Card Boxes & Gift Tables

hellosweetie1015

banana468 said:

That's why off to the side but in the main area is fine.  You're not saying, "Put gifts here!" but it's a location if the guests choose to use it.

Now if you were like Connie Corleone walking around with a little white satin drawstring purse as you did table visits, THAT is expecting gifts.

You mean I can't do that?

FMIL bought us a nifty little birdcagey thing that I'm going to decorate and use as a card "box". I am super excited about it.

littlepep

hellosweetie1015 said:

banana468 said:

That's why off to the side but in the main area is fine.  You're not saying, "Put gifts here!" but it's a location if the guests choose to use it.

Now if you were like Connie Corleone walking around with a little white satin drawstring purse as you did table visits, THAT is expecting gifts.

You mean I can't do that?

FMIL bought us a nifty little birdcagey thing that I'm going to decorate and use as a card "box". I am super excited about it.

We're doing a birdcage too! My neighbor had one from her wedding so she's letting me borrow it. Saving money and it's cute

ashley8918

ConcreteTumbleWeed said:

I don't agree about the thank you cards.  I believe you should send thank you cards to everyone who attended the wedding (1 per family or guest).  

Here are some examples:

If they gave you a card with no monetary value: "Dear So and So, thank you for celebrating our marriage with us.  We were glad to see your smiling faces there and appreciate the love and support." (whatever you want to write).

If they gave you a card with monetary value: "Dear So and So, thank you for celebrating our marriage with us and for your generous gift.  We were glad to see your smiling faces there and appreciate the love and support." (whatever you want to write).

As a guest, I would appreciate getting a thank you card from the bride and groom.

This is not neccesary. The reception is the thank you to them for attending your wedding.

photokitty

ashley8918 said:

ConcreteTumbleWeed said:

I don't agree about the thank you cards.  I believe you should send thank you cards to everyone who attended the wedding (1 per family or guest).  

Here are some examples:

If they gave you a card with no monetary value: "Dear So and So, thank you for celebrating our marriage with us.  We were glad to see your smiling faces there and appreciate the love and support." (whatever you want to write).

If they gave you a card with monetary value: "Dear So and So, thank you for celebrating our marriage with us and for your generous gift.  We were glad to see your smiling faces there and appreciate the love and support." (whatever you want to write).

As a guest, I would appreciate getting a thank you card from the bride and groom.

This is not neccesary. The reception is the thank you to them for attending your wedding.

This. And it can come off as fishing for a gift. You already thanked them for coming with the reception. Presumably you were a gracious host and thanked them in person as well after the ceremony or during the reception via receiving line or table visits. To send a card thanking them again can suggest that you noticed the lack of physical gift and want to point it out in writing.

louxnoelle

kikilamp said:

louxnoelle said:

Thanks for all the interesting responses!

I do have to say, at the risk of asking a question and then ignoring the answers, that I still plan on having a card box, which will be placed on a gift table. I'm in the camp of it being less offensive to graciously accept and keep said gifts safe than to put on this awkward false modesty that leaves gifts and cards all over the place.

I think @redoryx's anticipation vs. expectation is a great way to phrase it.

I will, however, situate the table in a back corner so as to reserve a bit of dignity. Thanks, ladies!

@louxnoelle Just out of curiosity, what did you decide to do for a cardbox? I noticed you said you were going to DIY and I love seeing what everyone comes up with.

All of my wedding decor is something theatre-related, and our card box will be a suitcase repurposed so that when it's open it looks like a little stage with curtains and a banner that says "cards." I'll post a pic in the DIY forum when I finish.

banana468

photokitty said:

ashley8918 said:

ConcreteTumbleWeed said:

I don't agree about the thank you cards.  I believe you should send thank you cards to everyone who attended the wedding (1 per family or guest).  

Here are some examples:

If they gave you a card with no monetary value: "Dear So and So, thank you for celebrating our marriage with us.  We were glad to see your smiling faces there and appreciate the love and support." (whatever you want to write).

If they gave you a card with monetary value: "Dear So and So, thank you for celebrating our marriage with us and for your generous gift.  We were glad to see your smiling faces there and appreciate the love and support." (whatever you want to write).

As a guest, I would appreciate getting a thank you card from the bride and groom.

This is not neccesary. The reception is the thank you to them for attending your wedding.

This. And it can come off as fishing for a gift. You already thanked them for coming with the reception. Presumably you were a gracious host and thanked them in person as well after the ceremony or during the reception via receiving line or table visits. To send a card thanking them again can suggest that you noticed the lack of physical gift and want to point it out in writing.

This.    

My grandmother is old school and because we had the parents listed as cohosting together, she penned a lovely TY note to my ILs for hosting her at the wedding. 

fyrchk

banana468 said:

Now if you were like Connie Corleone walking around with a little white satin drawstring purse as you did table visits, THAT is expecting gifts.

*steps out to return white satin drawstring purse* ha!

Seriously though, was in a wedding where the bride made herself a drawstring purse to put money from the dollar dance in. I died inside.

justsie

When checking out wedding videographers I stumbled across this one, and they had a video of a wedding on their website to showcase what they do (obviously). I kid you not during the reception there is video of the BP running around collecting money as a competition. Like the BMs were collecting for the bride and the GM for the groom and whoever collected the most money won something (it did not show what they won, sadly). 

I couldn't imagine being a guest, eating my dinner and having the WP run up at me each side begging and pushing for money and then have to smile about it because there is a camera in my face. 

I was made worse by the fact that this was about 5 minutes of the video. And my mom thought it was a good idea.