Groomsmen Gift Ideas They'll Actually Use

A groom came into my shop last September with a list of 7 groomsmen, 2 junior groomsmen, and a best man who also happened to be his father. He’d been scrolling gift ideas online for a month and was overwhelmed. Every website sold the same thing: a flask with a monogram, a box set with a flask and a bottle opener, or a flask in a different shape. His best man doesn’t drink.

Groomsmen gifts have a reputation for being afterthoughts. They get ordered two weeks before the wedding, they’re generic, and they end up in the back of a closet by New Year’s. The fix isn’t spending more money. It’s putting 10 minutes of thought into what each person would actually use and then personalizing it so they know you put in the effort.

Tumblers are the practical winner

A 20-ounce stainless steel tumbler with a name and wedding date engraved on it gets used every single day. Coffee in the morning, water at the office, beer at the tailgate. I’ve seen my tumblers show up in Instagram stories 6 months after weddings because the groomsmen are still carrying them around.

The engraving on stainless steel is permanent. It won’t peel, fade, or wash off in a dishwasher. I engrave with a fiber laser that marks the steel surface directly, creating a frost-white design on the metallic background. The contrast is clean and the text stays crisp through years of daily use.

For groomsmen sets, I typically engrave the first name or nickname on the front and the wedding date on the back. Some grooms want the role (“Best Man,” “Groomsman”) included, which works if you have the space. On a 20-ounce tumbler, three lines of text fit comfortably on the front face.

Pricing for tumbler sets: individual tumblers run $25-$30 with engraving. A set of 5 drops to $22 each. Sets of 8 or more, $20 each. The tumbler itself is double-wall vacuum insulated, keeps drinks cold for 12 hours or hot for 6, and comes in matte black, stainless, navy, and forest green.

Flasks for the guys who’ll use them

Stainless steel hip flasks are the traditional groomsmen gift for a reason. They’re compact, they serve a specific social purpose, and they’re satisfying to hold. But they only work as gifts for groomsmen who actually drink spirits. Giving a flask to someone who doesn’t drink is like giving a cigar case to a non-smoker. It’s a nice object that communicates you didn’t think about the recipient.

For groomsmen who will use a flask, I engrave 6-ounce stainless steel flasks with a monogram, name, or short message. The front face is about 3x4 inches of engravable space. Clean sans-serif fonts work best at this scale because serifs can lose definition on the smaller surface area.

Flasks run $20-$25 individually. I don’t sell flask box sets with bottle openers and shot glasses because the extras are always cheap and drag down the perceived quality. A well-engraved flask on its own is a better gift than a flask plus three filler items.

Coasters make sense for the home guys

For groomsmen who’ve settled into houses or apartments, a set of 4 engraved coasters is a gift that goes directly onto their coffee table. I make coasters from walnut, maple, and slate, each about 4 inches square with felt backing to protect surfaces.

The engraving options are similar to cutting boards but simpler: a monogram, a name and wedding date, or a short phrase. Some grooms order matching coaster sets for the whole party. Others customize each set: the fisherman gets a bass silhouette, the golfer gets a tee graphic, the beer guy gets “Hoppy Groomsman” which is terrible but he apparently loved it.

Coaster sets of 4 run $30-$35 per set. For a wedding party of 8 groomsmen, that’s $240-$280 for gifts that look intentional and last for years.

The matching set approach

Most grooms want the gifts to look like a set. Same item, same design template, different names. This communicates “I planned this” rather than “I grabbed whatever was available.” The matching approach works well for presentation too, especially if you’re giving the gifts at the rehearsal dinner.

My process for wedding party sets: the groom picks the item and design, provides a list of names (and roles if included), and I build one proof. He approves the proof, and I produce the full set with each name swapped in. The template stays consistent, so all 8 tumblers or all 6 flask sets look like they belong together.

Turnaround for a matching set is 5-7 business days after proof approval. I recommend ordering 6 weeks before the wedding to account for shipping time and any design revisions. The week-before panic order is doable with rush fees, but nobody enjoys that stress.

The best man gets something extra

The best man put in more work than the other groomsmen. He planned the bachelor party, gave the speech, and kept the groom sane. His gift should reflect that. The simplest approach: give him the same item as the rest of the party, plus something additional.

A tumbler for all the groomsmen, plus a walnut desk plaque for the best man that says “Best Man / [Name] / [Wedding Date].” Or a flask for everyone, with the best man getting a larger engraved keepsake box that holds the flask plus other items. The cost difference is $30-$50 but the gesture signals that you recognize the extra effort.

What to engrave (keep it short)

On smaller items like tumblers, flasks, and coasters, less text creates a cleaner result. Three to five words is the sweet spot. The most popular formats I engrave for groomsmen:

First name only in a bold font. Surprisingly personal because most engraved gifts default to last names. Monogram with wedding date below it in small text. Nickname plus role: “Murph / Best Man / 10.18.26.” Inside joke that only the group understands. I don’t need to get it. They do.

Avoid long quotes, full sentences, or wedding hashtags on small items. These work on cutting boards and larger pieces. On a flask, they become unreadable.

Frequently Asked Questions