Ideas & Trends

When it comes to Groomsmen’s Gifts, it’s the thought that counts. Now, I don’t mean that in the cheesy way that your mom did when you were eight and gave her a ceramic ashtray with your handprint in it for the third Mother’s Day in a row even though she never smoked a cigarette in her life. Nor do I mean it in the "Thanks for the porcelain swan with my initials airbrushed on it, I hate porcelain swans, and despise airbrushing even more but you’re sweet to have thought of me" way that might fly on the Bridesmaids' side of the aisle. The thought that counts for Groomsmen is far simpler: You have succeeded if you THOUGHT of something that they might actually use and don’t already have six of from previous weddings. In order to do that, keep the guys’ individual interests in mind and also remember that you don’t have to get everybody the same thing. Here are a few ideas to get you started:

For the Armchair Athlete:
Every serious sports fan appreciates personalized paraphernalia with his team’s logo on it. It’s also a pretty safe bet that every sports nut’s girlfriend or wife HATES having this junk clutter up her otherwise classy living space, but hey - that’s not your problem. Consider customized drinking vessels for day or night. Also, if your buddy is an actual sportsman who is willing to leave the comfort of his recliner and (gasp!) participate in a sporting event, reward him with personalized equipment such as this Louisville Slugger Baseball Bat for the very reasonable price of $60! heh.

For The Guy who Likes to Kill Stuff and Eat it (aka Hunter/Fisherman)

If the man in question is more likely to catch his fish in a lake than at a sushi bar on the weekends, consider getting him an implement to help him finish those suckers off. Fishing knives, hunting knives and pocketknives are all useful tools for the outdoorsman. Basically, anything that’s sharp enough to be truly dangerous if he’s had a couple of cocktails will do. If you would rather not give the gift of weaponry, consider a personalized compass or backpack instead.

For the Wall Street Warrior
If you’re going to cave and go with the cufflinks, your business executive buddy is the guy who will actually appreciate them. I implore you, though, to consider the more creative options out there in this category. Wait…there aren’t any worth mentioning, so why don’t you get him a personalized poker set or something else that he can enjoy outside of the boardroom!

For the Boozehound
This dude is probably the easiest to buy for, since chances are he’ll be a few sheets to the wind when you give him his gift and therefore would be elated if you presented him with a cheeseburger. However, I suggest that you give him either a personalized drinking tool of some sort (think bottle opener, beer stein, shot glass set or flask) or even the sweet nectar itself in the form of a membership to one of the many microbrew of the month type clubs that are available for approximately 30 dollars per month and up. If you’re lucky, this particular friend can be counted on to give a truly poignant and memorable wedding toast like this (slightly tipsy) groomsman:

For the Techie
No, I didn’t say Trekkie…so, you can cancel tickets to the convention! Your TECHIE friend who has all the latest gadgets and then some will be excited to receive a personalized ipod holder, laptop case or fancy cell phone holster so that he can take your call faster that you can say “geek”!

What it comes down to is that if you put some thought into it, you should be able to find the right gift for any guy. Also, don’t stress out if your cash flow has slowed to a trickle with all of this wedding business at hand; unless you’re asking your groomsmen to spend an exorbitant amount on their wedding-day getups or travel, there is no reason to drop more than a hundred bucks on any one gift…and it’s perfectly acceptable to spend much less than that on the right thing.