Great Groomsmen Gifts

Planning a wedding? Gifts for groomsmen are never an easy task, however, on our site you will find fantastic ideas for gifts, courtesy of an 18-time groomsman who generously serves as our consultant....that's right, he has been in 18 weddings as an usher, best man or groomsman...not sure if there was any ring-bearer duty in that total but oh well.

GWW, also known as Captain, has received a wide variety of gifts and boiled down his favorites to three areas of consideration....gifts involving golf, drinking and traveling. We have taken his recommendations to heart and you can see the selection here . Here's a quick look at some of our favorites!

Gifts for golfing... For your athletically inclined groomsmen, gifts involving golf are sure to be a hole in one (please excuse the pun). One gift the Captain has received, which we think is genius, is a round of golf. It's such a useful gift, and for any golf enthusiast, much appreciated. If you feel like you need to give your groomsmen something tangible along with a round of golf, how about a bottle of his favorite liquor? I don't know a soul on earth who's golf game doesn't improve with a little Jack Daniels in their system. This key chain on the left is also a great addition to a round of golf, it's not only a handy divot tool, but also has a monogrammed ball marker on the opposite side.

Gifts for drinking... We love the idea of giving the boys something personalized (since I mean, like they'll ever buy it for themselves.) This monogrammed decanter on the right is such a practical and handsome gift. At $72 it's also completely reasonable for a personalized gift. You can check out this decanter and some others here. We also highly recommend a monogrammed flask or a fabulous personalized martini shaker. You can check out all of our drinking accessories, more affectionately called barware, here.

Gifts for traveling... For the globe trotting fellows in your wedding party, the options are pretty much endless. Most of our personal favorites are items from Jon Hart Design, passport covers, leather dop kits, and leather luggage tags. The shaving kit on the left is one item that is a huge hit with the gentleman we know. It's a great size for someone who is constantly on short trips for business, big enough for all the essentials, but won't take up too much space in his carry-on.

If you're still having trouble figuring out what to get the boys, the Captain himself also recommends a personalized gift bag. Gift bags can include a couple of smaller items; a money clip, cuff links, booze (naturally), or snacks... think hospitality bag but nicer. Throw it all in a monogrammed tote, and you're good to go!

Black Tie Home Run!

Carrying this monogram Swavorski crystal evening bag will make you feel fabulous everywhere you go!





If you have some special events coming up this fall and holiday season, you need to treat yourself to this very special accessory. From Palm Beach to Manhattan, our customers have been thrilled with their evening bags.

• Both styles come with a chain to carry the bag over the shoulder. As you can see, there are two monogram styles to choose from and believe it or not, over 30 colors.


• Shown at the top, the CBF is the block style monogram, clear crystals with a jet monogram. We like this combination because it looks great with everything and can be carried all year round.


• The GHL is a script style monogram in black jet crystals with aurora borealis crystal monogram. This beauty has a stunning sparkle.


• Don't forget...the initial impression lasts forever!
  

These bags are created just for you. Please allow approximately 6 weeks for production. Wouldn't this make a great wedding gift for a bride from her bridal party? She would never forget it! $725. Learn more here. http://www.themonogrammerchant.com/item.php?item_id=1022&category_id=154

Toast the Happy Couple with a Classic Keg Party: Hostessing an engagement party in red-letter style!

THE KEG!

When the groom-to-be requested a keg for this summer party, it set the tone for the entire evening! How do two traditional-type hostesses honor a Manhattan bride and her fun-loving fiance?

We started with a pony which needed a little fixing up. The Bud Lite was perfectly chilled thanks to our keg king, Chris, who fought the summer heat and iced it for over 6 hours by the time the party started. The keg, however, left much to be desired in the looks department. Our solution? Add a monogram bar towel! As you can see from the before and after photos, the towel was the perfect accent and a useful one too!

With the keg as inspiration, I think I've come up with a great engagement gift idea for this couple....personalized, collegiate Tervis Tumblers...perfect for keeping beer cold in the summer heat. By sharing this with you, I'm blowing the surprise ... L & D, I hope you don't already have these!

The set of 4 Ohio State 16 oz tumblers personalized with the bride & groom's initials or last name can be found here http://www.themonogrammerchant.com/item.php?item_id=784

For those of you who are wondering where the party went after the monogrammed keg, here are a few highlights....the theme of the evening was 'Toledo meets Manhattan' to include the hometowns of the bride and groom as well as honoring the city where they met. We had sort of fancy hors d'oeuvres, a comfort food Midwestern dinner, and a dessert to cover both...buckeyes and cheesecake. We decorated with Ohio State and I Love NY and used black, white and red to tie it all together. Some of the recipes were requested by the party guests so they are included here as well.

Barefoot Contessa Virginia Ham http://www.barefootcontessa.com/recipes/1.html (We used 2 cloves of garlic instead of 6; after all, this party was celebrating romance!)

Buckeye Candy http://www.cooks.com/rec/doc/0,197,159178-224192,00.html ( We did not use nuts but we cheated and used the chocolate dipping shell)

A good time was had by all and the party went well into the a.m. Some highlights I will share that made our evening extra special.... an iPod loaded with great tunes brought by a thoughtful groomsman; a volunteer bartender; and a happy couple we all were thrilled to celebrate!

A few suggestions for all those late-night hostesses out there...if someone happens to bring you a bottle of your favorite wine, there is no reason you need to share it -- its perfectly polite to drink it all yourself! For entertainment, make sure you have some fun DVDs or something which appeals to a crowd on your DVR (thankfully I still had the Concert for Diana from Summer 2007 which led to an Elton John sing along at 2:45 a.m.). My usual program line-up of Oprah, General Hospital and the like drew ridicule from my late night cohorts! For your perhaps unexpected but most welcome overnight guests, clean sheets in the guest room, water glasses and a few new toothbrushes.

With several of us sleep deprived on Sunday, we came up with a new motto "We sure aren't as young as we used to be, but we are just as fun!" I think I will order some cocktail napkins printed with that saying for hostess and holiday gifts!