Discover the best groomsmen gifts on the planet
Wedding season is upon us again... and that means the hunt for unique groomsmen gift ideas
It's wedding season again... well it always seems to be wedding season these days. And for many people this means a struggle to find creative and memorable gifts for the bridal party that your guests will actually like. It's hard enough for the bridesmaids but even more challenging for the groom's party. They are usually (but not always) men and we all know how hard it can be to shop for some guys.
What on earth is a groomsmen party?
The groomsmen (also known as the best men, ushers and page boys) used to be a bit of an afterthought. Yes they were there, lurking in the background, embarrassed and awkward but mostly the focus was on the bride, the bridesmaid and the obligatory mother of the bride! Nowadays however, the groom's party are becoming a much more visible and integral group as wedding celebrations evolve to become more inclusive and less traditionally gendered.
What's the point of a gift for the ushers?
Although often overlooked, the guys are usually relied on to do a fair bit of leg work during the day (and night) and it's fitting to reward all of the party with a keepsake of the wedding. At the very least, the best man deserves recognition for one of the most stressful things he will have to do in his life... the Best Man's Speech! Even if the content is abysmal and the jokes inappropriate, as anyone knows who's done it, being asked to do the best man's speech is both an honour and a terrifying ordeal! Choose something to give that will remind the groomsmen of the day but still prove useful in the future so that they actually treasure it, rather than shove it in a cupboard and forget about it.
What makes a good gift for the groom's party?
Some of the most popular best man and groomsmen gifts are:
- Engraved whiskey glasses
- Bottles of whiskey
- Personalised hip flasks
- Bespoke pocket knives
- Bottle opener with etched names
As you can see most of these ideas are comically macho, drinking-related and not necessarily something the groomsmen can use in daily life. In our opinion you certainly don't want to encourage even more drinking than necessary at the wedding (assuming that your wedding is boozy... many are of course not for religious or health reasons). As for giving your wedding guests knives? Is it really a good idea to give lethal weapons to the wedding party on your special day? What could possibly go wrong...
In our opinion the number one, quintessentially brilliant, bold and beautiful idea for a luxury groomsmen gift is the humble pocket square. And here is why...
Five things that make the pocket square a perfect groomsmen gift:
1. Coordination of outfits
The pocket square (unlike a pocket knife or the hip flask) is something you might actually want the groom's party to enjoy on the day to complete their outfits. It's a fantastic way to coordinate your gentlemen guests without investing thousands in matching suits. Let's face it, for the more relaxed, modern style weddings the traditional outfits are a little bit overbearing. The groomsmen are allowed to wear their own suits rather than having to hire expensive morning suits. However every guy appreciates looking a bit fancy at a wedding and the pocket square is the perfect way to lift a suit that he might wear for other occasions and turn it into something extra-dashing. Everyone wants to turn heads at a wedding!
2. To match or not to match?
Now whether you go matchy-matchy is up to you. It's actually very effective to have all the men in different suits but linked by matching silk pocket squares. However it's also a nice touch to choose different designs to reflect the personalities of the guests. One groom recently chose one design for each of his groomsmen that most closely reflected their personalities. Needless to say they were thrilled, had a great gift that suited them down to the ground and a fantastic story to tell on the night.
3. Giftable, postable and easy to store
Obviously on the day they will be wearing the pocket squares in their suits but Furious Goose pocket squares come in lovely branded boxes which mean that they can store their memento easily in a top drawer. They are also easy to post should time be getting tight. We special-delivered an order of three pocket squares to Cornwall recently to get one nervous groom of the hook with a last minute request.
4. Design aesthetic they'll want to wear again and again
Traditional wedding accessories seem to be designed to match the bride's dress, or the flowers, or the cake, or who know's what! Something pastel for sure. Whatever it is that they're supposed to match it definitely isn't the personality of the groomsmen. On what other occasion would a hot blooded male (or anyone for that matter) want to wear a pale peach shiny satin pocket square?? Unlikely on a night out – right?
Furious Goose pocket squares are designed to be bold... to be contemporary... to be phenomenally cool. They are sometimes edgy, sometimes risqué, and always gorgeous examples of strong graphic design. They are also made to the highest standards here in the UK. These are gifts that will be treasured and worn often, triggering fond memories of the day they wore them first, each and every time.
5. Personalised groomsmen gifts
Why not customise the pocket squares for your guests? A bespoke design starts at around the £1,000 mark and you get nine silk squares for your groom's party. Definitely the most unique wedding accessories you could choose! Other less pricey options include monogramming your silk squares with hand embroidery (see below image for a gorgeous example). Or even laser cutting names into the silk for the more space-age approach. Read more about bespoke here »
Gender neutral wedding gifts
We mentioned earlier that not all groomsmen may in fact be men. As weddings evolve and roles become less gendered then it’s perfectly possible to have a mix of people supporting the groom. This is especially true in LGBTQ+ weddings but across the spectrum the old rules are changing. This means that overtly macho wedding gifts might be inappropriate or at least look a little old fashioned – The idea that all men like hunting, fishing, shooting, home-brewing and football is not exactly a la mode.
Enter the luxury groomsmen gift box
A collection of silk pocket squares is ideal for a more gender nuanced groom’s party gift. They look fantastic in female cut blazers as well as the guy’s fit (we don’t know why more ladies don’t wear pocket squares to be honest but that’s another article). But again it’s best to gift items that your guest will want to wear time and again. So even if your guest doesn’t habitually wear a suit, Furious Goose pocket squares are generously sized at 42cm so can be worn as neckerchiefs, hairbands, handbag decoration and to pimp a hat.
Stylish not stereotypical
Another reason our designer pocket squares are suitable of a more ‘contemporary’ groom’s party is our gender-neutral style. We do not differentiate between our female and male designs. Everything is awesome, everything is bold, everything is exuberant. We don’t believe that all women prefer soft floating pastels. And we know that not all men like sombre and restrained, earthy tones. This is the 21st Century after all. Those battles have been fought and won.
Wedding party special offers!
So we think you'll agree that the pocket square trumps all the other wedding gifts for the groom's party. And here at Furious Goose we do love a good wedding. So if you are buying for a wedding party and are buying more than four pocket squares get in touch with us and we will arrange a discount code for you. How much of a discount depends on how big your groom's party is!
Happy shopping and good luck on your special day!
