Handwritten notes for wedding and event vendors

Wedding and event vendors should send a handwritten thank-you within a few weeks of the event, ask for a referral or review in a separate, later card, and send a card on the couple's first anniversary. Add a thank-you to every planner or venue that refers you work. Most of a vendor's business comes from people who were at someone else's event, so these cards do more than say thanks: they keep your name in the homes of the people most likely to mention you. This guide covers each card, what to write, and how to send them without spending your off-season at a desk.

The four cards

1. The thank-you

Send it within two to four weeks of the event, while it is still fresh but after the rush of the day itself. For photographers and videographers, the week the gallery or film is delivered is a natural moment. Mention one real detail from the day, and sign it from the person they worked with. Do not ask for anything in this card.

2. The referral or review ask

Keep the ask out of the thank-you. A card that thanks someone and then asks for a favor reads as a transaction. Send it separately, four to eight weeks after the event, once the couple has seen the photos or settled the final details and is telling friends about the day. Make one ask, make it easy, and tell them exactly what to do:

A review: name the one place you want it, and say a few sentences are plenty.
A referral: say who you work best with, such as couples planning next summer or friends who just got engaged, and how to reach you directly.

The card cannot hold a working link, so keep any web address short enough to type, or point them to the email you sent the same week.

3. The first anniversary

A card on the first anniversary is the one couples talk about. Nobody expects it from a vendor, and it arrives when they are looking back at the day. It is also easy to forget, which is why it should be scheduled on the day you book the wedding. API workspaces can send each card with sendOn, a mail date up to a year ahead, and the card waits until then. With scheduled sends on, the portal's Send to a list upload takes a sendOn column too, so a season of anniversaries can be scheduled from one spreadsheet. See how to schedule handwritten cards for birthdays and anniversaries.

4. Planners and venues who refer you

For many vendors, planners and venues send more work than couples do. Thank them after every event you share, and send a card when a referral turns into a booking. Mention the couple by name so they know you noticed where the booking came from.

What to write

Keep each card to three or four sentences. Greet both partners by name, mention one detail only you would know, and sign with your own name. The message is written exactly as you send it, up to 500 characters.

Thank-you: "Dear Jordan and Sam, thank you for letting us be part of your day. The moment your grandmother started the first dance is still my favorite photo of the year. Wishing you both every happiness. Alex"
Review ask: "Dear Jordan and Sam, I hope married life is treating you well. If you have a minute, a short review on our Google page would mean a lot to a small studio like ours. A few sentences is plenty. Alex"
Referral ask: "Dear Jordan and Sam, if friends of yours get engaged this year, I would love to meet them. They can reach me directly at the number on our website. Thank you again. Alex"
Anniversary: "Dear Jordan and Sam, happy first anniversary. A year ago today you got married in the rain and laughed through all of it. I hope the year has been a good one. Alex"
Planner: "Dear Morgan, thank you for sending Jordan and Sam our way. Working with your team on Saturday was a pleasure, as always. Alex"

The pen writes letters, digits and common punctuation, including @ and &. Emoji are not supported, and accented letters are written without the accent, so check names in the free handwriting preview.

How to send them

One at a time. Create a note in the portal after each event. It takes a minute and needs no setup.
A season at a time. Export your clients with names, mailing addresses and event dates, and upload the file to Send to a list. Every row is checked before anything is sent, you see the price first, and a note template fills in each card from the columns. With scheduled sends on, add a sendOn date to each row to schedule the anniversary cards in the same upload.
Automatically. If your client-management tool can connect to Zapier, a new booking or a completed event can send its card through the Zapier recipe, with no code.

Every card is written by a robot holding a real pen, on real card stock, and every word is read back by OCR before the pen moves. Pick one of the four handwriting styles, and use a stock design such as Thank You or Cheers, or upload your own front and back so the card matches your brand.

For corporate event vendors

Caterers, venues, production companies and rental companies working corporate events can use the same rhythm with planners and clients: a thank-you after the event, a separate card asking whether they would recommend you, and a card a few weeks before the date the client usually books again. Hotels and venues with a group sales team should also see handwritten notes for hotels and hospitality.

Make it look like your brand

A wedding vendor's card is part of the work. Heavier card stock, gold foil, debossing, colored envelopes, metallic ink and wax seals are made in our New York studio, and a small gift in or alongside the envelope can be quoted per campaign. See stationery, try options in the card creator, or plan a campaign.

What it costs

Cards are all-in, including the envelope and postage: $3.25 each in the US at up to 499 a month, dropping to $2.95 from 500, with no monthly fee. For a vendor doing 40 weddings a year and four cards per couple, that is 160 cards, or $520 a year. Premium stationery is quoted per campaign. See pricing.

Start free and send the thank-you for your most recent event first.