Etiquette requires that all wedding gifts you receive should be acknowledged within three months after the wedding. The way you choose to do it may create as lasting an impression as your wedding gown or your reception. It will also reflect on you as a couple.

There are several ways of expressing your thanks. A friendly informal note, expressing thanks for the specific gift and recalling a happy incident between the couple and giver wraps up a “thank you” nicely. It is signed by the bride who mentions the groom’s name in the note.

Certain to bring smiles to the face of the receiver is a happy “thank-you” note signed by the groom saying he and the bride wanted to divide things fairly. “We both think your gift” is great.

Note writing may be time consuming and expensive, but it sets the tone of future relationships. Do it as soon as you possibly can!

To avoid having to write so many notes after you are married, we suggest that when you order your invitations you also order informals with your married name or monogram. When your wedding gifts begin arriving, you can write your thank-you notes and either postdate them using your new informals or use your personal stationery. The postdated ones, of course, would not be sent until after the wedding day. By using this consistent method, your list will never seem too overwhelming.

To keep organized, you can use the same master list of names and addresses prepared for your invitations. The most important thing is to make each person feel that your home would not be complete without the gift that person sent.