be at hand to record gift details and givers names. It's so useful to then be able to write in addresses and comments and tick off names when you have sent your thank you letter. It’s a lovely record to keep as well. I still have the gift notebook from my wedding (years ago) and it never fails to make me smile when I look at it. Taking any gift, I think of how I've used it, and the people who gave it. I guess that's probably why I hate giving money as a wedding gift – no sentiment involved – no story – it just gets swallowed up into fund for unknown purposes. On the other hand, I have a strange yellow glass bowl from a school friend whom I haven't seen for decades. Every time I use it, I always think of her and wonder how she is getting on. Then there’s the tiny glass vase from one of my ‘tighter’ friends; the gorgeous Edwardian chair from an extravagant one. I even have some jars from a fellow who later became PM of NZ. Gifts are more than just things, they talk to you with the voices of their givers.

I was thinking about this and I think that one of the most important things to remember when writing wedding thank you cards, is to make sure that you mention the particular gift. Rather than just saying 'gift' – say, for example, “ beautiful 1,000 thread cotton sheets” - when thanking the person to whom you are writing. I've had thank you cards which made me think that the writer really had no idea what I had given them, they were so vague and general. Their card to me seemed to mean as little as my gift did to them - disrespectful and unappreciative when you have gone to a lot of trouble and/or expense to try to give them something they would love. I guess though, I'm as bad an anyone. Much as I try, I've had the same problem at family Christmas gatherings when I haven't been paying attention during gift giving and later can't recall who gave me what. I hate being so unappreciative. I've seen how people's faces light up when you tell them, even six month's later , how you've been enjoying their gift; you just can't do this if you not sure what the gift was. Back to wedding gift gripes… the recent practice of having bridesmaids open wedding gifts at the reception absolutely appals me - just so rude; it can only take away some of the pleasure for both the giver and the real recipients. In any case, wherever possible, gifts shouldn’t be brought to the weddin, but delivered to the bride’s home some time during the week before the event. Regardless, if you believe in the the sentiment of gift giving, then bride and groom should always open their gifts themselves (making sure that they have tape to attach cards). The bride should keep a notebook to give the the maid of honour at the wedding who should be at hand to record gift details and givers names. It's so useful to then be able to write in addresses and comments and tick off names when you have sent your thank you letter. It’s a lovely record to keep as well. I still have the gift notebook from my wedding (years ago) and it never fails to make me smile when I look at it. Taking any gift, I think of how I've used it, and the people who gave it. I guess that's probably why I hate giving money as a wedding gift – no sentiment involved – no story – it just gets swallowed up into fund for unknown purposes. On the other hand, I have a strange yellow glass bowl from a school friend whom I haven't seen for decades. Every time I use it, I always think of her and wonder how she is getting on. Then there’s the tiny glass vase from one of my ‘tighter’ friends; the gorgeous Edwardian chair from an extravagant one. I even have some jars from a fellow who later became PM of NZ. Gifts are more than just things, they talk to you with the voices of their givers.

Yo, just gotta give a shoutout to this post on wedding thank-you cards. It's a real lifesaver, man! Navigating that whole 'gratitude with style' thing can be tricky, but this article breaks it down smooth and easy. Mad props for the tips, Chelsey!