Card box for no-gift wedding?

Put it out, I would also give a card. Probably with money or a gift card.

I dislike card boxes for the implication that you are expecting gifts. There’s usually a safe in a back room you or someone you trust can collect and store them in a secure place periodically,


Also, there is no such thing as a no gift wedding. According to etiquette you are not supposed to refer to gifts in any way, even to request no gifts or be thinking of them at all. Even if you do, some people will invariably send or bring gifts because they want to and it’s considered customary or obligatory depending on the etiquette source.

I would definitely put out a card box. You can find a nice one that matches your theme and decor that you might want to re-purpose after, that way if no one brings a card you still get some use out of it. A lot of couples who would prefer cash over gifts are advised to request “no gifts” on their website, and many guests interpret that to mean a card with cash instead. And then, of course, many others will follow your request for no gifts but not want to show up empty-handed and just bring just a card. My point is just I would expect a lot of your guests to bring a card, with or without inserting money, and they’ll be looking for someplace to put it.

I would not put out a card box if you specifically requested no gifts. I would be confused as a guest. I also find card boxes a bit presumptuous, just find somewhere you can put them for safe keeping (if you receive any).

Definitely have a card box or basket of some sort. Otherwise you, your coordinator, your families, your attendants, etc will have to carry them or take time to find a safe corner and you risk them getting lost in transit along the way. A box eliminates that chaos.


Traditional etiquette frowns on anything that states “no gifts” because it is a faux pas to announce in any way a request for or denying gifts. How that phrase is interpreted varies by social circle. Some view that as cash only is preferred and others view that as cards only is preferred because cash gifts are not given in that social circle. Despite what you read online, many people in real life do not confuse a greeting card from Hallmark or Target as a physical gift.
In our social circles, an open basket is placed on the gift/guestbook table and there is no confusion what it is for and there are no instances of it being stolen as the internet would lead you to believe happens at every wedding everywhere without exception since the dawn of time. Also, cash gifts are not given among our families so there is no risk of dangling a carrot for hypothetical thieves. In the rare instances where it has been said “no gifts” at anniversary parties which follow different guidelines, it’s understood to mean that Hallmark greeting cards are welcomed without issue.
If you are at an all inclusive venue where you have to share a space with another couple then you run the risk of strangers and thieves walking in. Otherwise it’s an urban legend that doesn’t happen in reality to the extent that is believed intended to scare people into following certain trends that their group would not otherwise.

We put on our website that we didn’t have room for more gifts but that if they wished to do something that we’d accept cash but that we weren’t expecting anything at all. Everyone gave us a card and everyone ended up giving us cash. I think most people will at least bring a card so I think a card box is fine

Card boxes are similar to a wishing well to me. The implicit message is you’re expecting something.