How to Sign a Love Letter

Co-authored by Julia McCurley

Last Updated: February 25, 2023 References

So you've been crazy about this guy/girl for a super long time and you've finally worked up the courage to break your silence with a love letter. You probably are eager to make sure every detail of your letter is as perfect as possible. As you go over your letter with a fine-toothed comb, don't forget to pay special attention to the way you end it! A good ending to a letter is like the bow on top of a beautiful present — sometimes, it's all you need to take your romantic game to the next level.

Part 1

Part 1 of 3:

Picking a Sign-off

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When in doubt, keep things simple with one- or two- word closings. The closing or sign off is the part of the letter right before your name where you basically say "goodbye." Common examples include "Love," "Sincerely," "Best," and so on. If you're having trouble thinking of what to say, consider going for a closing that's short and sweet. There's much to be said for the sweetness of a simple, sincere end to the letter.^{[1]
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- Ideas: "Love," "Yours," "With love," "Always," "Be well,"
- Use when: You want to come across as elegant. You want to end simply — classically. You are in a long-term relationship and sappier endings seem "fake."
- Don't use when: You want to come across as creative. You are bursting with emotion and you want this to come across on the page. Your partner has complained that you are "too distant."
2
Use a "-ly" closing. One common way to close a letter is with a single word ending in "-ly" — an adverb.^{[2]
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Research source} At the end of a letter, these words are usually used to describe the way you feel as you write the letter or wait for a reply. For love letters, you'll usually want to choose "-ly" words that emphasize how much you care about the person you're writing to or how excited you are to get a reply.
- Ideas: "Devotedly," "Unquestioningly," "Truly," "Faithfully,"
- Use when: You want an easy way to be descriptive about how you feel.
- Don't use when: You're early on in a relationship. This can seem a little cliched or overly-formal.
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3
Go for humor. Don't want your letter to be a stiff, serious bore? A little levity can turn a love letter from a dull affair into something that's a joy to read. In this case, the sign-off is your "closing shot." In other words, it's your last chance to get a laugh out of your reader, so be sure to end on a high note!
- Ideas: "L8rz," "Toodles," "With intestinal distress," "Yours, I guess," "Man, I'm pretty,"
- Use when: You want to cheer your partner up. You want to make things between you lighthearted and fun. This method can lead to immediate happy emotions and it takes some of the pressure off of you for making your letter "perfect."
- Don't use when: You can't think of anything funny to say. Your partner is worried that you aren't taking the relationship seriously. You've just had an argument.
4
Be sincere. Love letters offer rare chances to communicate exactly what's on your mind when it comes to how you feel about someone. They're one of the only places where it's even a little appropriate to be this frank, so if you feel like your emotions speak for themselves, you may want to use your closing as an opportunity to bare your heart.
- Ideas: "I have never felt this way before," "I need you," "You're the only one," "You complete me," "You are always in my heart,"^{[3]
  X
  Expert Source
  
  Julia McCurley
  Certified Professional Matchmaker
  Expert Interview. 30 September 2021.} "I love you now and forever,"^{[4]
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  Expert Source
  
  Julia McCurley
  Certified Professional Matchmaker
  Expert Interview. 30 September 2021.}
- Use when: You're confident you and your partner have a powerful emotional bond.
- Don't use when: You arent 100% sure how serious your relationship is. This can be very embarrassing and awkward if your reader doesn't feel the same way.
5
If you're bold, don't be afraid to get sappy or affectionate. A love letter is a good place to be openly affectionate with someone who you know feels the same way about you as you do about him or her. However, this is best reserved for people you've already started some kind of relationship with. Don't use these for your very first declaration of love — you can risk really creeping your reader out.
- Ideas: "Your Smooshums," "XOXOXO," "Snuggles," "Smooches," "I am yours forever,"^{[5]
  X
  Expert Source
  
  Julia McCurley
  Certified Professional Matchmaker
  Expert Interview. 30 September 2021.}
- Use when: You want to come across as warm, heartfelt, or funny. Your partner needs cheering up.
- Don't use when: Your partner has complained about you being too clingy. You want your partner to take you more seriously.
6
Use an inside joke. A great way to show that you've put some serious thought into your letter is to pick a closing that only you and your reader could possibly get. Not only is this a good opportunity to be funny, but also a way to build some instant camaraderie with the person that you want to make a romantic connection with.
- Ideas: "Would you like some fries with that?" "Don't forget to file those TPS reports," "Not too shabby,"
- Use when: You want to come across as funny and creative. You want to show that you're putting mental effort into your relationship. You want to remind your partner of a great time you had together.
- Don't use when: You don't have very many memories with your partner yet. This can seem bizarre if your reader doesn't "get" the joke.

Part 2

Part 2 of 3:

Choosing a Visual Style

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Try cursive. The "classic" love letter is a breathless, passionate note scrawled with a plume or a fountain pen on parchment. While it's pretty difficult to create this sort of Romeo and Juliet letter today, you can still give your letter a little bit of old-fashioned charm by writing your closing in cursive. Big, loopy, dramatic letters can call to mind the star-crossed lovers of past centuries for an oh-so-romantic effect.
- Need a refresher on how to write in cursive? See our cursive guide for step-by-step help and sample documents.
- If you're going to write your name in cursive, you may want to carefully write each letter out instead of quickly scrawling your signature in. You don't want your reader not to recognize your name.
2
Add hearts and "love" symbols wherever you can. Show your feelings for your reader (and score some cuteness points at the same time) by sprinkling adorable symbols of love throughout your closing. Hearts are the most obvious symbol, but, depending on how far you want to go, you can try drawing male/female symbols, wedding rings, roses, and more — it's all up to you.
- There's no "right" way to do this, but one common trick is to draw a small heart wherever you'd normally dot a lowercase "i" or "j".
3
Try big, illuminated letters. If you have the time and energy, you can score major points for effort by using your closing as a chance to show off your inner artist. Draw each letter (or, if you're in a rush, just the first) as a detailed, elaborate picture. You can include plants, animals, or other drawings as part of each illuminated letter — it's up to you!
4
If typing, try a dramatic font. Not all letters are handwritten. In fact, today, the vast majority of letters are made with some sort of help from a computer. This doesn't mean that you have to settle for plain text standbys like Times New Roman, however. Try using a more eye-catching font for your closing to add creativity and beauty to your letter — most word processors come with at least a few interesting fonts.
- Here are a just a few fonts included with recent editions of Office that you may want to use:^{[6]
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  Research source} Blackadder, Bradley Hand, Brush Script, Colonna, Kunstler Script, Parchment, Vivaldi Italic.
- You can also download fonts online if you can't find any that you like. For example, 1001fonts.com offers over 200 cursive fonts alone.^{[7]
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Part 3

Part 3 of 3:

Getting Creative

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Omit your name for an anonymous note. Looking for a truly unique closing to your love letter? The outside-the-box suggestions in this section can help you make your letter even more enticing. For example, you may want to consider leaving no name at all on your letter. This can leave your reader wracking his or her brain trying to find out who the note was from — you can reveal yourself when you're ready.
- One variation on this is to write your letter as normal, then cut your name out. Keep this slip of paper and give it to your reader a day or two later as a surprise.
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End in a different language. Do you know a language besides English? Using this for your closing can give your letter an unexpected, exotic twist ending. You may try simply translating a normal closing into your language of choice, using a figure of speech from the second language, or something else entirely.
- Omniglot, an online language encyclopedia, has translations of "I love you" for many different languages here.^{[8]
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- Bonus points if your second language is Italian or French — the "languages of love."
3
Draw a picture next to your closing. There doesn't have to be a "reason" for the things you include in your closing. If you're a decent artist and you think of something that would look cool next to your closing, feel free to draw it in. Most people will appreciate the time and effort that goes into a detailed sketch, so give it a shot, even if it doesn't make perfect sense in the context of the letter. Here are some things you may want to draw:
- Animals (ideally ones your reader likes)
- Plants (see above)
- Crests/emblems (real or imaginary)
- Cartoons/comics/doodles
- Portraits of you or your reader (use caution — if this is your very first love letter to this person, this can come across as "too much")
4
Include clippings or other personal objects. Another thing you may want to add at the end of your letter is something special just for him or her — in other words, a gift. This can be almost anything, but we've included a few ideas below that are easy to paste or slip into the space next to your closing at the end of your letter.
- Magazine clippings that have personal meaning
- Leaf or flower pressings from an outdoor spot the two of you enjoy visiting
- Poetry passages
- Fortune cookie slips
- Movie or event tickets from something you attended together
- Photos of you, your reader, or both of you

Community Q&A

Question

Can I put a sticker on my love letter?

Tom De Backer

Top Answerer

There is no format, no requirement, no template, no rules. The aim is to show how you feel, whether it's the first time the reader finds out about that or not, and any effort you put in will be appreciated. In fact, you should do anything you like: add stickers, use colors, add scent, fold it into a crane, use calligraphy, do anything you feel like.