Dear Mrs. McVeigh,

I read in your column last week the appropriate amount of time to follow up with a thank you note for a baby shower. My daughter just got engaged so we are wondering how much time she will have to write thank you notes for her wedding presents? 

New Mother-of-the-Bride

Dear New Mother-of-the-Bride,

Wedding gifts often come in as soon as the invitations arrive, and get delivered to the bride’s parent’s house (or whoever is taking the RSVP cards).  As soon as a gift arrives, a thank you note should be written.  This not only thanks the gift giver, but also assures him that his gift arrived safely.  If the gift is delivered to a place that the bride or groom is unable to open the present, then the gift should be opened by the third party (parents), so the bride and groom can get the note out as quickly as possible. 

If a gift is given at the wedding, the couple has two weeks after they return from their honeymoon to mail off a thank you note for the present.