Groomsmen Gifts: What to Give and What to Spend
A good groomsmen gift says thank you for the time, travel and support your friends have given you. Choose something that suits the person and a budget you can comfortably afford.
A useful starting budget is $40 to $100 per person, but a smaller, thoughtful gift is just as welcome. The ranges below are planning suggestions in US dollars (USD), before tax and any shipping charges. Check current product prices in your selected currency.
Groomsmen gifts at a glance
| Budget per person (USD) | Good for | Gift ideas |
|---|---|---|
| Under $40 | A larger wedding party or a modest budget | A tasting glass, wool socks or a compact tool |
| $40–$100 | Friends who appreciate useful everyday items | A leather wallet, bar tools, a dopp kit or tickets |
| $100–$150 | A watch wearer or a more substantial individual gift | A wooden watch or a carefully chosen experience |
| $150+ | A friend who already wears rings | A ring chosen for his taste, with his size confirmed |
What to spend
Start with your total gift budget and divide it by the number of people you are thanking. Six gifts at $60 each come to $360 before extras. Allow room for cards, packaging and delivery.
Your friends may already be paying for outfits, accommodation and travel. Recognise that effort, but do not treat the gift as a bill you have to repay or calculate it as a percentage of their spending.
For context, The Knot's 2024 Guest Study reported $160 for gifts given to the couple by close friends, family and wedding-party members. That is a different expense, not a recommended budget for your groomsmen gifts.
Keeping gifts in a similar value range can make a group presentation feel comfortable. A separate personal gift for the best man is an option if it fits your budget.
When to hand them over
Choose a moment when you can thank each person without rushing:
- The rehearsal dinner — the default, and the best one for most gifts. Everyone is together, there is a natural moment for a short thank-you, and nothing has to survive the wedding day.
- The morning of — only if the gift is meant to be worn that day. Cufflinks, a tie, a watch. Handing out anything else that morning means it spends the wedding in a hotel room.
- A dinner a few days before — if the rehearsal dinner is going to be large or formal, a smaller meal earlier in the week gives the moment more room.
- Separately, for the best man — five minutes on your own is worth more than the object. Do this one privately whichever day you choose.
A busy bachelor party can make gifts harder to keep track of. If you give them then, choose a quiet moment and make sure everyone can take theirs home safely.
The test that sorts good gifts from bad ones
One question: will he use it, enjoy it or remember it after the wedding?
A useful object or a shared experience usually gives you more to work with than a generic wedding slogan. Personalisation works best when it means something to the recipient.
It leaves things a man uses without thinking: something he carries, something he wears, something he drinks out of, or an experience he would not have booked himself.
Under $40 a head
Realistic territory for a party of six or more.
A Glencairn glass. The standard nosing glass for whisky — the tulip shape gathers the aroma instead of letting it escape. If he owns one whisky glass, this is the one to own. Cheap, used constantly, and it does not look like a wedding favour.
A leather card holder. Slimmer and cheaper than a full wallet, and the man who carries three cards and a phone will use it daily.
A good multi-tool. Unglamorous and permanent. The kind of object that ends up in a glovebox for a decade.
An inert gas preserver. A can of argon sprayed into a part-empty bottle keeps it from flattening over the following months. Costs very little, almost nobody owns one, and the whisky drinker in the group will be quietly delighted.
A pair of heavy-bottomed rocks glasses. Weight in the base is the point. A light tumbler feels like a hotel.
Good socks, if you are honest about it. Not "wedding socks" with a date printed on them. Two pairs of genuinely good wool socks, given as a small thing alongside something else.
$40 to $100
Where most groomsmen gifts land.
A full-grain leather wallet. The most-used object a man owns after his phone, and the one he replaces least often. Full-grain leather retains its natural surface and can develop a patina with use. Construction, finish and care matter too; the label "genuine leather" alone does not tell you the quality.
Ours: four designs from $59 to $89 USD, full-grain horse leather, saddle-stitched, solid brass snap. Slim card holders through to full bifolds.
A decent bar tool set. A weighted bar spoon, a jigger, a mixing glass. For the friend who makes drinks rather than just pouring them.
A bottle he would not buy himself. Not the most expensive bottle you can afford — the one just above his own ceiling. That is a different, better gift than "expensive whisky".
A leather dopp kit. Gets used every trip. Survives being thrown in a bag.
Tickets to something. A game, a gig, a tasting. Two tickets, so he brings someone. This is the sleeper option in the whole category.
$100 to $150
Usually reserved for the best man, or for a small wedding party where you are giving three gifts instead of eight.
A watch he will actually wear. A good choice for someone who already enjoys wearing watches. Match his usual style, preferred size and colours.
Ours: ten designs from $129 to $148 USD, cases and dials made from barrel oak, with the mechanical movement exposed through the face. One practical note: check the water-resistance and care guidance for the specific model; do not assume a wooden watch is suitable for swimming or showering. Say that when you hand it over.
A cask share or a bottle-your-own trip. Several distilleries sell a stake in a maturing cask, or let you fill and label a bottle straight from one on site. Slow, memorable, and the label stays on a shelf for twenty years.
A whiskey travel case. A padded case for two or three bottles, for the friend who always brings something.
Something engraved with a date. Only if the date means something to both of you. A wedding date on a gift for your friend is about you; the date you met at a job you both hated is about him.
Made from a whiskey barrel
This is the part we make, so read it as interested but factual.
American law requires bourbon to be aged in charred new oak. That single word is why the industry produces an enormous supply of once-used barrels: after four, eight, twelve years of work, a barrel can never hold bourbon again. Most go on to age Scotch, rum or beer. Some are broken down for the staves, and that is where the wood in these comes from.
What it means as a gift: the oak carries colour from the char inside the barrel and from the spirit itself, so the tones run from honey to near-black, and the grain is different in every piece. Nothing about it repeats.
In this list that is the watches above, and the rings below — with a caveat you should read before you buy six of them.
A word against buying your groomsmen rings
We sell rings. We would still tell you not to buy six of them for your groomsmen.
A ring is a personal choice, and someone who does not normally wear one may prefer a different gift. A ring is a good gift for one specific friend — the one who already wears one, or who has wanted to and never got round to it — and an awkward one for everybody else. It also needs a size, which turns a simple purchase into six conversations.
Where it does work: as a gift for the best man who wears rings, or as your own wedding band bought alongside your groomsmen's gifts. Our rings run $160 to $310 USD, in sizes 7 to 13 including half sizes, mostly 8 mm with some designs narrower.
What to skip
Anything with "groomsman" printed on it. A name or a personal reference may stay useful longer than a wedding-party role.
Flasks, unless he already carries one. The most-given and least-used object in this category. Check that he would actually use one.
Novelty whiskey-flavoured food. Choose food gifts only if you know he enjoys them; liking whiskey does not automatically mean liking whiskey-flavoured sweets.
Matching everything. Matching gifts can work if they suit everyone. Add a personal note or choose different designs to reflect individual tastes.
Anything that needs assembly, a subscription, or an app.
Buying for six people without it becoming a project
The practical part, because this is where groomsmen gifts usually go wrong.
Order earlier than feels necessary. Anything personalised needs the engraving time on top of the shipping time, and anything crossing a border needs more room than you think. Our own timing, as an example of the shape of it: 2–5 business days to process, then 3–9 in transit within Canada — so five to fourteen business days door to door, before you add engraving.
Avoid anything that needs a size unless you are prepared to ask. Wallets, glassware, tools and tickets need nothing. Rings and clothing need a conversation, and the conversation ruins the surprise.
Buy one thing well rather than five things cheaply. A single good object beats a box of five small ones every time, and costs less to ship.
Write something. A card with two specific sentences — not "thanks for being there", but the actual reason this person is standing up with you — is remembered longer than whatever it is attached to. It costs little and makes the gift personal.
Check the returns window before you buy six of anything. Our refund policy allows eligible returns within 30 days of delivery. Customers pay return shipping for a change of mind or a wrong size; qualifying damaged, defective or incorrect orders are handled at our expense. Personalised products are excluded under the policy, so check eligibility before ordering.
Common questions
How much should I spend on groomsmen gifts?
Use $40 to $100 USD per person as a planning range, not an obligation. Set a total you can afford, then choose gifts that suit your friends. A thoughtful lower-cost gift is fine.
When do you give groomsmen gifts?
The rehearsal dinner, for most gifts. The morning of the wedding if it is something to be worn that day. The best man's is worth giving separately and privately.
Do I have to spend the same on every groomsman?
No, but a similar value range is helpful when handing gifts out together. You can give the best man an additional personal gift privately if you wish.
Do groomsmen give the couple a gift as well?
Some do, but expectations vary with the couple, culture and each person's budget. Their time and wedding-related expenses already represent a contribution; an additional gift should not be treated as a debt.
Is a ring a good groomsman gift?
It can be, if you know he likes rings and can confirm his size. For a group with different tastes, a wallet, glass or another gift that needs no sizing may be easier.
What should I not give?
Anything with the word "groomsman" printed on it, anything that only makes sense on the wedding day, and flasks for men who do not already carry one.
If something made from a once-used bourbon barrel is the direction you are going: the watches and rings are built around oak that held whiskey before it held anything else, and the wallets are full-grain horse leather. Check our shipping policy and return conditions before ordering. Every ring carries our Lifetime Warranty against manufacturing defects.
If you are buying a ring and need a size, start with our ring size guide — and if it is your own band you are choosing, measuring at home takes about five minutes.