Gardaí warn brides and grooms to keep cards safe, following numerous thefts at wedding receptions

20th October 2022

Gardaí are warning newlyweds to watch out for wedding cards being stolen, following a number of reported thefts at receptions recently.

Cork Garda Sergeant John Kelly said there has been numerous reports of wedding cards, containing cash, being stolen from hotels.

Fermoy based Sergeant Kelly said the “first thing” wedding guests want to do is “get rid of the card” as fast as possible so they can enjoy themselves.

He said newlyweds should task a member of the bridal party with collecting the cards and then place them in a hotel safe.

He said when cards are stolen nowadays it’s even more serious as many young couples rely on the cash to pay for the wedding.

Sergeant Kelly raised the issue with “one incident in mind”.

“[There is] The possibility of repetition of it happening, I heard of it happening years ago as well. Weddings, we’re back now post-Covid with big weddings, and I suppose more and more people are going to weddings with an envelope with maybe €200 in it,” he said.

“The bride and groom they need to have a plan in place, who is actually looking after that money on that happy day. You don’t want to turn a happy day into a unhappy day.”

Speaking to Patricia Messinger on C103’s Cork Today Show, Sergeant Kelly said it “did happen recently”, where a number of wedding cards were “stolen in an incident”.

“It is one of those horror stories and nowadays the bride and groom are relying on that money to pay for the wedding,” he added.