What to Write on a

Wedding Gift

Weddings are so much fun! It’s a time to get dressed up and have a great time with friends, family and loved ones to celebrate the happy couple. It’s also the perfect time to let the terrific twosome know just how much they mean to you. Whether you choose a gift from their registry or find something yourself that’s just so them you know they’ll love it, words of encouragement and love add an even more thoughtful finishing touch to your present. Fortunately, there’s no one-size-fits-all way to write a wedding-gift card, so you have plenty of options when it comes to creating your own distinctive message. Here are a few great ideas to get you started.

Gifts Sent Before the Wedding

In case you were wondering, it’s perfectly acceptable to send your gift along before the wedding takes place. If that’s what you’re planning, it’s a fun idea to include some words in your card about how much you’re looking forward to the big day. You can also incorporate a short retelling of one of your favorite memories of the couple together – maybe you were there for the proposal and are still awestruck over how moving it was. It’s a fun idea to let the couple know how much you care and how happy it makes you that they’re welcoming you as part of their journey to married life.

Gifts Sent After the Wedding

Sometimes you find that just-right gift after the wedding has passed – and that’s great! In this case, it’s a fun idea for your card’s message to blend in a little reminiscing about the big day. You can add your own retelling of an element of the event that really resonated with you, or share how much you appreciate being part of the wedding celebrations. This gives the duo a chance to relive some of the excitement, too.

Hung up on some of the smaller details of sending a card? When sending your gift after the wedding, you can write your card to the couple using their married names (if they’ve decided to change them) or if you’re not sure, you can always address it to each of them using their first and last names as they were before the wedding – this is an especially good idea if you decide to send a check. Perhaps the couple eloped and sent out an announcement afterward; if that’s the case, you can use this as your guide for the way you address them on your gift. If you’re unsure, checking social media is a great way to get some assistance, as is asking a mutual friend or family member. But no matter how you refer to the pair, your congratulatory message and wishes for happiness are sure to delight them.

Gifts to Family Members and Close Friends

Sending your gift to someone you’re particularly close to, such as a family member or a lifelong friend? Don’t be afraid to let loose and get a little sentimental! Feel free to use the couple’s first names alone if you feel comfortable doing so, or opt to call them a combination of “Mr.” and “Mrs.” based on their genders – it’s fun and charming for close family members to address the freshly married couple by their new names.

When it comes to the inside of the card, it’s a great idea to tailor your message based on how close you are to the couple. For example, when you’re addressing a card to a sibling and his or her new spouse, you can talk about how glad you are to be welcoming another loved on into the family and how proud you are of your sibling for finding such a loving partner. If the family member in question is a distant cousin you don’t see too often, you can still say something to the effect of “welcome to the family” while also keeping it short and sweet. For close friends, you’re welcome to get a little mushy in your note if you want to. There’s no reason not to get sentimental here, especially if either or both people in the couple are very important in your life. You might want to go into more detail than the standard “wishing you well” message, but don’t feel pressure to pour out your feelings if you’re generally more reserved.

A Few General Tips

If you aren’t sure whether the couple is going to change their names or not after the wedding and won’t know before you send the gift, it’s totally fine to address the card to their pre-marriage names. No matter how you address the card, the most valuable part is your genuine, cheerful sentiment and good wishes. And, remember to sign your name on the card! You want to make sure the couple knows who sent the gift – they may relish rereading your card in the years to come.