Last week's blog covered Bridesmaids gifts and how to pick the perfect one for your wedding. And while there is a lot of overlap in terms of the general guidelines, it should be noted that Groomsmen gifts have some unique extra qualifiers. While the prior advice of make it useful, make it personal, and have the gifts go with the theme still stands, here are some more specific example of how you can use last week's guidelines to pick out the perfect gift for you Groomsmen.
1.) Make it useful. Think beyond the wedding in terms of usefulness. While a wedding themed gift for you bridesmaids could be used in another wedding down the road, as a general rule of thumb your standard issue dude doesn't get too jazzed about weddings. Some alternative useful ideas could be pocket knives (engraved with the Groomsmen's initials for a personal touch), watches, or even a cooler chair. I have seen exceptions to this rule though. For example, one Groom got his Groomsmen all underwear that said either "Best Man" or "Groomsman" and the photo op was them all standing in a line mooning the camera so they could show off their fancy skivvies.
2.) Make it personal. You can engrave literally anything these days, the options are so limitless, but here are some great 'manly' engraving options: flasks, beer mugs, lighters (zippo or another nice brand they can reuse over and over again), toiletry bags, coffee cups, even customized alcohol bottles. It's insane how many different things there are to chose from! Think about something you know all the Groomsmen will enjoy and go wild!
3.) Have the gift go with the theme. I've seen custom engraved swords, wooden ale tankards, .50 caliber bullet bottle openers, pocket watches, engraved hatchets, viking horns, military style dog tags, ammo crates, and super hero cufflinks. Let's just say I've been to some strange weddings. But good news is, no matter how strange you wedding theme may seem, there are Groomsmen gifts out there to fit it!
Don't forget to ask your wedding planner if they have any ideas or have seen some really cool or unique gift ideas you could steal. They've seen it all! Leave any ideas you have in the comments section, I'd love to see them!