Card Box?

In our social circles and families, a regular open basket is the default. There is never another wedding taking place where a stranger would walk in and also cash gifts are not given. So there is no reason to steal them, nor has it ever happened, especially with a guestbook attendant, as our families don’t utilize signage when a real person serves that purpose. We have attended weddings where the couple chose things such as locked boxes and birdcages and the other guests we knew attending were equally confused on where to put them because it’s not common in our groups. We used a similar open basket and had zero issues with anything missing. And we also didn’t have to worry about cash gifts because most guests brought physical gifts to the gift table (same table as cards ad guestbook) as is familiar to our guests.


Ask friends and relatives who are married what worked for them. That will tell you what works for your families and social circles. What is commonplace on Pinterest will be foreign to some families.

I don’t care for visibly displayed card boxes because they are too much like a hint for gifts. We put cards in a safe in an adjacent room at the venue. Guests gave cards to H, who handed them over periodically to one of the parents. It wasn’t difficult.

We had something right outside the main door to the reception! We had our welcome sign, guest book and favors with little signs. The wicker basket held favors and the little white basket people threw the cards into

My sister once told me a box with a lid or maybe even a lock is preferred. It's not really to question the integrity of guests, but to deter any possible stranger from walking in and dipping their hands. Also, guests can feel comfortable depositing this, and they see you are gracious enough to keep their gifts secured in one location (versus envelopes of cash strewn about the party halphazardly).

You can easily make one out of boxes and cut a slit at the top of the lid. Most guests will drop their cards off during cocktail hour or when they walk into the reception space. Mine was placed on the table of escort cards and welcome favors. I had my planner remove this at the start of the reception and place in our hotel room safe. You do not need a guestbook attendant or person standing at your gift box, but it is best to request someone in charge of removing it or you can even place next to your sweetheart table.