Acknowledgement & Thank You Cards – Ordering, Etiquette, Wording and Tips

Last updated October 23rd, 2023

This article is aimed at providing you with everything you may want to know about acknowledgement cards (also: funeral thank you cards) – in one place. You can also order your cards here.

4-page folding acknowledgement card placed on a wooden surface.
4-page folding acknowledgement card (Our design template code: ACF5).

You can also order your cards on this website – or even create and download them as a print ready pdf file completely free and get them printed somewhere else.

If you need help or have questions, please use live chat for immediate response while you are reading.

(Lots) more information below, please read on.

Acknowledgemen Card, front, sky themed design. The card is placed on an old overgrown stone wall.
Folding acknowledgement card design template, order it here

Introduction

In Ireland – like in many other places in the world – it is customary to send/hand out thank you or acknowledgement cards after a funeral.

It is a way to express your gratitude and acknowledge the importance of help and support you received after your loss.

So this custom is not only an important part of healing process after a loss, but also an important part social life and being a part of a community.

Folding funeral thank you card with stone Celtic cross on the front.
Folding funeral thank you card AC12, available here

The cards are double sided or folding 4-page. Double sided cards contain just printed acknowledgement wording. Folding cards offer a space for personal handwritten note apart from standard acknowledgement card wording that is printed.

Folding Acknowledgement Card ACF11 with Celtic Cross
Folding Acknowledgement Card ACF11 with Celtic Cross, personalise and order here.

Example images & videos

Example images and videos below should give you a fairly good idea on how funeral thank you cards look like. We created videos for all our designs, so you can see them in a more 3-dimensional manner. Example video below:

Above: our AC48 design template, personalise and order here.

Above: our ACF49 folding acknowledgement card design template, personalise and order here.

Click on an image to enlarge.

More images here.

Acknowledgement Cards – Pricing

Double sided acknowledgement cards

Quantity255075100150200300400500
Price €37 €52 €64 €73 €90 €98 €119 €137 €159

Folding 4-page acknowledgement cards

Quantity255075100150200300400500
Price €45 €57 €69 €79 €92 €105 €124 €142 €166

A full price list of all our products is available here.

Card with floral motive. Wild rose with fruit in the background.
Our AC5 card design template. You can personalised and preview online proof with your text and photo – start here.

Ordering

To order your acknowledgement cards click one of the buttons below.

You will see available designs. Add selected design to cart, personalise your card (add photos/text), view instant online proof and order.

Our online system offers text suggestions to help you along the way.

There is a progress bar on top of all pages involved in ordering. It will show you what stage you are at. There is only 5 steps (actually just 4 as cart review is optional).

Ordering involves completing of 5 simple steps.

Turnaround time

We will deliver within 7 working days from your order or approval of final proof. If needed, this can be reliably cut down to 3 working days.

If we experience problems or delays, it will be shown on the top of each page. We update this information daily based on current workload:

Image shows where to find our current delivery times, updated daily.
Current turnaround time and issues (if any) are shown on top of each page.

Turnaround times shorter than 3 days cannot be guaranteed, but we can attempt them if you need us to.

Ordering two weeks before you need your cards is a very safe time margin.

When to send the cards

While there is no formal rule, various sources state that no later than 2-4 weeks after the funeral is best. On the other hand it is never too late or too early to say thank you.

Red acknowledgement card with bunch of flowers in the corner and "With Sincere Thanks" writing in the center.
Double sided acknowledgement card

Whenever you do it the people involved will appreciate it, so our advice would be to send the cards when you are ready.

Multiple 4-page acknowledgement cards, flat, placed on a wooden surface, low light.
Folding cards are supplied flat. They are creased so they do not crack on the spine when folded.

We often see customers printing acknowledgement cards a year after the funeral. Some people order thank you and memorial cards at the same time – about a year after the funeral.

4-page scenic acknowledgement card, folded. Placed on old wooden surface, warm colours.
4-page scenic acknowledgement card

What to send – acknowledgement (thank you) card types

Double sided cards

The video below shows standard front and back of a double sided acknowledgement card.

Standard acknowledgement cards are slightly smaller than a quarter of an A4 sheet. We use 115 wide by 90 mm tall (4.5″x3.5″). Your local printers will use a similar size.

Card with standard dimensions shown, 115mm/4.5" by 90mm / 3.5".
Standard funeral thank you card’s dimensions (115mm/4.5″ by 90mm / 3.5″). 4-page folding cards have the same size when folded.

Here you can see some of our double sided cards:

The card can include a photo of your Loved One and a note from the family acknowledging the help and support they received. The cards are double sided or 4 page folded.

Acknowledgemetn card with  Clontuskert Abbey detail (window) on the front.
AC20 acknowledgement card with a couple of different Irish landmarks/sceneries to select from.

Generally speaking the double sided acknowledgement cards are the most common. These cards – unlike memorial cards – are printed on heavy card but without plastic finish.

Front of a double sided acknowledgement card with sand pattern background and black decorative Irish/Celtic cross
Double sided acknowledgement card, front. This is our AC10 design template, personalise and order here.

We use 350 GSM (gram per square metre) paper as it is the heaviest paper most digital presses can handle. Other Irish suppliers use similar stock.

AC3 acknowledgement card, placed on a concrete pillar, outdoors, shallow DOF.
AC3 – minimialistic acknowledgement card (you can remove the graphic elements in the corners) available here

Folding 4-page acknowledgement cards

If you opt for 4 page folded card you will have more space to include a photograph or even multiple photographs of the deceased. Those larger cards also leave more space to handwrite a personal note if you need to.

Folding Acknowledgment Cards 4 page, outside and inside view
Four page folding acknowledgement cards

Above video shows typical 4-page folding acknowledgement card. You can ordered this design here.

Below you can see some real life photos of printed acknowledgement cards (click to enlarge):

If you want to see more photos here is the full gallery.

Thank you card with large golden cross and "In Grateful Appreciation" writing on the front. Shot outdoors, foggy weather, Ireland.
AC2 funeral thank you card. You can order it here.

Depending on your circumstances this may be a way for you to make up for not sending acknowledgement cards in time after the funeral. Here you can see an example design of such card.

What to write – example acknowledgement card wording

When you place an order with us, you can rest assured that crafting the perfect wording is not a concern. Thanks to our online system offering text suggestions at every step, you always know what to write (as illustrated below).

All you need to do is add a personal touch if you find it necessary, but there’s no need to reinvent the wheel or seek out alternative sources for the right wording.

Image shows how text suggestions work during personalisation of template card design.
Our online system provides you text suggestions.

However if you are planning on getting custom designed cards, the information below may come handy. Alternatively, you can ask us to create initial proof using standard wording and tweak the text based on the proof.

Standard acknowledgement card layout and wording
Typical acknowledgement card layout and wording. Standard size is around 115x90mm (4.5″x3.5″).

The standard acknowledgement card wording is as follows:

Front of the acknowledgement card (one of the following)

– In Grateful Appreciation
– Thank You
– With Sincere Thanks
– In Sincere Appreciation
– With Gratitude

Wording for the front of funeral thank you card, double sided and 4-page folding version.
Wording for the front

Back of the card (or inside right in case of 4 page folding card)

The family (or Wife, Husband etc.) of the late
Name of the Deceased
Thank you most sincerely
for your kind expression of sympathy
in their recent bereavement.

Optionally:
The Holy Sacrifice of the
Mass will be offered (or has been offered) for
your intentions.

Example layout and wording for the inside or reverse of  acknowledgement card.
Wording, example layout

Another popular version of wording:

The family (Wife, Husband etc.) of the late
Name of the Deceased
wish to express their sincere thanks
for your friendship, kindness
and prayers during this time
of great sorrow.

Inside of folding acknowledgement card, card placed on an old Irish wall, outdoors.
Inside of folding card

You can include a photo on this page should you wish, but this is optional.

On rare occasions we are asked to add a verse/poem on inside left page of 4-page cards.

Whom to send the cards to

It would be ideal to send thank you card to everybody who attended the funeral. Whatever their relationship with the deceased, they made an effort to attend the funeral and this effort should be recognised.

Card with Celtic cross and Irish floral pattern. Card placed on a wooden fence plank, outdoors.
ACF7 card with Celtic cross

Of course it may not be possible to do, and in fact is not expected. Below is a list of people whom you should send the cards to. The list is entirely up to you though – consider your individual circumstances and trust your own common sense.

Acknowledgement card with decorative floral pattern on the front. A photo on the reverse along with a note expressing gratitude.
AC40 acknowledgement card design – simple and elegant. Personalise and order here.

One thing we believe is worth keeping in mind: nobody will be offended by the fact of receiving your card.

Consult family members or friends when compiling the list. This will help you to ensure you will not omit anybody who should receive a card.

Send the cards to:

  • People who brought flowers
  • Those who made a charity donation (the charity who received the donation may be able to provide you with a list of donors – personal thank you message would be appropriate)
  • People who sent personal letters of condolence
  • Those who provided help of any kind
  • The clergy member presiding at the funeral
  • Honorary Pallbearers
  • Anybody who helped in a meaningful way
  • People who attended the funeral (if possible)
AC7 acknowledgement card design, double sided. Green background, large black Celtic cross. Outdoors, wild rose in background.
Double sided AC7 card with Celtic/Irish style cross, order here.

Double sided or 4-page – what to choose?

The only difference is that 4-page cards have two extra empty pages, page 2 and 4. You can use the space to handwrite a personal message. Or you can ask us to add a photo or other elements there.

The only other thing to mention is that folding cards feel more substantial or “official”.

Inside of folding thankyou card, outdoors, shallow DOF.
Inside of folding thank you card

What do other people order?

If not sure, you can use our customers’ preferences as a guideline.

Circular chart showing proportions of clients ordering 4-page folding and double sided cards (18% to 82%).
Percentage of clients who ordered either type of card, based on 2022 data.

The rough breakdown would be 80% clients ordering double sided cards, remaining 20% going for folding 4-page ones.

Free downloadable card designs

The section below is aimed at those who want to create and download cards for free. You can attempt some DIY with these artworks, or take them to any print company of your choice.

Further down you can download our template in Adobe InDesign format as well – this option is for graphic designers or those familiar with Adobe Indesign. The template is a great starting point to quickly create your card.

Create & Download online: Free downloadable thank you cards

On our site you can personalise and download acknowledgement/thank you cards completely free. You can then attempt a bit of DIY and print them by yourself or take the file to your local printing company – we are perfectly ok with this.

4-page thankyou card, inside. Shoot indors on a wooden surface.
4-page thankyou card, inside

You may want to keep things locally or simply live outside of Ireland (just letting you know that we deliver to UK & mainland Europe within 5 working days).

You need to add the selected free design to cart (no need to buy, just add to cart). You will be taken to personalisation page where you add your details/photo etc. Once finished, you will be able to download your card in full resolution, print-ready pdf.

See our free downloadable designs below:

Of course you can also order the cards from us. We offer fully custom design service as well as designs that you can personalise online.

Download design template – Adobe InDesign Fromat

If you are a graphic designer and are looking to quickly design a thank you card, then we have a little time saver for you. Download our free template in Adobe InDesign format.

The template is compatible with InDesign 4 and upwards, so if you have the Creative Cloud version you are covered.

It contains all you need to start – a sample design, sample wording and even a selection of popular verses.

Download Acknowledgement Card template pack (2MB)

Acknowledgement card template download - files and folders.
Content of download

Full details about the template can be found here.

If you feel that you could add or correct something in this article, please do not hesitate to contact us. We will be very grateful if you do and you can help others this way as well.

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