Category Archives: Featured

Want a free lesson on engagement photo sessions? Just keep scrolling. I am totally loving these images from photographer Stevie Ramos and the couple is adorable and just so. in. love.

New Orleans is one of the most charismatic cities I can think of. The photos allow us to hear, smell, and see the essence of New Orleans and a lovely couple who seem to adore each other quite a bit is the icing on the engagement photo cake.

I love how the Spanish moss in the trees plays a part in the background of the photos. It really tells us about where they are. The wardrobe changes are just right: from casual to formal, we really get a feel for what this cute couple is all about! It’s also worth noting that they scheduled the session right: great light for day shots and romantic light for night shots. Some locations are better in the day and others are better at night. But Nawlins, boy oh boy… Nawlins is good at every hour.

Long time readers will know that I’m obsessed with dogs and including them in wedding-related events, so it’s no secret that I’m delighted to see the family pooch featured in this shoot. Dogs just make everything cuter.

Photos submitted via Two Bright Lights!

One of these things is not like the others:

*photos by Eight20 Photography, Mi Belle Photography, Jules Bianchi, Shira Weinberger, David Michael Photography, Beautiful Day Photography

Hmmm, let’s see if we can figure out which one. Okay, we have a wedding couple having fun in, let’s count ’em, one, two, three, four, five, six photos and, oh yes, an exhausted woman working away at thank you notes after her wedding has come and gone.

I think it’s pretty easy to see which one is not like the others. And my guess is that you’d rather be “the others” than “that one.” Most brides would agree, and that’s okay. Getting married is way more fun than writing thank you notes. However, thank you notes are important. And, really, not all that bad.

In case you’re having some thank you note anxiety, here’s a little blog Xanax that may help you stay focused and positive.

Check out Wedding Paper Divas for your entire paper suite which, if you choose, can include thank you notes! Matching stationery is super cute and when you order your invitations, you’ll also be saving yourself a step in your thank you note writing because you won’t have to schlep out to a store to purchase generic note cards when you could be playing with your new Kitchen Aid mixer! I love Wedding Paper Divas because everything is customized. Everything! You select the style and graphics and then you insert your wording. Nice card stock and options for letterpress and thermography help class up your selection in a boutique fashion. Also, when you submit your order, a real live human being with eyes and everything reviews your project and proofs it for any errors and even advises you on wording etiquette! You’ll have final say, of course, but it’s nice to know you have that cushion. Then, you purchase, and a handful of days later, your goods are in your mailbox. It’s such a turnkey service with actually good product. If, for some reason, you already have your invitation suite handled, but you’d like to take advantage of their thank you note products, you can purchase them a la carte and still be able to thank your guests in style.

No matter how or where you order your thank you notes, I beg you do to do the following!

• Had a bridal shower? Got lots of goodies there? Awesome. Now, get your thank you notes done before your wedding. I don’t care how close together the shower and wedding are, your wedding guests should not be coming to your wedding, un-thanked from their shower gifting. I actually know someone who gave a gift at a shower and then went to the wedding some weeks later and she had still never received a thank you note from the bride. The lack of acknowledgement sat pretty heavy while she brought a gift to the wedding. Shower gifts and wedding gifts are not two-for-one in the thank you note ratio. Each gift gets a note. Bottomline.
• Brides always want to know when thank you notes should be sent. Brides and grooms should wait no more than six to eight weeks after the ceremony to send their wedding thank you cards, but of course the sooner the better!
• If you receive gifts before the wedding feel free to send the thank you cards as they come in. You’ll be glad you stuck to this practice after the wedding because then you’ll just have to write notes for the gifts you received on the wedding day and after. It also helps to make a goal and send out so many thank you cards a day.
• Creating content to include in the thank you note can be a daunting task for couples, but make sure to greet the guest, express your gratitude, be specific about the gift, and thank them for attending (or for thinking of you if they couldn’t make it). It is also nice to make specific examples of their gift and tell them how you use it. For example, “I love making my coffee every morning in the machine you got us!”
• This sounds like a no-brainer, but it’s important! Make sure you spell their names correctly and that you are including the right gift for the right person. If you keep an organized spreadsheet, you shouldn’t have a problem noting who got you what and how to spell their names.
• For Jewish weddings, it’s common to receive a monetary gift from someone very close to the couple. It’s not necessary to thank them for the exact amount, but you could simply say
  “thank you for your generosity,” or note what it will go toward: “Thank you for your generosity! We have plans to purchase our dream home soon, and your gift will help our dream come true!”
• For families, address to Mr. And Mrs. If you are close with them use their first names inside the card or if you are not that close use the same salutation inside.
• Make sure to hand stamp every note as prepaid postage techniques are too impersonal.

The days of being tied to a formal thank you note that says “Thank you” in a fancy black script across the front are over! Now, couples are getting creative and stylish with their thank you notes. After all, since the wedding is over they’re the last opportunity to extend the wedding’s theme and style. No matter what, feel free to make your thank you notes a reflection of you as a couple! One of my favorite ways to personalize a thank you note is to include photos form the wedding! This can be snapshots laid out like a pinboard or a cute photo of the couple with a “Thank You!” sign. Thank you notes are also another way you can utilize the adorable engagement photos you took! All of these ideas are also featured on thank you cards from Wedding Paper Divas.

POP QUIZ! Notice a VIP Yenta featured on one of the thank you cards?? She and her husband are a Real Weddings couple and she’s also the regular contributor to Yenta-quette, the helpful advice column on The Wedding Yentas!

Okay, so good news: Want 25% off your order of products from Wedding Paper Divas? The Wedding Yentas is proud to partner with them to offer readers an exclusive code! Just email alison@theweddingyentas.com to scoop up your code!

Fine Print: This excludes letterpress, thermography and 3rd party products (i.e. custom stamps, embossers, photo books, gift certificates and calendars). There is no minimum purchase required. Cannot be combined with any other offers. One time use per customer.

Hopefully this article has helped you calm your spilkes about writing thank you notes! Don’t dread writing your notes. Instead, enjoy your gifts and reflect on all your memories from your special day. After all, each thank you note should be a symbol of all your favorite wedding moments like:

*Thank you to Wedding Paper Divas for sponsoring this post!