Love them or hate them. Writing thank you's to all the wedding guests is a cross newlyweds must bear.

Here's the rule for thank you's:

DO THEM!

Why?

• People know you received the gift and it didn't get stolen
• People know you appreciated their presence and their hard-earned cash
• It's a stinkin' social convention we have to uphold
• It's the least you can do for everything people have done to help you

Get them done in a timely manner, i.e. once you get back from the honeymoon. You don't have to complete them all at once, but if you start working on them right away and just do several at a time, you can get them out a month after your wedding. And be free of them forever. Until your first baby shower.

You don't have to do them by yourself. Get your hubby to help. Even if he's only addressing and stamping envelopes, it will be a huge help to you.

If you're strapped for cash: Thank you cards don't need to be fancy; they can be clearance note cards. As for stamps, you can't really save money on postage and may have to use a little of your wedding cash.

Did you know?

Even if a guest didn't give you a gift, it's still proper etiquette to send them a thank you for attending. Sometimes guests just can't bring gifts or maybe chose to only bring a gift to your bridal shower instead of both. Don't fret if you can't tell if a guest came without a gift, but a good way to tell is if they signed the guest book or just brought a card but there no corresponding gift.