Giving thanks Tips for writing heartfelt, unique thank you notes
By Amanda Koehn
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s the big day becomes a memory marked, in part, by those who celebrated with you, it’s time to articulate your thanks for their role in making it special. While writing thank you notes may get a bad rap as a tedious task to complete in the post-party haze, it doesn’t have to be a chore. In fact, it’s an opportunity to lean into your love for those close to you and show them appreciation for the meaningful gifts they selected. While there are many ways to go about giving thanks, Amy Wain, owner and designer at The A.L. Wain Company in Beachwood, which creates stationery, invitations, thank you notes and other custom products, says there are simple ways to make it personal, stress free and a true Wain exercise in gratitude.
ALWAYS SEND THANK YOU NOTES. For anyone who received a celebratory gift, it’s appropriate to send personalized and mailed thank you notes to the givers. They should not be emailed or sent via other electronic methods, Wain says. And they should not be generic, but specific to each gift giver.
ALWAYS PERSONALIZE. When writing your notes, make sure to name all the gift givers, checking all the names listed on the card and their spellings carefully. “If you are going to take the time to write a thank you note, definitely personalize it with the type of gift somebody sent you, or something about you personally, or that you enjoyed celebrating with them,” Wain says. “... So, instead of saying thank you for the generous gift, you should say, thank you so much for the Israel bond or the Crockpot or whatever the (gift) was. And make sure you are acknowledging them personally.” She says while celebrants can create some formula for the structure of the letters so each blank page isn’t as daunting, there should be unique sentiments for each note regarding the gift giver and their presence at the celebration. For those who could not attend but sent a gift, the letters should thank them specifically for what they gave and say they were missed the day of the celebration.
HANDWRITTEN IS BEST – IF LEGIBLE. While handwritten notes are considered the gold standard, Wain says there’s one exception: if someone’s handwriting is completely incomprehensible. “What I sometimes suggest is to get a folded note card and type up the message and print it on the nice card, rather than just sending an email,” she says.
66 Celebrations SPRING 2022
Amy Wain
