Overwrought brides and grooms who don’t mind a guilty conscience might want to take note of a new wedding service – professional thank-you-note-writing.

Baltimore-based That’s Gratitude (www.thatsgratitude.com) pens personalized, hand-written thank you letters that are so genuine, says co-founder Chris Hagan, that the newlyweds “can take credit for having written them.”

Couples fill out a gift log that spells out which gifts have been received and explains the gift-giver’s relationship to the bride and groom. From there, Hagan’s small crew (mostly stay-at-home parents or retirees) writes individual notes and addresses envelopes. The stash is returned unsealed to be proofed by the couple and mailed from their post office (lest anyone get suspicious of an unusual postmark). Costs vary, but a wedding of 150 runs $4.50 to $4.75 per card if the couple provides the stationery. “This is discreet,” Hagan says. “Unless somebody knows your handwriting, they’re not going to know.”

The principle is not founded in laziness, she explains. Working professionals fresh off their honeymoon may not have time to write several hundred notes to guests in a timely fashion. And everybody has received at least one “rushed and generic” note in the mail.

But if the secret gets out, it’s bound to send tongues clacking.

Is a thank you letter handwritten by a third party better than a card stamped with a standard, “We appreciate your gift” message … or, gasp, no note at all?

“It’s not OK,” says Elizabeth Howell, spokeswoman for the Emily Post Institute. “It’s the equivalent of a wedding guest sending another person in their place. How would that make the bride and groom feel?”