One of the lessons I learnt when getting married was the importance of delegation. On your wedding day, you can't very well roll up your sleeves and cook your reception dinner, or take selfies while reciting your vows.

Yes, plenty of the people you are delegating to are being paid for their help, but what about the volunteers? The Mother in Law who picks up the flowers from the florist and drops them off to the bridal party. The friend who stacks the chairs away after the ceremony to clear space for the dance floor. The friend who calmed your nerves, carried your bouquet and fended off the weird relatives you didn't really want to invite.

The art of the thank you note is being lost, which is sad in some ways, but in others it's a bonus. Why?

When you write a thank you note now, you're typically doing it because you WANT to, not because society is forcing you to. So the act of sending, and receiving a thank you card is a whole lot more genuine than it once was.

The other positive, is that because we are receiving less of them, the thank you notes we do get are all the more impactful and appreciated. Lordy, any physical mail we get that's not a bill is a surprise these days!

So, if I've convinced you not to forgo a thank you and you're ready to tick this off your post-wedding admin list... what are your options?

Well good news, there's a few.

Saying thank you with a gift

For your bridesmaids, your parents and any friends who spent a substantial amount of time contributing to your big day, you may wish to give them a small gift accompanied by your thank you note. I love the personalised wine labels for this - it's a fun way of adding personality, showing you've put some thought in, and a memento that your giftee can keep if they choose to.

Our labels come in a variety of sizes, so if cider, beer or spirits are more their thing, you can get something that suits! We can also customise the text, so if you want to add your thank you message right on your wine labels - no problem at all! You can find more gift ideas at our Comprehensive Gift Guide.

Sharing your wedding photos

It's not often you hire a professional photographer, so how about sharing your wedding photos somewhere other than Facebook?! There are lots of options, whether you want to share a heap of photos or just one. I personally love when couples share their group shots in their thank you cards!

Wedding thank you cards are typically sent out up to a year after your wedding to all guests and anyone who gave you a wedding gift, so some couples opt to pre-print a thank you message on them.

For an extra-special thanks, a printed wedding photo can be a special gift indeed. It's likely your new inlaws or your parents contributed a great deal to the wedding (financially and emotionally!). A collage of photos from the wedding, or one of our celebration prints can be a lovely way of thanking your parents for all of their support.

Personal Thank you notes

Getting your wedding photos printed on a card is all well and good, but if you want to share your gratitude prior to getting these photos (like, on your wedding day!) then we have some lovely cards for this sort of situation too.

Thank yous come in all shapes and sizes, so just pick the one that sits nicely with you! All our stationery is designed and printed in New Zealand, and is accompanied by NZ made envelopes (yep, even the 'basic' envelope option). Check out more options for thank you cards from Be My Guest Design below: