Card Boxes?
April 8th, 2008 @ 6:15 pm by Mrs. Cream Puff
I am so confused. I swear, I have never heard of or seen a card box at an actual wedding. This is one of those projects that I think may have been invented by the DIY Gods to pressure people to come up with something as cute as the birdcage-as-a-card-box project. Do I really need to do this? Do people actually use these? Where does it go? Do people actually have gift tables at weddings? I don’t think I have ever seen one! Before I started questioning whether or not I needed a card box, I made one. I thought to myself, “I need a card box, and this here cardboard box thing at Paper Source will do me just fine.” So I bought it.
Cutting a hole in the top of that sucker was not easy, especially when your hands are weak and hurt all the time. But I managed it, because I thought (at the time) that I needed a card box. I then covered it in pretty lokta turquoise paper and tied it with a pretty purple bow:
And then I looked at it. And it looked back at me, rather innocently (doesn’t it look innocent? I think it looks pretty innocent. That’s an innocent bow if I ever saw one).
I looked at it and thought, “do I actually need this?”
Honestly, I am kind of underwhelmed by this project. It’s nothing special (I feel kind of guilty saying that about such an innocent card box, but it’s true). At the same time, I realize that I don’t need to be totally thrilled about every project I do. But then I look at it and can’t help but think, “do I even NEED this?!” So here’s my question for you guys: Do I actually need a card box? Where do I even put it?
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52 Responses to “Card Boxes?”
I’ve seen a gift table at every wedding I’ve been to b/c some friends or family are local or dont do the online ordering. I’d stick the box on there. The only time I haven’t seen a gift table was at a Jewish wedding - and you better believe that there was a big’ol card box b/c everyone gave cards filled with $$!
Thought for others who want to make their own but lack a little in the DIY dept… Tissue boxes!!! (no worrying about cutting that damn slot! - just decorate it decoupage or paper style… or jewels - whatever.)
I have never been to a wedding that didn’t have a gift table! I have actually been to a reception at someone’s house where there was an entire gift room! But I think that is the norm in Oklahoma. We usually just put a basket on the gift table for cards, however, when this doesn’t happen the gift table is a mess and the cards will sometimes fall on the floor (and possibly get lost). SOMEONE is going to bring you at least a card, and where will you put it if you don’t have a card box?
I’ve never seen one at an actual wedding; I’ve only seen them on websites and message boards. I think it varies by area of the country and your crowd. We just have gift tables and then people lay their cards on those.
The box was recommended to me by my DOC to prevent anyone from making off with cards that have cash in them. I haven’t made mine yet. If you don’t use yours, can I have it? It looks great.
perhaps your innocent box could be spiced up a little? it’s so pretty with the bow, but after all the excitement you always have for DIY, I think you’re not as pleased as you could be. Maybe put your names on it, date, decoupage, etc. . .
Okay. HOW did you cut your little slot?! I got that exact thing from Paper Source (’cept mine is square rather than oval, so I guess it’s not the same) and I’m puzzled as to how to make a slot without cutting off my digits. Help!
Not a pleasant thought and no one expects their guest to do this but a good reason to use a bird cage is that its obvious if someone is taking it (stealing it - wedding crashers? not referencing the movie).
You may also want to keep your card box in a place where it can be kept in sight by someone.
Oh yeah, and make sure you have someone sitting there watching that card box w/the money inside like a hawk AT ALL TIMES! You hear of many stories where the card box was left alone for a few minutes and all the red envelopes somehow got stolen! If you are going to be getting a lot of red envelopes, sporadically have someone take them out and give them to a family member to keep on their person in a pocket or purse or something that will not be put down anywhere.
I have seen card boxes at weddings before. I don’t think you need one. Skip it if it doesn’t excite you.
I work at a reception hall and we always have a gift table and it is expected that some type of box or basket to hold the cards will be provided.
We had a card box at our wedding. We did get a few gifts on the table, like a total of 5, and while some people purchased stuff and had it sent straight to our apartment, the majority of our guests brought cards with checks/money/gift cards. By having a box, we were able to grab it on our way out of the venue, leaving the gifts to be transported back to our apartment, and take the money with us. Our wedding was on a Saturday, and no banks were open on Sunday. So we deposited all the checks in an ATM the next day and used the cash as extra honeymoon money!
If you don’t bring your presents to the weddings, you probably never even look for the gift table - but there usually is one, somewhere near the coat rack, or the guest book table. And its a good idea to have the card box/basket/birdcage so that cards that have no presents don’t get lost somewhere, or at least have their own place to go so you don’t spend tons of time trying to figure out which present they fell off of. My mother is adamant that we need a card basket, so I know that its not some new-fangled kind of DIY invention, because she’s pretty old school.
hee hee youre funny…im pretty sure every wedding I’ve been to had a gift table? Its not usually somewhere obvious? But you definitely need one, methinks! Last few weddings I’ve been to I’ve definitely seen a heap of gifts on a table somewhere…
Card boxes scare me. What if some passerby walks off with all the cards? I think it’s too risky. We had my grandmother carry a satin “money bag” (not my term, but that’s what the label said at Michael’s) and she held onto the cards all night. When she got up and danced, she made sure someone else was holding on to the sack. Just a note: we got a lot of cards and the sack starting tearing.
Whatever dude, your card box is fabulous!
asian weddings = must have card box + must have attendant for card box!
Sorry Ms. Puff, but you DO NEED the CARD BOX! It’s very pretty by the way, no need for any more jazzing. Every project doesn’t have to be over the top.
You’re guests have to have somewhere to put the cash and giftcards! We didn’t have a registry, so that’s pretty much all we got was cash and cards, but even if you’re registered, there are just some people who aren’t going to be bothered with that process, and buy a card and stick some $ in it. Usually, you’re card box is on the gift table with someone you trust to keep an eye on it (you’re attendants maybe). Somehow, ours ended up at the end of our sweetheart table, because people kept moving it there. They were concerned for our loot I guess!
sigh…I really really want a card box. But my FMIL insists that we have to have a “grandma bag”?! WTF? So she is making me a satin bag for a Grandma (both of mine have been dead for over 13 years) to hang on to after guests have put their cards in it. I totally don’t get it but I got to let her win one battle!
yeah it might be an Asian thing. hehe. btw: how did you cover in paper so smoothly. can u email me: jouwonp@hotmail.com I’m trying to figure out how to cover mine w/out painting the darn thing. ps. don’t do anything u don’t want to do just bc it’s “wedding”. do what is u and what u need/want!
There has been a gift table at every wedding I’ve been too. I’ve never seen a card box before, though. However, I am going to use one at mine because every bride or groom I’m friends with has complained later about losing cards.
Not everyone will give you a big boxed and wrapped present, and it’s likely that a card (w/ cash or a check in it) will get lost.
Hmm…I thought that Mr. CP’s dad would be in charge of the envelopes, for some reason…I guess we DO need a box. Oh well. Thanks, ladies!
Janger2Be–I know, right!? I used a heavy-duty box cutter. My little x-acto knife just wasn’t tough enough.
heavnzbrat–I used PVA glue. Just paint the glue directly onto the box, then smooth the paper over it. Around the sides, I cut the paper to size, and then glued and smoothed in about 4-inch bits. Hope that makes sense!
I think your box looks adorable… I love the simplicity of it juxtaposed with the vibrant colors. So now that you’ve got it, and it’s adorable, you might as well use it, right?!?! 
I think people will be looking for a place to put their cards.
I’ve never been to a wedding that didn’t have a gift table and a card box. Maybe it’s a regional thing, but it’s the most secure way to keep the gifts safe, I think. If you’re worried about security, all the weddings also usually have someone keeping watch on the box until all the guests have arrived.
I should say, all the weddings *I’ve* been to have had someone doing the safekeeping.
I think it’s a good idea. And I have heard of people walking off with the baskets or boxes full of the cards. usually it’s wedding crashers , your’s looks so pretty and is a nice loud colour. You’d deffinatly see someone trying to swipe your cardbox!
yes u will definitely need it for the asian guests (particularly older asians-like parents generation)
You will definately need this gift box!!! It’s an easy way to keep all the cards together and definately when transporting the cards after the ceremony/reception.
At our wedding we had a “guest welcome table” setup right by the entrance of the church doors. We designated 2 friends to be in charge of this. One to organize all the gifts coming in and hte other to assist with the guestbook and “money” box (as we referred to our “special” gifts).
As the guests came in, they signed the guestbook along with giving their gifts and cards. A very simple and easy way to keep track of who gave what, simply ask your “greeters” to mark down a number on the back corner of the card (which coordinates with the number in the guestbook). This will save you LOADS of time when it comes to writing your thank you cards.
Also, it may happen that this box will get full..so you may want ot have a back up. maybe a large glass vase/bowl.
and I agree with the comments above, make sure you assign someone to take care of this box (to transport and leave in a secure place).
Ah, I’m expecting to use one of the dozens of crate and barrel boxes or other boxes that have come in the mail and covering IT with paper. We’ll also be making a big trip to the ATM to make deposits between the wedding and Monday morning. Hello honeymoon!
And yes, most every wedding I’ve been to has had some sort gift table… sometimes with just a few presents, sometimes overflowing.
every asian wedding ive been to has had a money/card box. i guess its bc its tradition to gift cash. make sure that someone you trust is in charge and they guard it with their life. ive heard of some people who has had theirs stolen!! (awful, i know)
Where did you get the ribbon? It looks like the perfect shade of purple that I am looking to use in my wedding! Thanks!!
you HAVE to have a card box at chinese weddings. i’m chinese and it’s typical for chinese to give money. plus, assign a person to be in charge of the box during the ceremony and the reception (even if this person must carry the box around or transfer the cash/cards to a bag…) never leave it unattended!!!
I think it’s a good idea… cards have a habit of getting lost among all the gifts if they aren’t attached to one. If it’s got money in it, you certainly don’t want to forget to thank the giver. I think they’re practical. But I agree that someone should be keeping an eye on it. I know someone who had the top tier of her cake stolen (weird, but people take things!) - card boxes are much more practical to steal…
I’m delegating that task to someone else, then. I can’t trust myself with sharp objects!
You totally need some sort of card box or holder. These days it seems that people are so rushed they forget to get a gift and at the last minute write a check or give cash. People also often bring presents to the wedding if you are having a local wedding especially if there are elderly people who do not use the internet much. If you have any sort of destination wedding most people will do cards.
I’m likewise mystified by the cardbox (though everyone’s comments have gone a long way toward clearing my confusion). Yours looks quite lovely though. Make me one in grey? Please?
I must say that your box looks great especially the colors…
If you’re marrying into an Asian family and there’s a lot of Asian guests…YOU DO NEED IT! Even if it’s about the culture…I think some people save themselves the trouble of choosing something when they can just put money in a box.
I don’t really think it has much to do with Asian culture. If you have a wedding, and you have guests, you’ll get cards with checks in them. Card boxes are standard in my experience — you put it on the gift table/near your guestbook/somewhere obvious when guests walk in. I think it’s far more “essential” than a lot of the other details you’ve probably already spent time on — if for no other reason than to cut down on guests handing their cards to you while you’re trying to mingle.
My reception venue offered to supply a box (although I too ended up making one), and they had a staff member put it in the safe at the end of the cocktail hour. I put my brother in charge of the key.
There has to be some difference in this with the size of the wedding or how much cash is given. I’ve never heard of someone stealing money from a wedding, with all of the cards out in plain view. Then again, very few people give money, and most that do write a check.
i was totally going to scrap this project — I just didn’t think it was necessary. But 40 comments later, I’m thinking it should be back on the “to do” list. Darn.
RE: People walking off with the card box - It might be a good idea to periodically empty the box throughout the night. If you’re at a hotel, lock the cards in your room safe, otherwise, lock them in your (or a friends) glovebox in their car.
maybe instead of a small box like this, you could pick up a birdcage at a thrift store or a flea market and clean it up and paint it. That is what people do in my family, and you just slip the cards in the slots and no one can get them out, and certainly someone would recognize a theif running away with a big old birdcage!
I just moved to TX and it’s a really popular item for Texans. When I tell them that I am making a lot of things for the wedding, one of the first questions they ask is about the card box. They even have special stores that rent them for that purpose!
We’re not having one, sorry to crush any Taxan spirits. If my guests can’t figure it out then that’ll be too bad for us I guess.
I had NO IDEA what card boxes were until yesterday when I figured it out after your post. Before that I would see references to card boxes but I assumed they were for a guestbook or something.
I was (and am) pretty clueless - people just handed us envelopes of cash and checks, and Mark put them in his pocket or I put them in a bag we brought to carry random crap to the wedding.
The box looks really nice by the way!
Yes, you need a card box, no matter what ‘type’ of wedding it is. The number one comment I overheard at the last wedding I attended was ‘where’s the card box?’. There was a (fairly obvious) gift table set up right by the door, but no box and I think that most people felt uncomfortable leaving cards with money/checks just lying around.
At my high school graduation party, someone walked off with a whole bunch of cards from my card basket. We found all the cards/open envelopes in a neighbors yard, but all the cash&checks had been taken! I will be having a card box - and guard. I have no idea if it was a friend, family member or stranger who took off with my stuff, but I don’t want it to happen again! I think people are less likely to try and walk off with a big box then they are a handful of cards.
I have seen a card box of some type at every wedding I’ve been too… I would prefer to have a box or something to put the card into to ensure that the couple actually receives it… pretty crappy for someone to take off with the $$ but I guess there are people that do that!?
I think your box is simple and pretty…
Agree with everyone above that Asians and Jewish people will bring cards with money in them, so you need some place to put them. Most weddings I’ve been to have a gift table, and that’s where the card box or birdcage goes. BTW, love your purple bow!
The FI and I both being Portuguese, we’ve never been to a wedding where there wasn’t a card box because everyone always gives money. Your card box is gorgeous, love the colour. For a friend’s wedding, she got three hat boxes in different sizes, covered them with white fabric and decorated it like a wedding cake using her wedding colours. A lot of people actually thought the card box was the cake!
I think we’ll be using this ikea cube — http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/97322800 — with a slot cut into the top, a locking mechanism and some hinges. Then, we can use it afterwards in our home too!
Mrs. Cream Puff, San Francisco Bay Area
Age and Occupation: 25, Illustrator
Fiance's Age and Occupation: 31, Merchandise Planner
Engagement Date: May 27, 2007
Wedding Date: August, 2008
Blogging Since: February 7, 2008
Venue: Ceremony at Crissy Field and Reception at the Green Room
About Me: I never dreamed about my wedding as a little girl because I was too busy playing in the mud or pretending to be Martha Stewart–but now that it's here, I'm having a fabulous time DIYing everything in sight! We’re planning a very fun multicultural wedding (I'm Jewish and Mr. Cream Puff is Chinese), filled with as many personal details as I can muster.
If you are expecting asian guests, you need a card box to keep the cash filled envelopes safe.