Congratulations! You’re engaged. Finally. To the right gal. You can’t wait to get your married life started and get the “planning for your wedding” carousel that seems to be spinning out of control. If you can make it through the stress and all the decisions of just planning the wedding, the marriage should have a high probability of success! You will be tested, my friend. Don’t buckle under the stress. And, certainly, do not create added stress for yourself.
One way that many grooms create self-inflicted pressure upon themselves is this: they procrastinate about the groomsmen gifts. Some grooms have been known to wait the last week before the wedding to figure out what to do with their groomsman gifts. Don’t do this to yourself. You don’t need the headache.
As soon as you have your groomsmen picked out, start thinking about what they’d find cool as groomsmen gifts. Do most of them camp? Do they have favorite NFL or MLB teams they love? Do they have a raggedy wallet that needs replacing? Would they use a money clip or cufflinks? Do they like Leatherman multitools? Would they prefer something for the home? Glassware, tankards, coffee mugs, pub signs, coasters and so forth. Do your guys drink alcohol? Flasks would be fun. Smoke? Think about each guy and what he might like. It’s certainly easiest for you if you come up with one item that will work for all guys.
Think about your budget. How much can you afford to spend on the best man, each groomsman, and the ushers. If you are having a modest wedding, give a modest gift. There is nothing shameful in giving a $20 gift. On the other hand, if the overall wedding budget is $50,000, you better come up with an appropriately priced over-the-top groomsman gift as well. It would seem ridiculous to have a lavish wedding and then only spend $20 on each guy. Think about what would be appropriate.
Traditionally, wedding party gifts are engraved or personalized in some way. A first name, a name and the wedding date, a name and just the year, initials or a monogram are the common ways to go. The only tricky part in this list is the monogram. Most people have no idea what this means. A monogram is three letters that represent a person’s name. These letters are engraved in the order of first name, last name and then middle name. The center letter stands for your last name and is done larger than the letters on the left and right of this prominent last name letter.
Whatever you do, the key to successful groomsmen gift giving is to get your order placed months ahead of time so you get your gifts way before the wedding. No stress! You have enough stuff to worry about like what to pick out for that china pattern.
