50 of the Most Creative Open When Letter Ideas

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Open When Letters – Ideas To Get You Started

Wouldn’t it be great to have a love letter ready to go for your loved one at the moment they need it the most? Open When Letters (also called “Open Me When” Letters) are a unique way to help someone at any moment of need! With these types of letters, you can put pen to paper in advance so that when the time comes, you’re ready to be of comfort to someone you love!

Gifting a Stack of Open When Letters |The Dating Divas
Open When Letter Ideas For Your Spouse.

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. To learn more about ’em, click here.

What Are Open When Letters?

Open When Letters are written messages that you can prepare in advance for someone to open during a specific moment. It is an easy way to give a boost of support and love to someone at the exact moment that they need it!

For example, if your loved one is away, you might write them a note of encouragement and label the card “Open When You Miss Me.” Then, when they are sad and missing you, they can pull out the card and undoubtedly feel better.

Who Should I Make Open When Letters For?

One of the things that we love about Open When Letters are how versatile they are! Here are a few situations that would be perfect for this type of gift:

  • Long-distance relationships
  • Spouse leaving on a trip
  • Military families separated during deployment
  • Children away from home for a camp or college
  • Missionary service or study abroad

What Events Should I Write Open When Letters For?

You could create a set of Open When Letters for anything, really! You could write Open When Cards for big life events such as:

  • birthdays
  • anniversaries
  • graduation

You could also write letters for more general moments such as when:

  • they might need a pep talk
  • they need a good laugh
  • they are going through a hard time

Open When Letter Rules

When you gift a set of Open When Letters, you usually want to establish a few rules. We even suggest that you write them down and include them with your set of envelopes as part of the gift. Sometimes, people will put these rules in an envelope and label it “Open First”.

Here are a few Open When Letter rules you might consider:

  • Open when the letter applies.
  • Only open one letter at a time.
  • Open ___ # of letters/week or day.
  • Don’t peek until you really need it!
  • Save the letters to refer to in the future.

How to Make Open When Letters

Tutorial on how to make open when letters

Free Open When Letters PDF Printable

You are gonna LOVE our free printable PDF download of Open When Letter envelope labels and card inserts! It makes creating Open When Cards for your loved one SO easy! You can find these FREE envelope labels and inserts if you scroll to the bottom of this post.

Simply download the PDF and print the free envelope covers and card inserts that you most want to use.

Printable envelope cover for Open When Letters | The Dating Divas
Open When Letters Ideas

Ready for the ultimate list of Open When Letter topic ideas? We’ve included over a dozen of the most popular ideas for you below! Check these out!

Open When Letter Topic Ideas

Open When…

  1. You Need to Know How Much I Love You
  2. You’re Worried
  3. It’s Your Birthday
  4. You Need a Good Laugh
  5. You’re Upset or Angry
  6. It’s Our Anniversary
  7. You Could Use a Little Pep Talk
  8. You’re Feeling Happy
  9. It’s Valentine’s Day
  10. You Are Feeling Lonely
  11. You Want to Reminisce
  12. It’s Christmas Day
  13. You Want Me!
  14. You Can’t Fall Asleep

As you can see, we’ve already done all the work for you. All of the labels are already filled out with fully prepped Open When ideas!

MORE OPEN WHEN TOPICS

In our free printable PDF download, we have also included blank cards so you can completely personalize your Open When cards. The beauty of an Open When Letter is that it can be customized to ANY occasion and to ANY person. If you want to go beyond the Open When Letter ideas we provided, then feel free to make your own using the blank template! 

Here’s an extended list of other Open When ideas for other occasions you could do in addition to the ones above:

Open When…

  1. You’re Excited
  2. You’re Ready for An Adventure
  3. You Miss Me
  4. You Feel Tired
  5. You’re Overwhelmed
  6. You Feel Sad
  7. You Need Some Cheer
  8. We’ve Said Goodbye
  9. You Feel Like Giving Up
  10. You’re Angry
  11. You’re Traveling Alone
  12. You Need Some Cash
  13. You’re Afraid
  14. You Need to Make a Big Decision
  15. You’re Frustrated with Work
  16. You Have Some Bad Luck
  17. You Are Sick
  18. You’re Confused About Life
  19. I’m Driving You Crazy
  20. You Have Financial Stress
  21. You Need Someone to Believe in You
  22. Someone Let You Down
  23. You Are Disappointed
  24. You Are Stressed
  25. Someone Passes Away
  26. You Are Bored
  27. I’m Angry
  28. You Feel Successful
  29. You Need a Break
  30. You’re Feeling Scared
  31. You Doubt Yourself
  32. You Need a Hug
  33. You’re Having a Bad Day
  34. You Need to Hear a Compliment
  35. You’ve Made a Mistake
  36.  You Need Some Motivation

What Supplies Do I Need To Make Open When Cards?

Making your Open When Cards is so simple. You need very few supplies.

Several colorful envelopes of Open When Cards |The Dating Divas
Open When Cards

Here a few things we suggest:

  • Envelopes – We love these ones because they fit perfectly and are so colorful!
  • Pens – We love these gel ones. They are so colorful and smooth!
  • Box (optional) – We are fans of gifting these in a keepsake box. These letters will be a treasure!
  • Printable Open When Cards & Labels (download for free below)

What Do You Write in Open When Letters?

You might be wondering, “How do you start an Open When Letter?” and “What do I write in the Open When Letters?” Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered!

Writing Open When Letters for Spouse |The Dating Divas
What Do You Write in Open When Letters?

We know it can be hard to figure out what exactly to write for an in-advance letter. But here are a few suggestions to help get you started with what to include:

  • Share your own experiences! Nothing builds connection and shows love more than a relatable personal experience.
  • Make them laugh! Laughter really is the BEST medicine… and can be the perfect way to share your love.
  • Compliment them! Affirming words can go a LONG way in brightening someone’s day.
  • Write a quote. If the words aren’t coming to you, maybe start with a quote that expresses what you want to say and then you can expand from there.
  • Write about a memory together. This can really bring a lot of emotions and make your letter personal.

What to Put Inside an Open When Letter

Besides your letter, you can also get creative with adding in a special item. Always consider the length of time until they might open the letter when making your choices.

Envelopes filled with Open When Cards and messages | The Dating Divas
Open When Ideas

Here are a few items you might consider adding to your envelope:

  1. Gift Card
  2. Balloons
  3. Photograph
  4. Drawing or art
  5. Tickets
  6. Bookmark
  7. Candy
  8. An item sprayed with a familiar scent
  9. Jewelry
  10. Origami
  11. Candles (perfect for a birthday)

Done-For-You Open When Letter Kits

Our readers have LOVED our Open When Letters! They expressed that they loved the idea so much but they wanted MORE printables and MORE help to write their letters. So, we put together two unique Open When Letter printable packs. They help make it easy to put together an unforgettable love letter for the people you love. We have a general version for a loved one and a version specifically with Open When Letter ideas and printables for your kids!

Open Me When Letters Kit |The Dating Divas
Open Me When Letters Kit

Our Ultimate Open When Letters Kit in our store includes:

  • Editable “Open When” to customize your envelope covers
  • Coordinating cards that can be typed on directly before printing
  • An expansive list of “Open When” topic options
  • Sample letters 
  • Letter-writing prompts to help get you started
  • Pre-written cards to keep things easy
  • Box Cover Keepsake
  • And more!
Open When kit of letters for kids | The Dating Divas
Open when Letters Kit for Kids

We also have an Open When Letters for Kids Kit that is absolutely amazing for all those special moments in your kid’s life! From when they are just learning to read to when they are graduating high school or even going off and getting married, these Open When Cards are a perfect sentiment!

This Open When Letters for Kids Kit includes:

  • 35 coordinating labels and cards (including 10 BIG milestones stationery)
  • Keepsake box cover to store your letters in
  • “Open Me Right Now” card explaining the Open When Letter rules

Whatever way you choose to do this project, we’ve done all the prep work for you to make writing your letters easy peasy. Now you’re all set and ready to write a stack of meaningful, heartfelt letters to your loved one!

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"Open When" Letters

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Sarina

I met my husband, in a beginning ballroom dance class at the age of 15. He was my first crush, my first date, and twelve years (to the day) later we married. Together we enjoy traveling the world, and, of course, going on creative dates! I am a former theatre teacher who now stays at home with a spunky little boy. I love dancing, hosting parties, photography, organizing & chocolate!

Learn more about Sarina
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Recent Comments

  1. Hello, I’ve read this whole article and I love the idea, but I can’t find how to print it. I also found the kits, but they are not free. So I wanted to ask, if this article has a free printable “Open when…” printables?
    Thank you!

    1. Yes! It does. If you scroll down to the very bottom you’ll see a section that says “Free Download.” If you click on the pink bar with the white words that say “Click to Download” your free printables will open in another window. If you have any trouble, email us at divas@thedatingdivas.com and we can help!

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