Watch: US wedding crasher steals $100,000 in gifts

Police in California are searching for a man who allegedly stole more than 100,000 US dollars in cash and cheques from a wedding reception.

CCTV footage captured the man entering a hall in Glendale hosting the reception for George and Nadeen Farahat, mingling with guests for a period, then leaving through an exit carrying the box guests had been contributing to.

The couple said the financial loss was only part of it. Guests had written cards and notes that went with the gifts, and the groom described the theft as an invasion of privacy as much as a robbery. His wife called it heartbreaking.

Venues in the area have since been urged to keep gift tables in sight of staff, a simple precaution against a crime that appears to be opportunistic rather than sophisticated.