Since we didn't go on a honeymoon immediately after our wedding, I was able to get thank-you notes out right away. I wrote them to everyone from my karate instructor who got us the ubiquitous wedding blender, to my wonderful roommate from college who brought her family hundreds of miles to be there, helped with the setup, AND let us use their motel room as a holding area for all our stuff. Parents, friends, family - everyone got a handwritten, personal thank-you note.

Everyone, that is, except the core group of five people who were instrumental in making this whole wedding happen. One was our officiant, one was my go-to wedding planner, one was my Honorary Maid of Honor, one smashed coconuts at the end of the ceremony (with his bare hands), one was an usher and crying-shoulder for our poor, frazzled planner. We see these people at least once a week at Monday Game Night where we all gather at one of our residences to play board games like Settlers of Catan, Thunderstone, and the Resistance. I go to karate with half this group twice a week, and I run a small craft business with another member. We're a close-knit group of geeky, quirky friends, and I've been at my wit's end for months as to how to properly thank these folks.

Luckily no one has minded not getting a formal "thank you." After all, a traditional card would just be silly and oddly impersonal since we see each other constantly. Money would be insulting actually - we're always helping each other out, doing little things for each other as the need arises. We help each other move, we're there when someone's sick, we swap recipes, TV show obsessions, and dirty jokes. We're closer than family in some respects. Still, I've been wanting very much to give all five some tangible "thank you" that was properly meaningful.

And at last it came to me a few days ago - my special wedding thank yous - and I kick myself for not thinking of it sooner!

Homemade Magic: The Gathering-style thank-you cards!

I scrounged through all our wedding photos trying to find a picture with all five of them (and preferably with my husband and myself in it as well). No go. It simply never occurred to any of us to get a nice pic of all us seven together, so I had to settle for a candid shot that doesn't even show everyone's faces (that's okay though - they all know what they look like!).

The message at the bottom of the cards ends with a line that's become a running gag through out the group. One day when we were playing Elder Sign, things weren't going well, and someone said, "Hey, it's okay, guys. It's not even a thing!" We actually ended up beating the big baddie at the end despite the odds, much to everyone's surprise and soaring triumph. That phrase "it's not even a thing" laughingly comes up constantly now whenever we're in a tight situation (either in a game or in life).

The five hearts on the back of the card represent these five friends - each with their own color that they'd likely be able to pick out without much help from us.

It's just the perfect "thank you" for people we could never thank!

What special ways did you find to say "thank you!" to those people who deserved more than a thank-you card?