Wedding Thank You Messages: 30 to Copy

Sophie and Andreas are imaginary, but their morning is real enough: the day after their wedding in Nafplio, they're on the hotel-room floor with 112 envelopes. A dozen have no name inside, just «Να ζήσετε», and a couple of those they may never place. Then comes the real job: thanking 140 people, 60 of whom flew in from the UK, in two languages and two very different etiquette traditions.

Below are wedding thank you messages you can actually use, grouped by who you're thanking, from guests who travelled to the koumbaros who held the crowns. After them: timing, thanking people for cash without mentioning it, and what changes when half your guests are Greek.

TL;DR: Send a short personal message to everyone within a week or two, and handwritten notes to the people who need one within three months.

• Never mention the amount of a cash gift. Say what it means or what you'll do with it.
• Guests who travelled, guests who couldn't come but sent a gift, parents and koumbaroi deserve a handwritten note.
• Start each message with the person's name and one detail from the day.
• Thank your vendors with a public review. It's worth more to them than a card.

Thank-you messages for guests who came

For a cash gift

"Thank you so much for being with us in Nafplio, and for your generous gift. It's going straight into the fund for our first home."

"Dear Maria and Petros, thank you for celebrating with us and for your kind gift. Seeing you on the dance floor at 2am made our night."

"Thank you for your gift and, more than that, for being there. We'll think of you every time we use the new kitchen."

"Thank you for your generosity. We've put it towards our honeymoon, so the first sunset in Japan is on you."

For a registry or physical gift

"Thank you for the beautiful salad bowl. It's already had its first outing at Sunday lunch, and we thought of you."

"Thank you for the photo frame. It now holds our favourite picture from the church steps."

"Thank you for the coffee machine. Every morning starts with you now, which feels only fair."

For guests who travelled

These people spent real money and holiday days on you. Say so.

"We know how much it took to get to Greece, flights, time off and three nights away. Having you there meant the world to us. Thank you."

"You crossed a continent for us. We'll never forget looking up and seeing you in the church."

"Thank you for making the trip to Nafplio. We hope you got at least one swim in between the ceremony and the dancing."

For guests who couldn't come but sent a gift

"You were the first envelope we opened, and the only one that came by post. Thank you for being with us from Leeds."

"We missed you on the day, and your gift and card meant so much. Here's a photo from the church so you can see what you missed."

"Thank you for remembering us from so far away. We raised a glass to you at dinner."

Thank-you messages for the people closest to you

For parents

"Mum and Dad, none of this would have happened without you. Not the venue, not the dress, not the people in that room. Thank you for all of it, and for us."

"Thank you for every phone call, every early morning and every time you said 'don't worry, we'll sort it'. You did."

"Thank you for welcoming Sophie like a daughter long before she officially was one."

For the koumbaros or koumbara

In a Greek wedding the koumbaros or koumbara exchanges the crowns three times and takes on real costs. For more on the role, our guide to Greek wedding traditions covers what they actually do in the ceremony.

"Κουμπάρε, thank you for standing beside us and for crowning us. From now on, you're family."

"Thank you for the stefana, the candles and the calm voice at 3pm when we'd lost the rings. We love you."

For the bridal party and friends who helped

"You knew where every hairpin, charger and grandparent was all day. Thank you, we owe you a holiday."

"Thank you for the 6am hair appointments, the emergency safety pins and the speech that made my dad cry."

"You carried boxes, chased a florist and kept me fed. Thank you for being the best friend anyone could have."

Thank-you messages for vendors

A card is lovely, but a public review is better, because it helps them get their next booking. Write one on Google and send them a short note too.

"Thank you for the photos. We cried on the sofa looking at them. We've left a review and we'll recommend you to everyone."

"Thank you for the flowers. The church smelled of jasmine, and three guests asked for your number."

"Thank you for keeping the dance floor full until 3am, and for playing Zorba exactly when Yiayia asked."

The message to everyone at once

If you're sending one message to all guests, make it feel like it was written for them. Put their name first and add a photo of them from the day. You can share a link to the guests' photo gallery in the same message, so guests can find the pictures they're in. We wrote about what to do with guest photos after the wedding if you're wondering how to collect and share them.

"Dear Stavros, thank you for being part of our day. Here's a photo of you we love. All the guests' photos are here if you want to find more of yourself."

"Thank you for celebrating with us. It was the best day of our lives, and you were part of it."

Short thank-you lines, for a message or a card

"Thank you for being part of our story."

"We couldn't have asked for a better day, or better people to share it with."

"Thank you for the gift, the hugs and the dancing."

"Ευχαριστούμε πολύ! Thank you for everything."

When to send wedding thank-yous

The Emily Post Institute is clear that there is no year-long grace period: "All thank-you notes should be written within three months of the receipt of the gift." For gifts that arrive before the wedding, the sooner the better.

Emily Post would want a handwritten card for everyone, and says so plainly: no emails, no phone calls. We think a personal message works for most guests at a Greek wedding, where much of the thanking already happened at the tables. So we'd split it in two. A short, personal message to everyone in the first week or two, while the photos are still arriving. Then handwritten cards over the following weeks for the people who need one. If that's 42 cards, four Sunday afternoons of ten or so is far less daunting than 42 in one sitting.

Pro tip: Open the envelopes with a pen and your guest list beside you. Write the name and the gift in a notes column as you go. Our free wedding guest list template has a Notes column for exactly this, and it saves you trying to remember three weeks later.

Greek wedding twist: two thank-you cultures

At a Greek wedding, much of the thanking happens on the night. The couple goes round the tables during the reception and thanks guests in person, and the μπομπονιέρα (the favour) is itself a thank-you. Formal thank-you cards are much less of a habit in Greece than in the UK or US.

At a mixed wedding you're running both traditions. In a mix like Sophie and Andreas's, her mum's friends will expect a handwritten card, while his family were thanked, table by table, on the night. Our suggestion: a personal message to everyone, and handwritten notes where the culture or the gesture calls for one. If you're using the Greek wishes from the cards you received, our guide to what guests write in a wedding card explains the phrases.

What not to write

• The amount of money, or "your generous €200".
• "Thank you for coming and for the gift" as the only line. It reads like a form.
• Anything that sounds like a group text, sent to 140 people.

The photos are the thank-you guests open twice

Most guests will read your message once. The photo of themselves, mid-dance at 1am, they'll open again and send to their mum. Not everyone will tap a link, and that's fine: the aunt who doesn't do apps still gets a printed photo in her card.

For everyone else, WhiteClover gathers the guests' photos in one shared gallery, so each thank-you can carry the same link. When you want something to keep, the wedding photo album turns them into pages. And if you're reading this before the wedding, the guest list you build now is the list you'll tick off when the thank-yous are done.

FAQ

How long do you have to send wedding thank you cards?

The Emily Post Institute says within three months of receiving the gift, and that there's no year-long grace period. A short message in the first week or two is a good habit on top of that.

How do you thank someone for a cash wedding gift?

Thank them for their generosity, never mention the amount, and if you can, say what you'll put it towards, such as a first home or the honeymoon.

Is a text or WhatsApp message enough to say thank you?

For most guests at a Greek wedding, a personal message with a photo is welcome. For parents, koumbaroi, guests who travelled and anyone who sent a gift without attending, we'd write a card.

Do you send thank-you cards at a Greek wedding?

It's less traditional than in the UK or US, because couples thank guests in person at the tables. A personal message afterwards is still a good idea, especially when some guests are from abroad.

Should we thank our wedding vendors?

Yes. A short note plus a public review on Google is the most useful thank-you you can give a photographer, DJ or florist.

Recommended

• Guest Wedding Photos: What To Do After
• How to Get the Photos Your Guests Took at Your Wedding
• What to Write in a Wedding Card (Greek + English)
• Manage Your Wedding Registry Without Stress
• Free Wedding Guest List Template (Excel, CSV, Sheets)