It's not something anyone wants to think about, but, wedding gifts can and do walk away from a wedding reception.
The card box is especially enticing to someone who may be tempted to "help themselves." As a Philadelphia area wedding planner, I have been asked on more than one occasion by clients to watch for anyone lurching around the gift table. So, here are a few tips to keep your wedding gifts safe.
If your gift table is in the area where cocktail hour is held or if it is in a lobby area, make sure that your card box is a locked container. An antique bird cage is very pretty. There are also beautiful custom boxes that are only accessible after the wedding--by you! Whatever you choose to hold cards at your wedding, make sure that it is visible during the cocktail hour and not off to itself in an obscure corner, or even worse, near the exit.
After cocktail hour, bring the gift box closer to you. That serves two purposes: 1. It makes it easy to slip a card into it when someone hands you an envelope. And, 2. It keeps that box in clear view all evening.
If you can't keep the card box safe after cocktails, have your wedding planner or the venue or banquet manager lock up that box in a safe place. I often put the box in the bridal suite or an office and then if we need to access it, we can safely.
Many venues have a designated spot for the card box after cocktail hour. Be sure to ask your venue manager what the safest way is to protect those gifts. Whatever you choose, just be sure that at the end of the evening, you go home with your wedding gifts!
~ Wendy Hartigan, Angel of Hearts Weddings