When all the events and ceremonies of a funeral are done. The last thing which is equally important is to write a thank-you note to the visitors to the funeral. This is very important to say thank you and pay your gratitude to the visitors. The family of the deceased must have a proper plan about thank you note that how and when they will write and deliver these notes. Sending thank you notes or thank you cards is one of the etiquettes of funerals. It is nice that people who care for your spare time and participate in the event and more than that they participated or contributed in any form in the funeral or wake.
To Whom Thank You Note Must Be Given?
It is not necessary to write thank you note to every person who visits the funeral. Some special people should these notes be given. These are mostly given to the people who contribute to the funeral ceremony in any way.
- These are given to the people who visit the event and bring condolence flowers for the day.
- These are also given to the people who pay some amount to contribute to the preparation of the funeral or wake.
- These thank you notes are given to the people who contribute to the event by providing or arranging conveyance for the guests to take them to the place of funeral ceremonies.
- At funerals some of the relatives or friends also contribute by arranging food or other items for the day. They are also given thank you notes.
So we can say that thank you note are given to the people who contribute to the funerals or wakes in any form. Other people who come and share condoling remarks only they do not receive thank you notes. The material contribution is necessary in this regard.
Prepare A Guest List With Their Names, Phone Numbers And Addresses
It is really important to prepare a list of guests, especially those guests who have participated in the funeral or wake by contributing anything. The list must have the names of the persons, their contact numbers along with their addresses. So that you can easily get an idea that to whom and how many people, you have to send thank you notes or cards. These notes or cards can be sent to them by post, by some friend or relative or you can yourself give them these thank you notes. The list of people will help you out in this process.
Send These Notes Within Appropriate Time
It is also important to send thank you note within the appropriate and proper time. It should not be too late that you spend two to three months in planning and writing these notes and people have forgotten about the funeral and thank you note. These should be sent within two to three weeks. But if more time has passed and it has been two to three months that the funeral was held, even than you should send thank you notes. It is better to send them late than never.
Use Printed Cards
It is not necessary to print your cards or think and design each and everything new for your thank you notes. You can find printed cards in the market which can be filled according to your demands. You can buy those cards and can fill your words in those cards.
Address Should Be Personal And Direct
You should address the receiver personally and directly. Your language should not be indirect. It should give the impression that you noticed the efforts of the receiver and you liked those and now you are appreciating them by giving this card.
Write Short But Complete Text
The text written in the card should not be very lengthy. It should be short and to the point but should have a complete explanation and appreciation for the receiver. You should thank the person by mentioning his contribution or efforts i.e. thank you for bringing flowers or giving an amount as memorial donation etc.
Language Should Be Simple And To The Point
The language for thank notes or cards must be simple. Flowery or bookish language is never appreciated in this regard. This type of language will not fulfill the real purpose of these cards. It will look as you just copy-pasted the text and your feelings are missing while you have to pay your tribute and gratitude to your friends and relatives for their contributions and efforts they have made for you. So you should try to keep the text simple that can be taken as your own words full of feelings and sentiments.
Cards Should Be Sent To The Personal Addresses
The thank-you notes or cards should be sent to the personal addresses of the visitors. These should not be sent to their offices or other places. So that they may themselves receive them.
The same Test Can Be Pasted On All Cards With Minor Changes
You can copy-paste the same text on all the cards with minor changes according to the contribution of the receiver or recipient. The people who are going to receive those cards are close to your heart that is why they contributed to the funeral. So they will be more concerned about your well-being and your feelings and sentiments than your words. And no one will compare the cards with others that these have the same text or different.
So it is necessary to follow the etiquettes and send thank you cards to the contributors. Do not much consider or think about the language of the text but some main points should be kept in mind while writing these cards. Be simple and specific about your words and never exaggerate anything. Mention the exact contribution and thank you for them in a graceful manner. Do not be too meek or timid but be accurately and gracefully humble and thankful.
