Don't Let a Criminal Swipe Your Wedding Gifts
Brides, read this story and then make sure the gift table at your wedding is in a secure location. Apparently, swiping still-wrapped wedding gifts and cash envelopes intended for the newlyweds is a lucrative business for many shameless criminals.
Case in point, a New Jersey wedding guest allegedly stuffed his pants pockets full of the cash left as gifts for the bride and groom. After being spotted slinking around the venue’s coat room, the 18-year old slipped over to the gift table and walked off with all he could run off with. After being spotted and called out for his alleged crime, other tuxedo-clad male guests at the wedding chased him out into the woods and tackled him to the ground, recovering the stolen property and giving him a good beating in the process.
Just be warned that this is not an isolated case. These types of criminals are lurking everywhere. They can be wedding crashers specifically hopping from one event to another to steal wedding gifts. Or, as in the case of this New Jersey man, they can actually be guests to the wedding – typically the “plus one” of an invited guest. This is why it is always a good idea to ask guests to send gifts directly to your home before or after the event; or, if that is not possible, make sure that they are being stored in a very secure place, preferably with an attendant watching guard.
Also, wedding gifts, including the bride and groom gifts to each other, can also be stolen from your home while you are away on a honeymoon or before the wedding. You should never post in a wedding announcement that you will be on a honeymoon, as this puts criminals on notice that your house is prime for the picking. Actually, if you are going on a trip immediately after the wedding, consider leaving your gifts at the home of a close family member for safekeeping. And, definitely deposit all checks and cash directly into the bank. Also, remember that “chatting” about your gifts and post-wedding plans on Facebook or Twitter can also spread the word that you are leaving valuables at home unattended.
