8 easy ways to prevent your gifts from being stolen

Your wedding day is the happiest day of your life – you are marrying the love of your life and all of your friends and family are gathered in one spot to help you celebrate. The last thing on your mind should be the threat of your wedding gifts being stolen from a wedding crasher or worse yet, an invited wedding guest.  Unfortunately, snatching gifts is easier than you may think, and it is becoming more common in today’s society.  The good news: there are some easy steps you can take to avoid becoming a victim of this preventable crime.

8 easy ways to prevent your wedding gifts from being stolen at your wedding:

1. Create an online registry

   Make it your goal to have as many gifts delivered directly to your home as possible. By creating an online registry, guests can shop and ship directly through the store's website. This allows for the gift to arrive safely at your door without ever being brought to the reception.

2. Be conscious of the gift table placement

   The best location for a gift table is far away from all exits, in a corner of a well-populated area; because, in theory, the more populated the area, the harder it is to snatch gifts. You may consider combining the gift table with a candy or snack bar, so guests are frequently in and around the gift table area.

3. Say good-bye to the gift table altogether

   Don't allow wedding gift thieves any opportunity to spoil your day. Instead make a note on your invitation (or post a sign by your Guest Book), that there is not a gift table. Mention that you will personally visit each table during the reception. If guests choose to bring a card or gift, they may hand it to you at that time.

4. Appoint a gift attendant

   Select a trustworthy friend or family member to act as your gift attendant. Ask this person to keep a close eye on the gift table as soon as guests start arriving to the reception. Once dinner begins, gifts may be moved to an alternate location, such as a locked room in the reception venue or the bride and groom's suite.

5. Greet all guests personally

   Although you only typically invite close friends and family to your wedding, there may be several ‘plus one’ guests in attendance that you have never met. Greeting everyone personally will allow you to have a better idea of who is at your wedding. If you feel uncomfortable with someone you met, don't hesitate to ask your personal attendant (or friend or family) to ask them to leave.

6. The card box

   Create or purchase a secure card box (with a lock) for guests to deposit cards into. Ensure that the box has only one slit at the top and will remain locked throughout the evening. Give the key to a member of your bridal party or a family member; request that they keep an eye on the box until the party is in high gear, when it can be moved to a safe area.

7. Call out a wedding crasher

   If you see someone unfamiliar at your wedding, don’t hesitate to ask your wedding planner or venue coordinator to escort them out.

8. Purchase wedding insurance

   Markel event insurance offers wedding cancellation coverage, which includes protection against lost or damaged wedding gifts. Coverage also includes protection from other wedding nightmares, such as if a vendor goes bankrupt (or worse yet, just doesn't show up on your big day), damaged photography or even if a hurricane causes you to have to cancel or postpone your big event.  Policies start as low as $130, and can be purchased up to 14 days prior to your event. Markel also offers event liability insurance coverage, to help protect you if someone causes property damage to your wedding venue or if someone is injured at your event, for as little as $75. Purchase both event cancellation and event liability coverage and save up to 15%!

If a wedding gift thief does strike, be sure to call the police immediately. Also ask if your venue has any security cameras to help the police identify the culprit. In addition, if you chose to protect your day with wedding insurance, don’t forget to call your wedding insurance carrier to file a claim for the stolen gifts. The threat of your gifts getting stolen is real, but if you follow some of the tips listed above, hopefully you will deter any mischief to enjoy your wedding day without worry.