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This past weekend, my FILs attended a wedding at a hotel here in Austin. They had a wonderful time, but we were appalled, as were they, when they proceeded to retell us the story of the card box.
Apparently the card basket was located outside of the reception area, in the foyer. There was a security guard on duty and the couple had also hired a wedding coordinator. At some point during the reception (they think it was during the cake cutting) the ENTIRE card box and all its contents was stolen.
After realizing this had happened, guests immediately started calling retailers from which they had purchased gift cards, but unfortunately, the thief(ves) beat them to the punch. By the time the calls were placed, the retail stores had already been visited by the thieves and the gift cards were depleted.
Now I’ve heard of people taking items from weddings like the bathroom basket, the centerpieces, an extra piece of cake…. but the couple’s gifts? It’s not only heartbreaking for the newlyweds to deal with that, but also for the guests who brought them the gifts. It really makes you think twice about hiring people who are going to be around you and your loved ones at such an important event in your lives.
Although I feel like our vendors and invitees are beyond trustworthy, we are now thinking of moving our gift table into the reception area after it is opened/during the dinner to prevent any “disappearances”. I don’t think our venue is as threatened by unwanted visitors compared to a hotel where people are coming and going, but I guess you can never be to sure.
Are you doing anything to protect your valuables on your important day?
**On a side note, I find it funny that there will be two loss prevention managers at our wedding (attending as guests) and one former loss prevention employee (Mr. Beagle!!), so I don’t think we will have a problem ;)… although, at the wedding my in-laws attended, there were several lawyers at the reception, one being the bride. :O
omg…. that poor couple! I can’t believe that some people are so horrible! Unbelievable!
My fiance and I have rented the entire mansion where our ceremony and reception will take place for the entire weekend. The bridal suite is upstairs, and should we receive any gifts that night, we’re just going to take them up and lock them away. I realize it’s a bit paranoid, but I’m not even willing to take the chance on having a card box. I know my friends won’t steal from me, but I don’t want to risk having to interrogate the people who work there should something vanish.
how horrible! like you said, that is just heartbreaking! hmm maybe we all need to rethink our card/gift table strategies.
This is compounded in an Asian wedding where it is customary to gift cash gifts. I have heard of weddings where although there were securities in place and the transporting of the gift box immediately after the gifts are collected, people who were transporting the box was actually beaten during the transport! It’s crazy!
Thankfully we didn’t see this as a potential issue (and it wasn’t) since we had our bed & breakfast for our group for the entire weekend. However, I have a friend planning a hotel ballroom reception and her wedding coordinator plans to empty their cardbox and take them to their locked bridal suite after everyone has moved into the reception area. They’ll leave wrapped gifts but remove all cards…and after reading this post I think that might be a wise idea!
The card box at my brother’s wedding was rifled through this summer, all cards opened and any cash was taken. Luckily, most cards contained checks and no other gifts were stolen. Their reception was held under a tent at an inn outside and the theft occurred after the “older folk” had gone back to their rooms (all the rooms were booked by people at the wedding) and the “young folk” had continued the party on the beach. My brother and his wife were very lucky in only having a few gifts stolen, but please be sure that gift security is something that you think of during wedding planning!!
That is so awful!!! 
Our card box was protected in our reception location by our DOC, and they took the card box and all of our gifts to our house after our first dance. Honestly though, before the box left the building I think it would have been easy for someone to swipe it! So scary.
That is so horrible. Sometimes I feel like I am being paranoid the way I have gifts guarded at a wedding, but after reading this it reminds me that it’s better to be safe than sorry.
One of my friend’s had her bouquet stolen the night of the wedding!
Eeeek almighty! That solves it, I’m moving our gift table into the reception!
ugh i’m so sorry to hear that happened to that couple i wonder if the hotel videos came up with anything suspicious.
our venue has a walk in safe so as soon as all the guests have delivered their cards/gifts, my FI will accompany our site coordinator to the safe. only brides and grooms are allowed in the safe- not even members of the bridal party or parents!
that just royally irks me to the core! my wedding is on an island in the middle of the ocean so if someone wants to try something like that they will not have far to go unless they take a row boat from the camp at the same time… but still wont be getting far. so i guess that is my solution to this problem, and at the wedding its direct family and friends no one else. might i add that my location is also a great place to feed you to the fishies!
It’s horrible that this is happening. The hotel our reception is at does have a nice layout. We are in the basement floor so there will not be any regular guests who will be near our event unless they get lost. Our catering manager has already told us that he will be leaving us with the key, and when right while dinner is being served, the FH is to take the key and unlock the box & either take it to our room or if he is comfortable, they will place it in the vault behind the desk.
I worry about this. My reception venue has a large deck (where we are having a tent) which extends onto the beach. While it won’t be mid summer so tourists should be few, I feel like it will be so easy for anyone to wander in via the deck. I was thinking if the card box is large and obnoxious, no one will be able to walk off with it but then you write about the whole box being stolen and a PP mentioned someone going through the box. Maybe we need to have a plan to move the cards somewhere but it is not a hotel so we don’t have a room close by.
I can’t believe people do this. SO horrible. Plus I feel like you have to protect your stuff, but don’t want to act like you don’t trust the people around you, either. Yuck!
@ Miss Bliss: that is just bizarre! What is someone going to do with a stolen bridal bouquet!?
I was recently the MOH in my sister’s wedding. Immediately after the cocktail hour, I emptied the card box contents into my purse, which was kept at the head table with me the whole night. Most of the gifts had been given at that point, but I put the cardbox back out just in case. This was a really great solution because my purse was under the head table, and not many people knew it was there. I’ve heard of horror stories like this happening and can’t imagine! How terrible for the couple
that is so horrible. i will definitely have to tell my friend about this and see what we would need to do even though everyone that will be at the wedding will be family or close friends.
Wow, that’s terrible. Our event coordinator at the venue actually suggested a location for the gift table that took this into account. We were going to put it closer to the door, but he suggested that we place the table on an interior wall, making it harder to swipe anything. Our venue was a public place with a lot of people around, so I’m glad we did it.
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Mrs. Beagle, Austin Age and Occupation: 26, Electrical Engineer Fiance's Age and Occupation: 28, Finance Engagement Date: July 12, 2008 Wedding Date: October 2009 Venue: Church Ceremony/Reception at The Waterford House About Me: I am a true, but rare, Austinite---I was born, raised, and continue to live in this great city! Although I am an engineer by day, I feed my inner creative side through crafting, sewing, and obsessing over Martha Stewart. I love coffee, my mister, NPR, and exploring all the nooks and crannies of Austin. I can't wait to share my adventures in DIY and wedding planning with all of you!
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