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Wedding Etiquette Forum
tthomas32290
member
Printing thank you notes instead of hand writing?
Would you consider it rude if you received a thank you card that was printed instead of being hand written? I have horribly embarrassing hand writing and have tried everything to improve it. If I did print them I of course would write a personal thank you to each person, not just print a hundred of the same message. And I would hand sign each one.
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Re: Printing thank you notes instead of hand writing?
May 2013 February Siggy: Invitations
[QUOTE]I will be the odd one out, not the first time. If it was a personal note and you signed it, I really wouldn't care. If it was generic and sent to everyone I would be greatly offended. Just not something I am gonna get my panties in a wad about.
Posted by kmmssg[/QUOTE]
I am going to have to agree with this.
As long as the note is personalized and thought out then printing them out isn't the complete end of the world.
I did, however, receive a generic thank you picture card from a couple once. It was a picture of them at their wedding with a line underneath saying something to the effect of "thank you for being a part of our special day". I was pissed! Not only did I take time out of my day to attend their wedding H and I also gave them a pretty generous gift. When people take the time to come to your wedding and give you a gift the least you could do is take 5 minutes and write a personal note.
[QUOTE]I will be the odd one out, not the first time. <strong> If it was a personal note and you signed it, I really wouldn't care. If it was generic and sent to everyone I would be greatly offended. </strong> Just not something I am gonna get my panties in a wad about.
Posted by kmmssg[/QUOTE]
I agree.
[QUOTE]I will be the odd one out, not the first time. If it was a personal note and you signed it, I really wouldn't care. If it was generic and sent to everyone I would be greatly offended. Just not something I am gonna get my panties in a wad about.
Posted by kmmssg[/QUOTE]
I would agree with this but also add to make sure it's really personalized. If I got one that was very obviously "Thank you for ____ gift. It made us so happy" I'd still be a little miffed because it would seem like very little effort. But if it was something like "Hey, thanks so much for ____. It reminds me of the time we ___. it was so fun to see you break it down to ___ song on the dance floor. We requested it specially for you as we know it was your favorite in college" I'd be ok with it.
I'd handwrite the notes rather than print them. Printing them takes away a note of personalization and adds a note of impersonality. The only excuse for not handwriting them would be if you had a medical condition that prevents you from writing.
[QUOTE]Hand-write them. The guest took the time out of their life to go shop, select a gift, pay their hard-earned money for it, wrap it, and attend your wedding. (Which, for some, may involve a day off work without pay). Write a few lines.
Posted by RetreadBride[/QUOTE]
<div>That is exactly why I am worried about my handwriting in the first place. I am so thankful for my guest's and everything they have done for us, that I want to present them with the nicest looking thank you card I can, and I'm worried my handwritting will take away from that. </div>
Example: Our cell phones got shut off because i wrote a check to "verizon wireless" and there bank denied if because they didn't think it was made out to verizon.
When getting my new license, i had to re sign my name 17 times for the system to take it.
So what we are doing is we ordered our cards from vistaprint so they come flat. I typed up a personal message for each card, and then we will print them.. then we will sign them and a couple i will add a little hand written note.
but i made sure our notes were very personalized. as in mentioning the gift, what we love about it, or what we used it for, and then a memory of the wedding. (thanks for being the only one to dance to footloose with me!) and then most i also ended with personal notes ( now that we have dishes, we can have you over for dinner one night after bowling, etc!)
i know typed notes aren't the best but id rather you know what im saying!!
[QUOTE]<strong>Even if it was personalized</strong>, I would <strong>assume they had been mail merged </strong>and all the notes took 15 minutes total.<strong> Even if you mentioned something specifically about me</strong>, I would assume that was Column E "Pers Interact'n." But, it would be slightly better than generic typed.
Posted by MoxieMickie[/QUOTE]<div>
</div><div>That is just looking for something to complain about.</div><div>
</div><div>I totally get where everyone is coming from and said up front that I would be the odd one out. I expect to be thanked PERSONALLY for the gift I gave at a wedding or shower. If that is done, I"m not going to look for something to pick apart.</div><div>
</div><div>It is interesting to read everyone's comments. I am preparing for this next Summer when DS graduates HS. He will personalize all of his notes but they will end up coming off the printer. He has Aspergers and the writing of a 1st grader. He has an accomodation in his IEP and uses a notebook furnished by the school for all of his work rather than handwriting everything. Each note will be personalized and specific but they will be from the printer and "signed" using his chicken scratch.
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[QUOTE]My handwriting is godawful. I've spent too many years on word processing equipment. You'd think I was illiterate if you saw my penmanship. I hand-write my TY notes, even if I have to write them over and over, and very slowly, to make them legible. The guest deserves it. TY notes don't have to be written, or mailed out, at once. Send them out within two weeks (and allow for mailing time). Divide up the number of notes you must write by the number of available days, and write that many per day. Space them out. Do some during lunch, while you're watching tv, etc. It needn't be a chore. Don't be lazy, unless you're injured, as someone was above, or disabled, and MUST use a typewriter. The guest didn't send you a photo of a gift. Did they?
Posted by RetreadBride[/QUOTE]<div>
</div><div><span style="color:#454545;font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:12px;line-height:normal;" class="Apple-style-span">"Don't be lazy" Are you serious? That is so rude and so offensive. If I were lazy I would just write them and not care how they look. This isn't about being lazy its about me wanting to give my guests a beautiful thank you card because I care about them and I'm so thankful for them. If anything it would take longer (and cost more) to type and print each thank you out one by one.
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[QUOTE]Sigh....here we go..... The etiquette rule about hand-writing thank-you notes is because it is PERSONAL. We type (although now it is more typically called "keying") BUSINESS correspondence and informal personal letters, not warm, intimate correspondence, such as thank-you notes or condolence letters. This is exactly why etiquette prohbits labels on wedding invitations. Yes, your handwriting may not be elegant, but it's personal, not manufactured. The guest took time out of their life to go shopping, select a gift, spend the money that they earned working at their job on it, wrap it and attend your wedding or shower. This might involve travel expenses, and perhaps a day off work without pay. They had to make a trip to the post office, stand in line, and pay additional shipping charges if they didn't bring the gift to a wedding or shower. The very least a lazy bride can do is park her behind at her desk and scribble a few lines. Dear Aunt Rose, Bill and I are so grateful for the beautiful silver spoon set you gave us for the wedding. It helps make our house a home, and we enjoyed seeing you at the reception last week. Love, Jill Doesn't take that long. Write slowly, and it will be readable, if not artistic.
Posted by RetreadBride[/QUOTE]
<div>I don't know why you keep referencing time and laziness. I never once said I was trying to save time. Your acting like i'm lazy and ungreatful. I dont care how long it takes me to write them all. I care about my guests and im greatful for everything they have done. I have been a guest at many weddings, and I know that a great deal of time and money goes into attending someones wedding. I understand your point about handwritting being more personal. What I don't understand is your need to be rude and offensive. </div>
My writing isnt the greatest and gets awful when I write for too long. You don't have to do them all at once. And your husband really should be helping you. it was his wedding to.
I would also say write them out as it is far more personal. Unless you have some sort of injury or medical condition, in which case typing is fine.