Preventing Wedding Gift Theft

It’s unfathomable to think it, but many people actually plan to steal your wedding gifts. This would be a terrible thing to have happen, and it would leave a taint on your special day. It hurts not so much because of the monetary value of what is lost, but because someone you trusted enough to invite to this treasured event had so little regard of the day that they were focused on stealing from you.

Here are some tips for avoiding wedding gift theft.

Have a Small Wedding

One great way to avoid wedding gift theft is to have a small wedding. With fewer people, and only those who care most about you and who you trust absolutely, it’s easier to recognize crashers and less likely that anyone will steal your gifts.

Proper Gift Table Placement

If you are having a large wedding, you should put the gift table far from the entrances and exits, and in an area where there’s going to be lots of people for most of the wedding reception. Putting it near a snack or candy table will draw more people to the area who can keep an eye on it.

Greet All Your Guests

This is an easy thing to do, and it’s something etiquette dictates you should do, anyway. If you talk to all your guests, you’re more likely to be able to identify someone who doesn’t belong and who might be planning to steal gifts. But be forewarned: the ones who are considering stealing your wedding gifts might be the last ones you’d expect.

Appoint Someone to Keep an Eye on the Gift Table

If you are concerned, you can find a friend you trust to keep an eye on the gift table throughout the evening, then move gifts to your home when your guests have all arrived. If you’re really worried about it, you might even hire someone to keep an eye on the gift table.

Keep a Close Eye on the Card Box

Ideally, you should have a card box that is secure, with a lock, and only has a slit to put cards in. Keep an eye on this during the early part of the wedding, and remove it early—this is a favorite target because they know many people give cash at weddings.

Eliminate the Gift Table

If this is something that’s going to cause you stress on your wedding day, just eliminate it altogether. Let guests know that there isn’t going to be a gift table, and give them instructions about how you’re going to handle it. Having guests send gifts directly to your home is actually proper etiquette, but if you’d rather give people the option of giving you gifts on the day, have people give gifts directly to you.

All in all, your special day shouldn’t be spent worrying about material things. Instead, you should be free to think only about your love, so take whatever steps best free you from caring about this issue.

If you would like help planning a worry-free wedding, Stonebrook Manor can help. We have been helping brides have beautiful, memorable, and stress-free weddings for over a decade, and we would be honored to help you. Please contact us today for a tour.