DIY Wedding Forum

card box suggestions please

I need a card box for my wedding but I don't really want to spend the money I've seen them go for. The least expensive one I've seen is $80. I feel like I could make it and save. Does anyone have any suggestions as far as how to make it? Materials to use and stuff like that. Thanks!!

Re: card box suggestions please

  • Have you checked out hobby/craft stores?

    I found a small trunk like this at I think Michaels, and with a coupon got it for like $10.

    You could also do a bird cage or other decorative storage container

    I googled DIY card box and a bunch of tutorials came up.

    image
  • I bought a very basic model for $10 on Amazon then decorated it with a bit of extra ribbon. Very easy.
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  • cgss11cgss11 member
    5 Love Its Name Dropper First Anniversary First Comment
    I got a Martha Stewart pre made one from Amazon. It was white with swiss dots, which kind of matched my 'theme'. I spruced it up with some ribbon and flowers using a glue gun. Very easy!
  • I got one of those wooden chests from Michael's (in the wood aisle) for like $15 with a coupon. We stained it with some leftover stain from a project at home and burned our names and our date into it. I already had the burner for another project. 

    You could do that and stain or paint it.You could paint your names or leave it plain and put some ribbon/silk flowers on it. 

    It was a cheap, fun project. If you don't want to DIY it, just go to amazon and type "card box" into the search. You'll get a ton of options that are way cheaper than $80.
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    image
  • cgss11 said:

    I got a Martha Stewart pre made one from Amazon. It was white with swiss dots, which kind of matched my 'theme'. I spruced it up with some ribbon and flowers using a glue gun. Very easy!

    That's the one I had!
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  • Have you looked on Pinterest? They have tons of card box ideas. 
  • Go to home depot & buy a small moving box for under $2,00. Tape it up & cut a slot on it. You can either decorate it wrapping paper or fabric. If you go the fabric route, Joann fabrics has coupons available on their app almost weekly. Then you can add trim or whatever you want to dress it up. Don't go too crazy spending money on it because you'll probably throw it away afterwards.
  • allyballyoopallyballyoop member
    First Anniversary 5 Love Its First Comment Name Dropper
    edited May 2015
    kmedeiros89, I stumbled upon this crate at an antiques mill shop for $8 and it's got the perfect sized slot for a card box! It's turned upside down in this picture, so I'm going to just get something to cover the bottom and paint/dress it up. I might even leave the wood as is and paint "Cards" on it. 

    I suggest taking a look at an antique or vintage shop - you never know what you'll find and it'll most likely be unique! 

    ___

    ETA: boooo the photo won't load!
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  • I bought a generic box with a hinged lid from Michaels, and covered it with fabric in our colours. 
    **The OMH formerly known as jsangel1018**
  • I'm planning to use one of our cloth-lined organizational baskets. I'm not even going to decorate it directly. I'm going to wash the liner, make sure the basket is clean, then plunk it on the table with a few silk flowers next to it. I might go so far as to attach a tag with "CARDS" on it, but I might not.

    If I use an existing basket, I'll be spending about $5 for silk flowers. If I decide to splurge and feed my basket addiction, it could go as high as $40, but it will also be something I will use in my house for many years to come.
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  • We are using a lantern that we bought from Ikea for $15.
    Part of our centerpieces are actually using the exact same lantern, just in a smaller size.

    image

  • We used a "Nuc Box" (think mini beehive) with an opening made with a router for the top.  It went with the Honey part of our theme (we had small honey bears for favors) and didn't break the bank.

    I agree with the PP - cardboard box with a slot cut in it...  Instead of wrapping paper, you could just spray paint it instead as it gives a different "look".  There are tons of card boxes out there on the market for far less than $80... 

  • doeydodoeydo member
    First Anniversary First Comment First Answer 5 Love Its
    You can DIY one using picture frames.  Here is a tutorial: http://www.projectwedding.com/ideas/101343/diy-photo-cardbox-instructions
    And how it might look in the end:
    image
    image
  • We just used a pretty art deco style bowl I found at an antique store for less than 10 bucks. I tasked my dad with  grabbing all the cards out of it during cocktail hour and sticking them somewhere safe. Now we have a pretty bowl that reminds us of our wedding, and that we can use as a centerpiece in our dining room. 
  • I'm going with the bird cage card box. MY FSIL gave it to me after she used it at her wedding. I just removed all of the decorations she had and added my own in our wedding colors. You can't beat free! 

    I've seen these at Michael's, Hobby Lobby and Joann Fabrics for pretty cheap if you can wait for a nice coupon! 
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  • cgss11cgss11 member
    5 Love Its Name Dropper First Anniversary First Comment
    Since I just got mine out (wedding in 4 days, eek!), here is the aforementioned Martha Stewart box I spruced up a bit.
  • cgss11 said:
    Since I just got mine out (wedding in 4 days, eek!), here is the aforementioned Martha Stewart box I spruced up a bit.

    haleyk620 said:
    I'm going with the bird cage card box. MY FSIL gave it to me after she used it at her wedding. I just removed all of the decorations she had and added my own in our wedding colors. You can't beat free! 

    I've seen these at Michael's, Hobby Lobby and Joann Fabrics for pretty cheap if you can wait for a nice coupon! 
    hayleyk620 you most definitely cannot beat free! especially for the wedding since everything adds up so quickly.
    cgss11 very pretty

    I ended up buying paper mache boxes, fabric, ribbon and a little bling. Then I took the monogram from my wedding invite to finish it off. Grand total cost a little under $40. It was a little bit more work than I was expecting but I'm pretty happy with the outcome. 
  • Hello...I am just finishing up my card box.  It's a card board travel trunk I found at Home Depot.  I placed some material in the center to break up the design and match some of my other DIY's.  The table it will be on is small and it will be sitting upright as you see it.  I'm placing a slot on the top for cards today.
  • @kmedeiros89 - where did you get the boxes and what size are they? I bought a set of 8,9,10 inch boxes and they look too small.


  • edited June 2015
    You can make a card box; it's really very easy.  I'm not a crafty person at all, but I watched a video on how to make one and just went from there.  It actually came out really, really nice.  I'm very impressed with myself and it only cost about $20 to make.  I got all the supplies at a craft store and used % off coupons and sales to get a good deal. 

    I basically purchased 3 crafting boxes (cardboard material), paint, a paintbrush, ribbon and some fake flowers.    You cut the boxes (this is where the video comes in handy), paint everything, glued it together and added the ribbon/flowers. 
  • I went to a local wine store and asked them for a wooden wine crate - I would have paid for it, but they very generously gave it to me for free!

    Then I etched our initials into the top (my office had a printer that etched into wood) - and mounted a nautical cleat to the top (we had a nautical theme), which I had purchased at a nearby marine supply store, and my DH carefully used a drill to cut a slit for the cards into the top.

    Total cost was under $12.

  • Have you checked with your reception venue? We were agonizing over what to do, and then in casual conversation with the site coordinator we found out they actually have one of those bird cages that couples can use. Easy, free, and doesn't require me having to figure out what to do with it after the fact. Worth asking! 
  • I bought a "suitcase" box from Home Sense (they sell them at Michaels & Winners too). I just jazzed it up a bit by making a small sign that I blue to the inside of the lid that says "CARDS", glued some fake flowers around it, and then lined the bottom in burlap. Cost me maybe $10/20? Not even. 
  • fyrchkfyrchk member
    First Anniversary First Answer 5 Love Its First Comment
    I am using a small guitar case because we are having a 1950's rock and roll theme. I'm going to use a string with small cardboard records attached to it to spell out "cards."
  • currently thinking either a birdcage a friend brought for their wedding or I have a couple vintage suitcases from auction sale loving grandma. alot of our decor is going to be found objects from my or my parents house - have an antique typewriter I picked up at a garage sales as a teenager that is going to be placed beside our guest book :)
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  • I'm using an old suitcase covered in "travel stickers" since we aren't doing a traditional registry but are doing a honey fund. Cost: $0. I printed the stickers from google image searches and glued them on with a glue stick. We just have to cut a slot in the side for cards and envelopes.
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