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Your groomsmen are your go to guys, the ones you laugh with, party with and confide in. You're very lucky to have them in your life and a thoughtful gift is a great way to show them how much you appreciate their love and support during your wedding. Groomsmen gifts can come in many forms. You can go with something practical that they’re likely to use often or more of a gag gift to display in their home. Have fun with it and be creative!

Do I Need to Buy My Groomsmen Gifts?
You’re not obligated to buy your groomsmen gifts, though it’s become tradition to do so. It’s the least you can do to thank them for their friendship and for participating in your wedding.

Another Wedding Expense?!?!
Don’t worry, you don’t have to break the bank for groomsmen gifts. It’s the thought that counts. You can spend as little as $25-$30 per groomsmen or more if you desire.

Top 10 Groomsmen Gifts:

1. Go classic! Cufflinks with your groomsmen’s initials engraved in them are a traditional gift that they can use for years at occasions beyond your big day.
2. Bottoms up! Personalized beer glasses, flasks and bottle openers are perfect gifts for the boys you spent your single days with.
3. Nice ties ensure that they’ll match on the wedding day and walk away with a keepsake. You can include a tie clip or have their initials sewn on the inside.
4. Treat your main men to a nice shave and facial massage at the barber on the morning of your wedding day. It's one less thing they have to pay for and a nice treat at the same time.
5. Show your appreciation by taking your buddies to a ballgame or a concert for a band that you all enjoy.
6. Nothing celebrates brotherhood like cigars. Buy them a humidor with their initials engraved on the top and throw in a few cigars while you’re at it, Romeo y Julieta or Monte Cristo.
7. Monogrammed gifts such as garments bags are something they can re-use for years to come!
8. Are your groomsmen sports fans? Buy them a framed picture of their favorite team’s stadium!
9. Deal em! Poker is more popular than ever! Make your buddy the envy of his weekly poker game with his own personalized poker set.
10. Bobble heads! Bobble heads of your groomsmen will crack them up and make great conversation pieces in their homes.

Great Gifts for Bridesmaids

Worried about what to buy your bridesmaids? Wondering how much to spend? These questions are asked by countless brides around the world! Why? Because brides understand that bridesmaid gifts symbolize the special bond between a bride and her bridesmaids and the gifts should reflect that sentiment.

If you are wondering where to begin, take a look at the top questions concerned brides ask when considering bridesmaid gifts.

How much should the bride spend?
According to The Knot, the general price range for a bridesmaid gift is $25 - $75; however, the exact amount will depend on your budget. If you are low on cash, your bridesmaids will understand your budget constraints and appreciate your gift regardless of the price.

Should all bridesmaids receive the same gift?
It is customary for the bride to give her bridesmaids the same gift, with the exception of the maid of honor. The maid of honor performs duties above and beyond the bridesmaids so a more elaborate gift is often given.

Even though your bridesmaid gifts are the same, you can still add some uniqueness to each. For example, if you are giving your bridesmaids jewelry, consider giving each the same piece but with varying stones and metals.

Should the gift be associated with the wedding?
Bridesmaid gifts often reflect the specific tone of the wedding. For example, if your event is black tie, you can give your bridesmaids stunning necklaces to complement their dresses. If you are having a low-budget wedding, think gift baskets filled with their favorite goodies and bottle of wine.

If you want to veer from traditional etiquette rules, it is perfectly fine to give a gift that is not necessarily associated with the wedding. In this situation, try giving gifts that satisfy your bridesmaid’s interests, such as a gift certificate to her favorite restaurant or a manicure/pedicure package from her favorite nail salon.

Bridesmaids share in the tears, laugh with the joys and keep a smile on your face throughout your wedding journey. Consider their interests and think with your heart first and you are sure to give a gift that will please.

Spend Less While Buying Off the Wedding Registry

It’s important to understand that although a wedding gift registry is a sampling of the couple’s wish list, it is not an exhaustive list of everything they love. You can still impress the couple with an inexpensive gift of your own (it really is the thought that counts!). If they are true friends or loved ones, they will appreciate you for it. If you still want to buy the couple a gift from the wedding registry even on your small, limited budget, there is still hope for you!

Try these low budget options:

Smaller Items – Among the high priced ticket items, most couples include less expensive items on their registries such as dish towels, cooking utensils, Tupperware, etc. Purchase an inexpensive basket at a dollar store and fill it with some of these smaller registry items. To add some more bulk to the basket, include additional kitchen essentials such as refrigerator magnets, chip clips and other helpful kitchen tools.
Pitch in with Others – If you feel like you need to give the couple a specific wedding gift from the registry, you can share the load with other friends to cut your expenses. There is a good chance that other people, besides you, are looking for an inexpensive option as well.
Redeem Points and Miles – Stuck with extra rewards points and airline miles on your credit cards? It’s time to cash them in! You can visit Points.com and turn those points and miles into gift certificates from hundreds of retailers, including top online marketplaces which carry thousands of brand name items.
Weddings can be expensive – without question. The rule of thumb in these situations states your gift should, at a minimum, cover the cost of your plate. However, since you rarely know the cost per plate, it's fair to assume somewhere in the range of $125 upwards of $225 for more upscale extravagant parties. If you know ahead of time that this will not be easy, consider cutting back on those enjoyable, yet unnecessary costs. Maybe do your nails yourself this week, pack lunch instead of going out, hide your credit card from yourself if you have to! It's a wedding, you're bound to have a great time, but don't let it be at someone else's expense.

It’s a celebration! Weddings are joyous occasions to join friends or family in celebrating the love and commitment that your favorite couple share. It’s customary to honor their union with a gift, so before you put on your dancing shoes, learn how to avoid breaking any of those oh-so-taboo wedding gift etiquette rules.

RSVP'D Yes Please!
You're on you're way to the happy couple's dream day - but what to do with the gift? Many weddings include a table or box for gifts at the reception. However, it's important to check the wedding invitation as some couples specify that box gifts are not preferred. Translation: mail the box gift to their home before the wedding or attend the wedding with a congratulatory wedding card of cash. Box gifts are often difficult for the bride and groom to transport after the reception depending on the number of gifts received by all the guests. Also, many couples take limos from their home the day of the wedding or fly out early the next day for a honeymoon - so when in doubt, cash is king for the busy bride and groom.

RSVP'd No Thank You
If you can't attend the wedding because of a prior obligation or illness, you’re not obligated to give a gift, but if you choose to give a gift after the big shin-dig, it's always appreciated by the bride and groom, especially if you are close to the couple. Another golden rule of thumb, if the couple attended your wedding or frequently attend and provide gifts at your family parties, you should too, despite your absence.

Will the bride and groom believe the gift got lost in the mail?
If you attended the fabulous affair, you should send a gift ideally as close to the wedding date as possible. Brides and grooms spend a lot of money per head for the reception (can range from $75 to close to $200) so don't let them think you short-changed them. You danced, you laughed, and you ate great food with the best of them - so aim for sending a late gift within 3 months of the wedding before the memories become fuzzy. Inviting the couple over for dinner as a creative way to give them their late wedding gift gains extra points.

How Much Should You Spend for a Wedding Gift ?

Cover Your Plate! If you're going solo, $100 is an acceptable gift and should be doubled for an extra mouth they're feeding.
Friends of the Bride or Groom? It's less about WHO you're friends with when it comes to spending money on a wedding gift, and more about HOW WELL you know them. Based on your relationship with the bride and groom and whether or not you were invited with a date, you can spend anywhere from $150 to close to $500 for you and your date. If you are a far-away cousin or a co-worker that hasn't yet shared many weekends with the happy couple, stay on the lower end. Raise the stakes to the higher end if you have the honor of being in the bridal party or a close family member.
Tally it all up! Where #1 and #2 are good general rules to follow, there are a few other things to help decide if you're giving just enough for the biggest milestone in this couple's life. If you have missed their engagement party or a bridal shower, it never hurts to add a little more to the amount you were planning on giving. Following the golden rule of giving, if the happy couple recently had gone to your wedding, it's easy to follow the same math they did by matching approximately the same amount for their wedding.

gift guides

Top 10 Creative Wedding Gifts

There is often no bigger expense in one's life than that of a wedding, and often the reason why brides and grooms prefer receiving cash as a wedding gift or items from their registry that they are signifying they need.

However, if you want to show the happy couple that you put a little more thought into the gift, you can always supplement a card of cash with a few cost-effective creative wedding gift ideas:

1. Mr. and Mrs. graffiti art! This is the perfect time to buy gifts embroidered with “Mr.and Mrs.” followed by the couple’s newly shared last name on aprons, kitchen and bath towels, coffee mugs, or ornaments.

2. Help them savor the memory of their big day by framing their wedding invitation in a personalized frame.

3. Buy the happy couple some stylish serving and appetizer dip and chip trays to impress their friends and family when they have dinner parties as husband and wife.

4. Pop! If your favorite couple are known wine connoisseurs, help them store their wine and champagne bottles by giving them a wine chiller or decorative wine rack as they pop corks long after the big day.

5. Wax on, wax off. Many couples register for silver-plated serving ware and picture frames. If you are buying items such as these off the bride and groom’s registry, show them that you put more thought into their wedding gift by supplementing it with a silver polish kit. It will keep pricey registry items as beautiful as they were on the day they said “I do.”

6. Cooking lessons for two! You don’t want the newlyweds to spend the rest of their lives together living on frozen dinners. Many towns offer recreational cooking class gift certificates from basic cooking to more in-depth French or Asian cuisines.

7. Be a part of their Honeymoon memory by giving them a gift certificate for a spa, day-time excursion, or a nice restaurant at their honeymoon destination.

8. A night out on the town! Give them something to look forward to when the wedding and honeymoon is over with tickets to a popular play or a gift certificate for dinner at a nice restaurant.

9. If the bride and groom in your life are active in charity work or adamant pet lovers, giving a donation to a cause that they believe in or animal rescue shelter in the couple’s name is a great thoughtful and unique gift.

10. Not blue or borrowed, but something old. If you are a family member to the dynamic duo, there is often no better gift than passing down a family heirloom and sharing the meaning behind it. Items such as a great grandparent’s jewelry, picture frames, or home pieces like an old-fashioned clock or mirror, are fantastic, nostalgic wedding gifts to give the night before their big day.

And of course, with whatever you decide to give as a wedding gift - cash, gifts off the registry, or creative gifts, make sure to buy a traditional wedding card and sign your name to it! With so many gifts from attending and out-of-town guests, you don’t want to add to the couple’s post honeymoon daze with a great gift and no card.

gift etiquette

Spending Guidelines for Wedding Gifts

Many people find it difficult to assess how much to spend on wedding gifts. Wedding location, your relationship to the couple and your budget, of course, are all important factors to consider. Betsy Goldberg, features editor for Modern Bride Magazine, suggests $75 as a typical amount for a wedding gift. The amount should be doubled if you bring a guest. Though $75 represents an average, the exact gift amount may depend on other factors as well:

Wedding Location - The location of the wedding can play a part in how large your wedding gift is. If you have to travel, stay overnight, or incur any additional expenses because of the location it is acceptable to give a little less. You may also feel obligated to give a little more if the wedding is being held at a more upscale location as opposed to a smaller less expensive place.

Your Relationship to the Couple - Your relationship to the couple and how well you know them will also dictate how much you should spend on their wedding gift. Here is a general guideline:

Co-worker - $75-$100 per person

Friend or Relative - $100 - $125 per person

Close Friend or Close Relative - $100 - $150 and up per person

Your Budget - The average person attends more than three weddings in one summer. Factor in bridal showers, bachelor/bachelorette and engagement parties and the expenses can really add up! Before you start looking for that second job, understand that you should not strain your budget for a wedding gift. Most couples would not want you to spend the money if it will send you into a difficult financial situation. The couple will appreciate whatever you give. Try not to stress too much about the amount. Stay within your budget and do your best to follow the suggested amounts. Remember that the best gifts are the ones that come from the heart.