Creating Wedding Cake Boxes: Handmade, Personalized Packaging

Wedding cake card boxes are a great way to keep cards secure at a wedding reception. You can make your own wedding cake card box by following these steps:

Firstly, gather your supplies, which include a set of papier-mâché nesting boxes, a glue gun and glue sticks, coordinating paint, wallpaper, heavy-duty gift wrap, or scrapbook paper to cover the boxes, a box cutter or X-acto knife, and decorations such as trim, beads, sequins, pearls, and silk flowers.

Then, decide whether you want to cut your boxes first or cover them first. If you want neater edges, it's best to cut the boxes first and then cover them. Use a box cutter or X-acto knife to cut a slot in the smallest box that is long enough to accommodate a standard greeting card. Mark the slot with a ruler and pencil, making it no more than 1/2 wide. If you plan on adding a topper to your cake, place the slot off-center and towards the back of the box top.

Next, make holes in the boxes for the cards to drop through. Draw a circle on the bottom of the box that goes with the lid, leaving a two-inch border, and cut it out. Measure the width of the bottom of that box and subtract an inch to get the size of the hole you will cut in the lid of the next box. Repeat this process for the remaining boxes, ensuring you do not cut out the bottom of the biggest box.

After that, cover the boxes with paint, wallpaper, or paper. You can paint the rim of each lid to avoid cutting and gluing paper to cover them. For the lids, trace the shape of the lids onto your chosen material, cut them out, and glue them down. For the sides, measure the height and circumference of each side to get the correct measurement for your paper before cutting and gluing it to the box.

Finally, decorate your cake box! Add ribbons, bows, silk flowers, pearls, or any other decorations that fit the style and tone of the wedding.

Cut a card slot

To make a wedding cake card box, you will need a set of papier-mâché nesting boxes. These boxes are of graduated sizes, with one fitting inside the other. Ensure that the smallest box is large enough to cut a slot that accommodates a standard greeting card. You will also need a glue gun, coordinating paint or wallpaper, a box cutter or X-acto knife, decorations such as trim, beads, sequins, and pearls, and a paintbrush.

When cutting a card slot, you can choose to cut the boxes first and then cover them, or cover them first and then cut. Cutting the holes first will result in neater edges. Mark the slot on the smallest box with a ruler and pencil, ensuring it is long enough to fit a standard greeting card and no wider than half an inch. If you plan to add a topper to your cake box, place the slot off-centre and towards the back of the box top. Carefully cut the slot and clean up any messy edges with an X-acto knife.

If you choose to cover the boxes first and then cut, as mentioned in the previous paragraph, use a very sharp box cutter or X-acto knife to ensure clean edges. After covering the boxes, go back and cut the slot, being careful not to cut the wrapping. Again, use an X-acto knife to clean up any messy edges, and touch up the cut edges with paint.

Whether you cut the slot first or after covering the box, ensure that it is long and wide enough to fit a standard greeting card. This is crucial to ensure that guests can easily insert their cards into the box.

Make holes for cards to drop through

Making holes for cards to drop through is a crucial step in creating a functional and secure wedding cake card box. Here's a detailed guide on how to achieve this:

Step 1: Set the Base

Start by setting aside the box lid of the smallest box. This box will be the top layer of your wedding cake card box. On the bottom of the box that fits the lid, draw a circle with a two-inch border from the edge. Carefully cut out this circle to create an opening.

Step 2: Measure and Cut the Second Box

Measure the width of the bottom of the first box. For the second box, you will need to cut a hole in the lid that is one inch narrower than the width of the first box's bottom. This will ensure a snug fit when the boxes are stacked. Draw and cut out this circle, leaving a two-inch border, just like with the first box.

Step 3: Repeat for the Third Box

Repeat the process for the third and largest box. Measure the width of the bottom of the second box and subtract one inch. Draw and cut out a circle on the lid of the third box, again maintaining a two-inch border. Do not cut out the bottom of the third box, or you'll end up with a card avalanche! These holes don't need to be perfect as they will be hidden when the boxes are stacked.

Step 4: Test the Card Drop

Now, it's time to test your handiwork. Stack the boxes with the smallest box on top. Drop a card into the slot, and it should smoothly fall through all the boxes and land in the bottom box. If it doesn't work, adjust the holes as needed.

Step 5: Fine-Tuning

If your edges look messy or uneven, use an X-acto knife to clean them up. You can also touch up the cut edges with paint to create a neater appearance. Remember, the goal is to create a secure and discreet way for guests to drop their cards into the box.

Cover the box

Now that you have cut the slot and holes in the boxes, it's time to cover them with your chosen material. You can use paint, wallpaper, heavy-duty gift wrap, or scrapbook paper. If you cut the slot and holes before covering the boxes, you will need to glue down the cut edges on the inside of the box.

For the lids, simply lay them down on your paper, trace around them, cut them out, and glue them down. For the sides, you will need to measure the height and circumference of each box to get the correct paper measurement. Add about 1/2" of overlap to be safe.

Glue the paper to the sides, and trim any overhanging edges. Don't worry too much about imperfect edges, as you can always cover them up with trim. However, do glue down any loose edges.

If you prefer not to cover the boxes with paper, you can paint the rims of the lids to avoid cutting and gluing paper.

Decorate the box

Now comes the fun part! Decorating the box is where you can really let your imagination run wild, but do try to keep the decorations in the style and tone of the wedding. If you've used smooth paper or paint, you could add ribbons around the bottom of each layer and a loopy bow for the topper. If the wedding has a fun, bright colour scheme, you could cut out polka dots from scrapbooking paper or make a fun topper from a child's toy.

For a more elegant look, try gluing some 2-inch-wide ribbon, cut into 4-inch lengths, into loops and sticking them to the top box, making sure to avoid the card slot. You could then glue some large silk roses on top, with small loops of wired pearls tucked in here and there. Wired pearls can also be used to cover any untidy edges, and you can glue a strip of scalloped lace around the edge of each box lid to look like decorative frosting.

Finally, make a tent card from scrapbook paper, with the word "Cards" written on it, so that guests know this isn't a real cake!

Stack the boxes

Stacking the boxes is a crucial step in creating a secure and attractive wedding cake card box. Here is a detailed guide to help you achieve the perfect stack:

Firstly, you will need a set of papier-mâché nesting boxes in graduated sizes, ensuring that the smallest box is large enough to accommodate a slot for greeting cards. The number of boxes you use will depend on the desired height and number of tiers for your wedding cake design.

Before stacking, it is essential to cut holes in the boxes to create a drop system for the cards. On the smallest box, cut a slot on the top, ensuring it is long enough to fit the average greeting card. Then, set aside the lid of this box and draw a circle on the bottom, leaving a two-inch border. Cut out this circle to create the first hole.

For the next box in your stack, measure the width of the bottom of the previous box and subtract one inch. This will be the size of the hole you need to cut in the lid of the current box. Draw and cut out this circle to create the second hole. Repeat this process for each additional box in your stack, always ensuring you do not cut out the entire bottom of the box to prevent a card avalanche!

Once all the holes are cut, test your drop system by stacking the boxes with the smallest box on top. You should be able to drop a card into the slot, and it should fall through all the boxes into the bottom container.

Now that you have confirmed your drop system works, it is time to decorate your boxes to resemble a beautiful wedding cake. Use coordinating paint, wallpaper, heavy-duty gift wrap, or scrapbook paper to cover any remaining exposed areas of the boxes, including the rims of the lids, the tops and sides of the boxes, and the bottom of the bottom box.

Finally, assemble your stacked and decorated boxes on a pedestal cake plate. You can add a tent card with the word "Cards" to ensure guests know this creation is for cards and not for eating!

Frequently asked questions