Groomsmen gifts have a specific failure mode: engraved objects that go in a drawer. These are the ones that get used.
In this guide
- The test
- Everyday carry
- Things for the day
- Consumables and experiences
- Personal beats branded
- Presentation and timing
The test
Would he have bought a worse version of this himself? If yes, buy the better version and engrave it. If no, do not buy it at all. That single question eliminates every hip flask nobody drinks from and every set of cufflinks worn once.
Everyday carry
- A good wallet, in leather that will age
- A knife or multitool with the date on it
- A dopp kit that will survive twenty trips
- A watch strap in something better than what came with the watch
- A key organiser, if he carries too many
- Sunglasses in the shape he already wears
Things for the day
- Cufflinks or a tie bar, chosen to match the suit rather than the theme
- Socks that are not novelty socks
- A shave kit for the morning
- A robe or shirt for the getting-ready photographs
- A pocket square in the wedding palette
- A hip flask, but only if he actually uses one
Consumables and experiences
- A bottle of the thing he drinks, not the thing that looks good engraved
- Tickets to see the team or the band, together
- A round of golf, a climbing session, a track day
- A steak dinner the night before, paid
- A coffee or hot sauce subscription
- Covering his suit hire or alterations
Personal beats branded
A photograph of the two of you framed properly outperforms every engraved trinket. So does a letter — men receive almost none and keep all of them. If you are going to engrave something, engrave the date and nothing else; long messages age badly on objects.
Presentation and timing
Give them at the rehearsal dinner. Wrap them individually rather than handing out an identical box each — even if the gifts are the same, a handwritten card each turns a group gesture into a personal one. $50 to $150 per person, more for the best man.
From Sagevow
If you want a gift that isn't on the registry and won't be duplicated, personalised keepsakes are the safest bet at any budget.
