Card box bolted to table??

I have heard of card boxes being stolen from weddings as well. I'm not sure though how you would go about securing it.

Can you maybe put a couple bricks in the bottom? make it too heavy to pick up casually?

Designate someone to take the cards to an undisclosed location throughout the reception. My mom will be emptying the card box every so often and storing them somewhere else. This way if anyone were to steal it they wouldn't get much. Although my venue also has security and so I would be suprised if someone walked out with it.

Blair, that's an awesome idea. A friend of mine had her card box stolen by an employee at her venue. From the LOCKED office after the wedding was over. Make sure a trusted friend or family member takes it home with them after the reception.

Andrea, first of all, thank you for letting vendors participate in your discussion.

As a wedding "singer", I've sung / played in almost 300 weddings. I've seen many wonderful things happen and unfortunately, some not so wonderful events. Theft is actually a common event at receptions - someone's digital camera, billfold, I even saw a fight over an umbrella (and it wasn't raining!).

Your FH is right. You are having a large reception and unless you assign two people to keep an eye on the card box the whole time, it could easily walk off.

Find a fun, decorative way to create a box that cannot be opened without a key, and chain or bolt it to the table. Or make it so big and visible that it would be hard to sneak away with it. Put bricks in the bottom to make it too heavy to carry. Creativity will be the key. But just be safe, because you don't want something like this to ruin the memory of your wedding day.

Warmest regards and best wishes!

Although I totally trust my guests, our reception is held in a venue that does more than one reception at a time, so it's possible for someone who's not a guest to sneak in a snatch the box. It's sad, but it does happen. I will be having a "box watcher" who takes all cards and takes them to the box in an undisclosed location. Better safe than sorry.

This is a really good post. We don't want to have to think about stuff like this, but it's a reality! I like Nalani's idea.

Wow....I never even thought about that happening. Thanks for posting about this, I was going to go for a cute little box but now I may come up with a better plan.

If you want to keep the cardboard box as your card box, maybe you can think of someone that can be a gift table guard? Some one that can greet guests, ask them if they have seen the guest book and direct them to how to find their seats.

It will only be for an hour (cocktail hour) Maybe have 2 people so they can tag out or bring each other drinks. Then when all the guests have arrived have the box removed from the room. Lock it in the brides room (where you have the only key) or in the trunk of someone's car.

Can you make a post to attach it to - and have it look like a mailbox? I think that would be cute and you could chain the post to a table. I agree something should be done with a wedding that big!!

Talk to your venue. They may have had this issue in the past and have already set up preventative measures. Ours had an attendant for the gift/ guestbook tables.

This is a valid concern. But to avoid theft, have someone (bridal party or parent, or wedding planner) take the contents of the box and lock it in a vehicle after cocktail hour is over. Gifts will be dropped off right as guests arrive so there shouldn't be any late drops. Or, if you don't mind having the card box removed from display, have the whole box moved to a secure location. Vehicles tend to work the best for this. I also recommend locking up all the gifts from the table just prior to entering the reception. You'll have peace of mind that they're safe, and it'll be one less thing to do at the end of the night.

This is a valid concern. But to avoid theft, have someone (bridal party or parent, or wedding planner) take the contents of the box and lock it in a vehicle after cocktail hour is over. Gifts will be dropped off right as guests arrive so there shouldn't be any late drops. Or, if you don't mind having the card box removed from display, have the whole box moved to a secure location. Vehicles tend to work the best for this. I also recommend locking up all the gifts from the table just prior to entering the reception. You'll have peace of mind that they're safe, and it'll be one less thing to do at the end of the night.

LOL!!! I'm so glad you posted this!!! I have the same issue!!! FH family has been known to take things that don't belong to them and this was my MAIN CONCERN...Especially knowing that when FH father passed away, they took the cards and was accepting cards on behalf of the family & they found out later that the checks had been cashed. I think that is crazy! We are still trying to figure how we are going to collect all of our cards and ensure that NONE of our guest hands thier card to anyone other that us...the bride and groom. LOL!!! GREAT POST!!!!

Wow...I mean i trust all my guests but i guess you never know especially with the staff. This is the card box my FMIL bought me and i originally thought it was hideous and hated it but since it is so big it would actually make hiding a few bricks inside pretty easy. Maybe its not such a bad card box after all.

I come from an Italian family. And tradition is to have a little white satin purse/bag to collect the cards. Cards were collected while we were socializing with the guests at cocktail hour. Grandma held on to the purse for safe keeping for awhile incase I missed any. Then the purse was locked up in the bride's room after dinner.

I frequently see the card box and gift table right inside the door where it would be easy for a grab & run.

Maybe it would be better if it were farther inside, closer to the cake table or the head table or the parents' tables.

Hayley C.....Woo Hoo! Way to go. This is the only thing I asked Cate to do. In our IA culture, while boxes/cages have become fashionable, the old people who write the big checks like to see that purse. And yes, my mother is the purse guard. God help anyone who even tries to touch the bag. lolol She will knock them out with her cane.

Even though she will be carrying the purse while she makes her dinner rounds to each table, some younger guests may be looking for a box/cage. Cate's venue provides a bird cage. It's ugly, so a friend found a cage at an auction and is re-doing it to fit her theme. Also, her venue provides video surveillance of the gift table. When I first heard about it, I thought it was a tad ridiculous, but hey, they are doing it for a reason.

I will mention to our wedding planner about this; perhaps having the card box locked up after cocktail hour. Our gifts were going to be locked up in her husband's vehicle anyways. (They are both old family friends and the husband is a retired city police officer, so no problems there).

Sadly there was a period of about a month in my city where someone was going around, dressing up all nice in a suit, walking into strangers wedding, and walking away with gifts and card boxes. Eventually the guy got caught somehow, but if someone looks like they belong they would probably get away with it. I agree put someone as a gift table attendant. This would put a very sad tinge to a wedding day!