The Bride’s Thank-You Note Handbook

This slim volume by Marilyn Werner is my go-to gift at a wedding where A) you know the bride has a sense of humor and B) might already own enough ‘original artwork’ made by you to line a lion’s cage. Created originally in 1968, this illustrated etiquette — excuse me — weddiquette book offers examples of object-specific thank you notes for gifts of waffle irons and clock radios. Updated back in the 80’s, you can now send off that special note to your aunt for the VCR (replace that with DVD or Blu-ray player).

The beginning chapter even gives a lesson on the structure of a proper thank-you note “a thank-you note consists of five parts: a salutation, a body, a complimentary closing and a signature [date at the top].” The one point that I must disagree with is that the signature only be from the bride. Given the rather modern times we live in (at least they are more modern than a second ago, eh?), signing by the bride and groom is a bit more thoughtful.

Some of the humor in the notes pokes fun at marital bliss but it is hard to tell WHEN Marilyn is joking about ‘burning dinner’ and ‘overcooking the meat’ (thank god for the steak knives fromUncle Orus) or actually playing to the gender roles back in 1968.

The weddiquette book continues past the usual gift examples onto special circumstances which sounds ever so dangerous but is more like telling a white lie when something uninsured arrived broken (best not to mention it and make someone spend more money, you never know if they can afford it). Another special circumstance presented is when the bride finds herself a bit tardy in sending out the thank-you’s but Werner never states how long is too long.

So now that I have shared my secret with you, I must find yet another cute gift for the three upcoming weddings this fall. But please, come check out this cute book in our Illustrated Book section or at store near you.

–Jen Vaughn

P.S. I’m not a smoker but this gift is good-looking enough to make me consider at least lighting my shred pile on fire.