A wedding gift table may be a small detail, but it plays an important role in your special day. Guests often want to bring gifts to show their love to you as a married couple, help financially support you on your honeymoon, and help you settle into married life. Whether it’s Aunty Linda gifting a nice bottle of wine or Grandma popping an envelope of cash into the wishing well for you to spend abroad, all your guests need a designated table to gift these to you. But who wants just a boring old table in the middle of the reception area? No one. While you must include some essential items, numerous choices exist to curate a unique wedding gift table setup to create an interactive, elegant feature of your wedding reception.
So, you’ve got your table. What now? What are the essentials for your gift table? To start with, a wishing well is a must. Many guests will bring cards and envelopes with a mix of cash and messages with best wishes for the future, particularly in some cultures where it is customary to give money to help pay for the wedding. At Markovina Estate, for example, we have multiple wishing wells, allowing you to match a wishing well to your wedding style and tie the gift table into your reception space.
Are you considering tying the gift table to your reception stylings? It's vital to decorate the gift table. Think flowers and candles matching your wedding table decorations or signage highlighting the purpose of the table as well as your names as the wedding couple. Not only will this wow guests, but it will also make the table pop in photos.
Finally, having a guestbook for your friends and family to sign and write you a message is vital. It means in the weeks, months, and years following your wedding, you can go back through your guestbook and read all the wishes, advice, and thanks from all the closest people in your life.
You’ve got the basics: a perfect gift table template ready for any wedding. Now it's time to add something special, not just for your guests, but to give you more to reflect on after your wedding. One great idea is having a few Polaroid cameras next to the signing book. Instruct your guests to take a fun photo of them either by themselves or in a group enjoying their day.
It could be just a snap next to the table or capture a picture exploring your chosen garden wedding venue while enjoying the sun. Next, get them to stick their picture in the guest book and add a heartfelt note. The result? A one-of-a-kind scrapbook filled with love and laughter from your big day. Not only will it make the guestbook more special, but your guests will also love using the cameras because, honestly, who doesn’t love a good Polaroid picture?
Want a sentimental twist?
Create a wedding time capsule for your guests to write messages into. You may be thinking, a time capsule? And yes, you heard me right. Just imagine: It's the morning of your first wedding anniversary. As you reminisce about that special day you said I do, you remember you made your guests write messages for you now just waiting to be opened. Now, you can reflect on the past year and see what advice and wishes everyone had for you after your first year of marriage.
The best way to set this up is to have cards and envelopes for your loved ones to write their messages on and then put into the envelope. Then, have a separate wishing well for these time capsule cards to be placed in, collecting them at the end of the night or in the morning the next day; ready to be locked away for the following year. Just advise your guests that this is the case and to write messages targeted to be read in a year.
Otherwise, let the guest table be yours and customise or theme it how you want. Having a rustic wedding? Get a rustic wishing well and a guestbook with old-looking paper. You could even have wax for your guests to seal their envelopes. Whatever you choose, your guests will write away their best wishes for your married life and shower you and your spouse with love and gifts.
Want some inspiration? Contact our team at Markovina Estate and explore our Kumeu garden wedding venue and our vast collection of complimentary wishing wells and decorations. Then let our team help you design the perfect gift table to make your dream wedding a reality
