Groomsmen Gifts Tips

Cooking Up A Groomsman Gift

Caution: Do not open jar near flammable material.

• If you think the bride is hot, wait ‘till you try this stuff.
• Thank you so much for being here, but you’re a slob, so please don’t eat these in public.
• I suppose you wanted something gold?
• You’re a great friend for being here and an even greater friend if you can eat this stuff in front of everyone without making a face.

There’s no need to spend more money than you can afford on groomsman gifts. Once you’ve cooked up something special from your kitchen, tell your groomsmen you put a piece of your heart in it. On second thought, don’t say that. They might not eat it.

Groomsmen Gifts: Sentimental or Funny?

Gifts for groomsmen are easy to find if you’re going the traditional route. If you’re looking for ideas that are a little different from all the rest, decide first if you want to give the kind of gift that serves as a keepsake, something practical, or a gag gift. What you decide will probably have a lot to do with the kind of wedding you’re going to have. If it’s highly informal or alternative, a crazy gag gift might be the perfect choice. If it’s a straight-laced formal wedding, it’s probably not a good idea to give the groomsmen engraved dog poop.

There are all kinds of gift ideas for groomsmen that are off the beaten track. Here are some ideas to help you get started:

• Lottery tickets or Scratch and Win tickets.
• Maid services (a whole year’s worth of service might be too costly, but you could hire someone to do a one-day through cleaning for each of the groomsmen)
• A bottle of whiskey, rum, or vodka with a set of glasses.
• Engraved car mats.
• A burned CD with all of their favorite music.
• A bucket-O-chocolate (or just a whole lot of chocolate)
• An educational toy like a “My First Chemistry Kit”
• A toy doctor’s kit
• A gigantic bag of caramel popcorn (or other flavors)
  
  The groomsmen wedding gifts are only as funny as you make them. A lot of the presentation involves the build-up before you actually give the gift, the commentary afterwards, and the amount of money you’re willing (or not willing) to pay.

Cheap Groomsman Gifts

Nothing screams “cheap groomsmen gift” like fake money. Visit a dollar store or toy shop and get a nice, crisp million dollar bill to give your groomsmen. The funniest thing isn’t so much in the gift (although that is funny), but in the delivery of the gift. Build a speech around how much you know your groomsmen are worth, that you’ve been paying them all these years to be your friends, and that you’re hoping a million dollars will keep them your friends for a few more hours.

• Chocolate-flavored toothpicks. Why not? Just melt some chocolate, stick the toothpicks in it, allow to harden, and give as gifts! What groomsmen wouldn’t want to stick chocolate between his teeth?
  
  
• Home-made gift certificates are perfect, creative, and cheap. Type them up on the computer and include things like:

  a) One lawn mowing (make sure to put a good disclaimer so you can easily get out of actually mowing the lawn, like “must be reimbursed within ten minutes”)
  
  b) Will walk your dog twice. Disclaimer: Must be on a leap year.
  
  c) Will pay for a week’s worth of dry cleaning: Disclaimer: Must have a legit note from the doctor saying you have Avian Flu.
  
  d) Will clean your garage on any Saturday of your choice (must be a rainy Saturday on a day when there are nothing but re-runs on television).
  
  You see? Cheap doesn’t have to mean tacky (although it can if you want it to!). So get working on those cheap groomsmen gifts.

Unique Groomsmen Gifts To Remember

Here’s the setup:

If you’re having any kind of formal or semi-formal wedding, the time is going to come for speeches. Nobody really likes speeches, especially long, drawn out, melodramatic ones. However, you’re going to want to start out that way to pull this off. Let everyone know how much you love your groomsmen, how much they mean to you, yada yada yada. Wait until your parents or in-laws well up with tears, and then go for the gusto. At this point, let your guests know that you took great care in inviting every single former girlfriend of your groomsmen and, as a special gift to them, you’ve asked them to return every personal item they ever took from the men.

Cue the girls.

(Now, this will have to be planned ahead of time because you’re going to need to make sure as many women in the audience [all ages, including great-great nanny] have the props they need.)

On your cue, the women can all get up and bring their props to the groomsmen. Some prop ideas include:

• A baseball bat
• A couple of empty syringes
• Yarn and knitting needles
• A blood pressure cuff
• A couple of television remote controls
• A big ball of aluminum foil
• Pee-Wee Herman videos (or something equally weird)

Save the best groomsmen gifts for the end of the day, when everything has quieted down. That is if they’ll still speak to you.

Gifts For Groomsmen Magnified

When considering appropriate gifts for groomsmen, think about giving them something they can use as a tool for examining their lives, like a magnifying glass! Write up a set of specific instructions (dos and don’ts) for the magnifying glass and hand them out to the groomsmen at just the right time. These make great groomsmen wedding gifts! Here’s an idea of the types of instructions, dos and don'ts you might want to write to accompany gift:

DO

• Use to closely examine your aging body. Reflect on what might have been.
• Use to help you read the fine print on your insurance policies
• Use to identify newly sprouted grey hairs on your body

DON’T

• Use on women. Never. For any reason.
• Use this to reflect light into people’s eyes.
• Give the magnifying glass and call it your new best friend. That’s just weird.

Okay, these are just a few ideas. A magnifying glass can be a really symbolic tool for your groomsmen to guide their lives, or they may decide to harness the power of the sun to burn holes in the wall. The important thing is that these gifts for groomsmen will keep their hands busy and off of the other guests.

Unique Groomsmen Gifts

Are your groomsmen built for speed? Why not give them a gift that speaks to their high energy needs? Maybe your groomsmen are more laid-back and relaxed. If that’s the case, you could buy them something to suit that lifestyle, like a neck massager. There are a lot of unique groomsmen gifts you can purchase, and they don’t all have to be the same. If your groomsmen all have really different personalities and lifestyles, you can mix up the gift-giving to reflect that. Try to match your groomsmen’s personalities with the ones listed below for an idea of appropriate (or inappropriate depending on how you look at it) and unique groomsmen gifts:

THE WARBLER – Can’t really make a decision on anything.

• A stopwatch. Tell him he has to practice making meaningful decisions by using the stopwatch.
• A framed definition of the word Yes and No so that he can refer to it when faced with making a decision.

THE HOT-HEAD – Is easily angered and figures he has the right to complain (loudly) whenever he wants to.

• An ice pack for the frequent headaches he must get.
• A yoga video to practice relaxation exercises

THE COMEDIAN – This guy’s the life of the party (or at least he thinks he is!).

• His own laugh track. Can’t find one? Get your friends together and tape yourselves laughing.
• A microphone (toy or real) so that he can practice his material in front of his bathroom mirror.

THE LADIES MAN – This guy constantly brags about his dates and figures he can get just about anybody he wants to.

• Condoms (flavored, colored, extra large ribbed)
• Really cheap hair gel (try to convince him it’s the latest thing for men).

Happy shopping!

Thoughtful Wedding Gifts Anyone?

If you’re looking for thoughtful wedding gifts for groomsmen, consider putting together a first aid kit…for hangovers! If you can, use a “real” first aid kit complete with the logo and the nifty packaging. You can buy first aid kits from any of the nationally known first aid trainers in the country just be going to their online websites. What you want to pay is up to you. Price ranges usually fall into the $20 to $200 price range. To pull off this kind of gift, you really don’t have to spend a whole lot of money. If you decide to buy kits (it’ll have a better effect on the gag), just take the “real” first aid stuff out and replace the contents with these choice items:\

1. Tylenol, Advil, or some other headache reliever
2. A juice pack (any kind of juice will do)
3. Ear plugs
4. An eye mask for sleeping
5. A packet of coffee
6. Toilet paper
7. A couple of hand-written notes offering advice to the sufferer. For example, you could write a note that says, “At this moment, you’re probably convinced that you will never, ever drink again. Let me tell you, you will.” You could also leave a list of phone numbers of people the recipient offended while he was intoxicated.
8. A couple of Vitamin C tablets.
9. A barf bag

These are just suggestions. You can really put whatever you want into the hangover first aid kit. Obviously, the smaller the kit, the less you’re going to be able to fit into it. Just have fun with it. Later, when the joke (and the party) is over, you can give your groomsmen the real groomsmen gifts, the actual contents of the first aid kit.

Personalized And Unique Groomsmen Gift Ideas

Next, look for a local service (check with a photography shop, or a place that specializes in photocopies, etc.) that can transfer the photographs into a personalized puzzle. If you’re not able to find anyone locally to do it, visit a computer store or anywhere they sell computer software and accessories. Chances are you’ll be able to find a kit to do it yourself. If personalized puzzles aren’t your thing, consider some of these other personalized groomsmen gift ideas:

Personalized calendars (make sure to mark your anniversary on it so the groomsman doesn’t forget)

• Personalized mugs
• Personalized tee-shirts (I agreed to be a groomsman and all I got was this lousy tee-shirt)

To jazz up some of the groomsmen gift ideas, consider adding a simple touch. For example, you could use the tee-shirt to wrap up a bottle of wine. Add a few gift certificates, candies or nuts into the mug. If the groomsmen smokes, put some information on where he can get help to quit! Any gifts for groomsmen can be personalized, and they don’t have to cost a lot of money.